OSHA 10 Prep - General Industry

75 min read Training Guide

Entry-level safety credential for manufacturing and warehouse work. Covers OSHA history, 29 CFR 1910 navigation, PPE, LOTO, HazCom, machine guarding, and a self-quiz.

Table of contents

OSHA 10 Prep - General Industry

The OSHA 10-Hour General Industry card is the single most-requested safety credential on a manufacturing or warehouse application. It is not a license to do anything, and it does not make you a safety professional. What it does do is prove to a hiring manager that you sat through ten hours of training on the hazards that actually put people in the ER in factories, warehouses, maintenance shops, and distribution centers. Dozens of temp agencies, staffing firms, and direct employers will not move your application past a screener without it.

This guide is a prep walk-through. It is not a substitute for the ten-hour course itself. It is meant to give you the frame so that when an OSHA-authorized trainer runs through the slides, you already know the rooms of the house and can focus on the furniture.

What the Card Is and Isn't

  • The card is issued by OSHA-authorized Outreach trainers, not by OSHA directly. OSHA does not certify, license, or register individual workers.
  • It has no federal expiration date. Many employers require a refresh every three to five years anyway. Some state plans (California, for example) impose their own refresh rules.
  • It is a hiring preference, not a legal requirement in most jurisdictions. A few states (New York, Connecticut, Missouri, Nevada) mandate OSHA cards for certain public-works or construction roles, but the 10-Hour General Industry card specifically is a manufacturing/warehouse door opener, not a code requirement.
  • It does not qualify you as a "competent person" or an "authorized employee" for any specific regulation. Site-specific training on top of the card is always needed.

Course Structure

The 10-hour course is built on a fixed block structure set by OSHA Outreach Training Program Requirements:


| Block                          | Minimum Time |
|--------------------------------|--------------|
| Intro to OSHA                  | 2 hours      |
| Required topics (bundled)      | 4 hours      |
| Elective topics                | 2 hours      |
| Optional topics (trainer pick) | 2 hours      |

Required topics for General Industry cover Walking-Working Surfaces, Emergency Action Plans, Hazard Communication, and PPE. Electives typically include LOTO, machine guarding, materials handling, and electrical. Optional time is usually given over to site-specific issues, a quiz, or a Q&A.

OSHA History and Mission

The Occupational Safety and Health Act passed in 1970 and created OSHA (inside the Department of Labor) along with NIOSH (inside the CDC) and the OSH Review Commission (independent). Before the Act, workplace fatality rates in U.S. industry were roughly twice what they are today.

OSHA's mission in one sentence: assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.

Coverage:

  • Most private-sector employers in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
  • Federal agencies (through a separate program).
  • State and local government workers in states with OSHA-approved State Plans (about 22 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands).
  • NOT covered: self-employed, immediate family members of farm employers, and workplaces regulated by another federal agency (mine safety, nuclear, aviation).

Employee Rights Under the OSH Act

  • Right to a safe workplace.
  • Right to receive information and training in a language you understand.
  • Right to review records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
  • Right to file a complaint with OSHA and request an inspection, confidentially if desired.
  • Right to participate in an OSHA inspection and speak privately with the inspector.
  • Right to exercise these rights without retaliation (Section 11(c)).

Employer Responsibilities

  • Provide a workplace free from recognized hazards (the General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1)).
  • Comply with all applicable OSHA standards.
  • Provide required PPE at no cost to the worker (with narrow exceptions for personal items like everyday steel toes).
  • Post the OSHA "It's the Law" poster and the annual 300A summary.
  • Keep records and report serious incidents.

