OSHA 10 General Industry: 2026 Complete Training Guide

Workplace safety isn’t just about rules and regulations, it’s about making sure every worker gets to go home in one piece at the end of the day. That’s where the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) comes in. Since its creation, OSHA has played a massive role in making American workplaces safer, helping to dramatically reduce work related injuries and fatalities.

For anyone entering a new trade or working in a general industry setting, from warehousing and manufacturing to healthcare and retail, the OSHA 10 General Industry training is the foundational first step. This certification provides a crucial overview of the most common health and safety hazards you’ll encounter on the job. Think of it as the rulebook for staying safe. This guide will walk you through the essential topics covered in the training, giving you a clear picture of what to expect and why it matters.

The Foundation of Workplace Safety

Before diving into specific hazards, it’s important to understand the bigger picture of what OSHA does and how a good safety program works.

An Introduction to OSHA

OSHA is the federal agency responsible for ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards. Established in 1971, its impact has been profound. For example, workplace fatalities have fallen from about 13,800 in 1970 to around 5,250 in 2018, even with a workforce that has more than doubled. OSHA covers most private sector employees and provides training, outreach, education, and assistance to both employers and workers.

Your Safety and Health Program

A core concept in any OSHA 10 General Industry course is the idea of a Safety and Health Program. This isn’t just a binder on a shelf, it’s a living system built on key elements like management leadership, worker participation, and a proactive approach to finding and fixing hazards. Everyone has a role to play. Employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace, and workers have a right to be trained on hazards and report safety concerns without fear of retaliation. For on-the-job troubleshooting and quick references, check our technical support for field tech resources.

Common Workplace Hazards and Controls

The bulk of your training will focus on identifying and controlling the most frequent hazards found in general industry environments.

Slips, Trips, and Falls: A Major Focus

Falls are a leading cause of serious work related injuries and deaths. Because of this, fall protection and maintaining clear work areas are heavily emphasized in safety training.

Walking Working Surfaces

This topic covers everything you stand and walk on, including floors, stairs, ladders, and platforms. OSHA requires employers to keep these surfaces in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition. Key rules include guarding or covering floor holes, ensuring stairways have proper railings, and maintaining clear, unobstructed aisles and passageways. For ladder and rooftop context common in HVAC, review our commercial HVAC maintenance safety guides.

Fall Protection

In general industry, fall protection is typically required whenever a worker is on a surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet or more above a lower level. Your OSHA 10 General Industry training will cover different types of fall protection.

• Guardrails: These are simple, passive barriers that are often the first line of defense.

• Safety Nets: Used to catch workers if they do fall.

• Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS): This system includes a full body harness, a secure anchor point, and a connector like a lanyard. The anchor point must be capable of supporting 5,000 pounds per person attached.

Electrical and Equipment Safety

Modern workplaces are filled with machinery and electrical systems. Understanding how to work with them safely is non negotiable.

Electrical Safety

Contact with electricity is one of the leading causes of on the job fatalities. Even low voltages can be deadly, with anything over 50 volts considered hazardous. This part of the training covers the dangers of electric shock, arc flash, and electrocution. You’ll learn about safe work practices, guarding live parts, proper grounding, and the use of protective devices like Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs). For field-focused refreshers, explore our electrical safety basics.

Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

The Lockout/Tagout standard deals with controlling hazardous energy. Before any maintenance or service is performed on a machine, it must be properly de energized. The LOTO procedure involves shutting down the equipment, isolating it from its energy source, and placing locks and tags on the isolating devices to prevent accidental startup. It’s a critical procedure that saves lives. See practical appliance repair and maintenance procedures that reinforce LOTO.

Machine Guarding

Any machine part, function, or process that could cause injury must be safeguarded. Guards are physical barriers that prevent you from coming into contact with dangerous moving parts, like rotating shafts, pinch points, or the point of operation where the work is done. Your training will cover the different types of guards and devices used to protect workers.

Material and Chemical Safety

Working with various materials and chemicals is a daily reality in many jobs. Knowing the risks and how to handle them is essential.

Hazard Communication (HazCom)

Often called the “Right to Know” law, the Hazard Communication standard ensures that you are informed about the dangers of chemicals in your workplace. This system uses standardized container labels, pictograms, and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) to communicate hazards. The SDS is a detailed document that provides information on a chemical’s properties, health risks, and safe handling procedures. To stay organized, use these inventory management for chemicals and PPE tips.

Hazardous Materials (HazMat)

This is a broad category that includes any substance that poses a risk to health, safety, or property. Your OSHA 10 General Industry training teaches you to recognize different hazard classes (like flammables, corrosives, and toxins) and the importance of proper storage, such as keeping incompatible chemicals separated to prevent dangerous reactions.

Material Handling, Storage, Use and Disposal

Moving and storing materials comes with its own set of hazards, from back injuries caused by improper lifting to accidents from falling objects. This topic covers safe lifting techniques, the proper way to stack and secure materials to prevent them from sliding or collapsing, and maintaining clear pathways for material handling equipment like forklifts.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

When hazards cannot be eliminated through other means, PPE is your last line of defense. This includes equipment like hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, respirators, and safety footwear. Employers are required to assess workplace hazards, provide the appropriate PPE at no cost to employees, and train workers on how to use and maintain it correctly. Learn how to set up routine PPE inspections and documentation in our quality control guides.