General Industry standards live in 29 CFR 1910. The book is organized into Subparts, A through Z. You do not need to memorize them, but a card-holder should be able to find a topic in under a minute.


| Subpart | Topic                                        |
|---------|----------------------------------------------|
| A       | General                                      |
| B       | Adoption and extension of standards          |
| D       | Walking-working surfaces                     |
| E       | Emergency action plans / exit routes         |
| F       | Powered platforms / aerial lifts             |
| G       | Occupational health and environmental control|
| H       | Hazardous materials                          |
| I       | Personal protective equipment                |
| J       | General environmental controls (incl. LOTO)  |
| K       | Medical and first aid                        |
| L       | Fire protection                              |
| M       | Compressed gas and air                       |
| N       | Materials handling and storage               |
| O       | Machinery and machine guarding               |
| P       | Hand and portable power tools                |
| Q       | Welding, cutting, and brazing                |
| R       | Special industries                           |
| S       | Electrical                                   |
| T       | Commercial diving                            |
| Z       | Toxic and hazardous substances               |

Citations are written as Part.Section(paragraph). Example: 1910.147(c)(4) is the LOTO energy-control procedure requirement.

Hazard Communication (HazCom / GHS)

1910.1200 aligns the U.S. with the UN Globally Harmonized System. Three things every worker is trained on:

Safety Data Sheets - 16 Sections

  1. Identification
  2. Hazard(s) identification
  3. Composition / ingredients
  4. First-aid measures
  5. Fire-fighting measures
  6. Accidental release measures
  7. Handling and storage
  8. Exposure controls / PPE
  9. Physical and chemical properties
  10. Stability and reactivity
  11. Toxicological information
  12. Ecological information
  13. Disposal
  14. Transport
  15. Regulatory information
  16. Other information

Sections 12 through 15 are not enforced by OSHA (they fall to other agencies) but must still be on the sheet.

Labels

  • Primary containers: product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements, supplier information.
  • Secondary containers (a spray bottle you filled from a drum): product identifier plus words, pictures, or a combination that conveys the hazards. Cannot just say "cleaner."

Pictograms (9 red-bordered diamonds)

Health hazard, flame, exclamation mark, gas cylinder, corrosion, exploding bomb, flame over circle (oxidizer), skull and crossbones, environment (not OSHA-required but often present).

Signal Words

  • Danger - more severe hazard.
  • Warning - less severe hazard.
  • Only one signal word per label; the more severe wins if both apply.

Hierarchy of Controls

1. Elimination         (remove the hazard)
2. Substitution        (swap in a safer material or process)
3. Engineering controls(isolate the worker: guards, ventilation, interlocks)
4. Administrative      (procedures, rotations, training)
5. PPE                 (last line of defense)

PPE is the bottom of the list for a reason. It protects one worker, it fails without warning, and it depends entirely on the worker putting it on correctly every single time.

Common PPE Standards


| PPE Type  | Standard         | Notes                                        |
|-----------|------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Eye       | ANSI Z87.1       | Z87+ for impact, check for side protection   |
| Head      | ANSI Z89.1       | Class C / E / G (general / electrical / low) |
| Foot      | ASTM F2413       | I (impact) / C (compression) / EH / PR       |
| Hearing   | ANSI S3.19       | NRR value printed on every pack              |
| Respirator| 1910.134         | Fit test, medical eval, written program      |

Hearing protection is required when an 8-hour time-weighted average exposure reaches 85 dBA (the action level). Engineering/administrative controls are required at 90 dBA (the PEL).

Machine Guarding (Subpart O)

Every point of operation on a machine must be guarded to protect the operator from:

  • Point of operation (where the work happens)
  • Nip points and in-running rollers
  • Rotating parts (shafts, couplings, collars)
  • Flying chips and sparks

The guard must be secure, not easily removed, not itself a hazard, and allow the work to be done. If a guard has to come off for a die change, that is a LOTO trigger, not a guard-removal approval.

Lockout / Tagout - 1910.147

LOTO controls hazardous energy during service or maintenance. The six-step sequence every authorized employee learns:

  1. Prepare for shutdown (identify sources: electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, chemical, gravitational, stored).
  2. Shut down the machine using normal procedures.
  3. Isolate all energy sources (breakers open, valves closed, lines disconnected).
  4. Apply lockout devices and personal locks; tag with name, date, reason.
  5. Release or block stored energy (capacitors, springs, raised rams, pressurized lines) and VERIFY zero energy by trying to start the machine and reading meters.
  6. Perform service. When done, reverse the steps: remove tools, clear personnel, remove locks, restore energy, retest.

Authorized employee - trained to apply and remove LOTO. Affected employee - works with the machine but does not perform the LOTO. Other employee - anyone else who might be in the area. All three get training, at different depths.