Industrial Hygiene

Industrial hygiene is the science of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace conditions that can cause injury or illness. It involves identifying health hazards like air contaminants, chemical exposures, and excessive noise, and then implementing controls to protect workers. This proactive approach is fundamental to a healthy work environment.

Emergency Preparedness: A Key Part of OSHA 10 General Industry

No matter how safe a workplace is, emergencies can still happen. Being prepared to respond correctly can make all the difference.

Planning for the Unexpected

A clear, practiced plan is the best way to prevent panic and ensure an orderly response during an emergency.

Exit Routes

Every workplace must have a continuous and unobstructed path of travel from any point to a place of safety. An exit route generally has three parts: the exit access, the exit itself, and the exit discharge. Most workplaces are required to have at least two exit routes, and these must be clearly marked, well lit, and unlocked from the inside during work hours.

Emergency Action Plans (EAP)

An EAP is a written plan that outlines what to do in an emergency like a fire, chemical spill, or natural disaster. It includes procedures for reporting an emergency, evacuation routes and assembly points, and methods for accounting for all employees. Every worker should be trained on the EAP.

Fire Safety: Prevention and Protection

Fire safety is a two part concept. The first goal is to prevent a fire from ever starting, and the second is to control it if one does break out.

Fire Prevention Plans (FPP)

An FPP focuses on avoiding fires in the first place. It identifies major fire hazards (like flammable liquids or combustible dust), potential ignition sources, and the procedures for controlling them. Good housekeeping, proper waste disposal, and safe handling of flammable materials are all key components of a solid fire prevention plan. If your team performs cutting or brazing, brush up on welding and hot work fundamentals.

Fire Protection

This refers to the systems in place to detect, control, and extinguish a fire. This includes fire alarms, automatic sprinkler systems, and portable fire extinguishers. Sprinklers are incredibly effective, controlling or extinguishing roughly 96% of fires where they are activated. Workers who are expected to use fire extinguishers must be trained on how to do so, often using the P.A.S.S. method (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep).

Specialized and Health Related Hazards

The OSHA 10 General Industry course also covers several specialized topics that are critical in certain work environments. Getting this certification has never been easier with affordable, online options. You can get started today with SkillCat’s online training platform to earn your card.

Working in Challenging Environments

Some job tasks require workers to enter unique and potentially dangerous spaces.

Confined Space Entry

A confined space is an area that is large enough for a person to enter but has limited means of entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy. Some confined spaces are classified as “permit required” because they contain serious hazards, such as a dangerous atmosphere or the potential for engulfment. Entry into these spaces requires a formal permit, atmospheric testing, and a trained attendant standing by. Facilities and multi-unit properties often face these scenarios; see our multi-family maintenance category for real-world examples.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker, not the other way around. It focuses on designing workstations, tools, and tasks to minimize strain on the body. The goal is to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) like back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, which account for nearly 30% of all serious workplace injuries. Proper lifting techniques and adjustable workstations are examples of good ergonomics.

Bloodborne Pathogens

The Bloodborne Pathogens standard protects workers who may be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials. It requires employers to have an exposure control plan, use universal precautions (treating all human blood as if it’s infectious), provide PPE, and offer the Hepatitis B vaccine to at risk employees.

Your Path to a Safer Career

Completing the OSHA 10 General Industry training is more than just a requirement for many jobs, it’s an investment in your own well being. The knowledge you gain empowers you to recognize hazards, protect yourself and your coworkers, and contribute to a stronger safety culture.

Whether you’re starting a new career or looking to refresh your safety knowledge, this certification is an essential credential. With convenient and IACET accredited programs, like the OSHA 10 General Industry course available through SkillCat, you can get the training you need to work safely and confidently.

Frequently Asked Questions about OSHA 10 General Industry

What is the OSHA 10 General Industry training?

It is an entry level safety course authorized by OSHA that provides a general awareness of common workplace hazards. It is designed for workers in non construction fields like manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare, and retail.

Who needs to get an OSHA 10 card?

While not legally required by OSHA for all workers, many employers mandate it as part of their safety program. It is highly recommended for all entry level workers to provide a solid foundation in workplace safety.

How long does the OSHA 10 training take?

The “10” in the name refers to the 10 hours of required training time. Due to OSHA regulations limiting training to 7.5 hours per day, the course takes a minimum of two calendar days to complete.

Does the OSHA 10 General Industry card expire?

The Department of Labor (DOL) card issued upon completion does not have an expiration date. However, many employers and some local regulations require workers to retake the training every three to five years to stay current on safety practices.

How can I get my OSHA 10 card?

You must complete the course through an OSHA authorized trainer. Many providers now offer the OSHA 10 General Industry course online, which provides a flexible and convenient way to earn your certification. After passing the final exam, you will receive an official DOL card in the mail.