Electrical Safety (Subpart S) and NFPA 70E

OSHA 1910.331 through .335 cover electrical safety-related work practices. NFPA 70E is the consensus standard OSHA enforces under the General Duty Clause for arc flash and shock.

  • Qualified person - trained to work on energized parts.
  • Unqualified person - everyone else; must stay outside the limited approach boundary.
  • Shock boundaries: Limited, Restricted (for qualified persons only, with PPE and work permit).
  • Arc flash boundary: distance at which incident energy equals 1.2 cal/cm2 (second-degree burn threshold).

De-energized is the default. Energized work requires a written Energized Electrical Work Permit.

Walking-Working Surfaces (Subpart D)

  • 1910.22 housekeeping - floors kept clean, dry, free of tripping hazards; drainage where wet processes run.
  • Fall protection threshold in General Industry: 4 feet.
  • Guardrails: top rail 42 in +/- 3 in, midrail at ~21 in, toeboard 3.5 in minimum where objects could fall on someone below, top rail must withstand 200 lb in any direction.
  • Covers for holes rated for 2x the maximum intended load, labeled "HOLE" or "COVER."
  • Ladder rules in 1910.23.

Emergency Action Plans and Fire (Subparts E and L)

  • Written EAP required if any OSHA standard triggers one (most employers).
  • Exit routes: permanent, unlocked from the egress side, unobstructed, clearly marked, with emergency lighting.
  • Portable fire extinguishers: monthly visual check, annual maintenance, 5-year hydrostatic test for stored-pressure water.
  • Classes: A (ordinary combustibles), B (flammable liquids), C (energized electrical), D (combustible metals), K (cooking oils/fats).

Recordkeeping - 1904

  • OSHA 300 - log of work-related injuries and illnesses, kept for five years.
  • OSHA 300A - annual summary posted February 1 through April 30.
  • OSHA 301 - incident report, one per case, filed within 7 calendar days.

Reporting severe incidents:

  • Fatality: report within 8 hours.
  • Inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye: report within 24 hours.

Call OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA or the local Area Office, or report online.

Ergonomics and MSDs

OSHA has no general ergonomics standard but enforces under the General Duty Clause. Risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders:

  • Force (heavy lifting, pushing, pulling)
  • Repetition (same motion, many cycles)
  • Awkward posture (twisting, overhead reach, bent wrist)
  • Contact stress (kneeling on concrete, pressing palm against a sharp edge)
  • Vibration (impact drivers, chipping hammers)
  • Duration (hours without rotation or recovery)

Safe lifting: feet shoulder-width, load close to body, straight back, bend at hips and knees, no twisting under load, under 50 lb per NIOSH lifting equation baseline.

10-Question Self-Quiz

  1. You are painting a platform 6 ft above a lower level. Is fall protection required? Yes. General Industry threshold is 4 ft.
  2. An amputation happens on Monday at 10 a.m. By when must OSHA be notified? By Tuesday 10 a.m. (within 24 hours).
  3. What dates must the 300A summary be posted? February 1 through April 30.
  4. Name the five levels of the hierarchy of controls in order. Elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE.
  5. What are the two OSHA-recognized signal words on a HazCom label? Danger and Warning.
  6. How many sections does a GHS Safety Data Sheet have? Sixteen.
  7. A fatality occurs. Notify OSHA within how many hours? Eight.
  8. Name the six LOTO steps in order. Prepare, shut down, isolate, lock/tag, release stored energy and verify, service.
  9. What is the PEL action level for noise exposure (8-hr TWA)? 85 dBA.
  10. Under what Section of the OSH Act is the General Duty Clause found? Section 5(a)(1).

Day of the Exam

  • Pay attention in the LOTO and HazCom blocks. Those are where the quiz questions cluster.
  • Ask your trainer to show a real SDS from your target industry.
  • Bring a notebook. Write the Subpart letters on the inside cover and never be the one flipping pages in a meeting when an inspector cites 1910.132.
  • The card arrives in the mail two to six weeks after the course. Take a picture of it and keep the photo on your phone. A lost card can take a month to replace.