Does OSHA 30 Expire? How Long OSHA 30 Is Good For
Do OSHA 30 cards expire? While the federal government says no, there are some circumstances, like requesting a replacement card or meeting local regulatory requirements, where the answer is yes.
In this article, we’ll discuss important aspects of OSHA 30-hour online training , including the validity of your card, renewal situations, replacement rules, and what OSHA 30 can be used for.
Does OSHA 30 Expire?
Does the OSHA 30 expire? It depends on what you mean.
OSHA and the federal government no longer recognize any formal expiration for OSHA Outreach course completion cards, also called DOL cards. In fact, if you check the back of your OSHA 30 card, it says the card doesn’t expire. Maritime cards used to expire, but no longer – you can learn more through the DOL’s OSHA Outreach Training Program FAQ .
Despite OSHA’s policy, there are circumstances where the amount of time since you took OSHA 30 becomes a factor, including:
- Lost/Damaged Cards . You can only request a replacement DOL card within five years of completing the course. After that, you must retake the training.
- Organizational/Regulatory Requirements . People often obtain an OSHA 30 card because an employer, union, project owner, or state/county/city government requires it. Organizations and local governments can set their own acceptance standards, so if you’re using your DOL card to meet these requirements, it can “expire” for that purpose.
- Needing Supplemental Training . Workplace safety is a dynamic field, so industry practices and safety standards change periodically. OSHA recommends periodic training updates to reflect this, and certain topics have a required refresher period. From this perspective, OSHA 30 training doesn’t meet your safety training needs entirely or indefinitely.
There’s one more thing we want to clear up before we continue. Your OSHA 30 card is a course completion card, not a license or formal OSHA certification. It’s easy for card-holders to get confused, because DOL cards are often referred to casually as “OSHA certificates” or even “certification.” Officially, the card simply indicates that you completed OSHA 30 training by the issue date on the back.
How Long Is OSHA 30 Good For?
How long does an OSHA 30 certificate last? Again, it depends on the purpose.
According to the federal government, OSHA Outreach course completion cards do not have a federal expiration date, although employers and jurisdictions may impose their own recency requirements.
But different uses of an OSHA 30 card remain valid for different lengths of time.
| Purpose or Use | How Long OSHA 30 Lasts |
|---|---|
| To get a replacement card | 5 years |
| To meet local regulatory requirements | 5 years is common, but it varies – check your local regulations. |
| To meet employer, union, project owner, or other organizational requirements | It’s up to the organization, but if you’re required to repeat it, the required frequency is often 2 to 5 years. |
| To meet OSHA or other safety training needs | Additional or refresher training may be required depending on the OSHA standard, job duties, hazards, equipment, and employer requirements. Check the training requirements for the standards that apply to you. |
In all cases, the OSHA 30 card expiration is calculated based on the issue date on the back of your DOL card. Additionally, requirements can be changed by organizations or regulatory bodies at any time. Check OSHA Outreach Training Program requirements for more information.
When Does OSHA 30 Need Renewal?
When does OSHA 30 expire? Let’s look at the list of events that can trigger the need to either retake OSHA 30:
- Employer Policy Requirements . For example, you’ve just been hired as a roofing lead by a national contractor that requires every crew lead to provide a current OSHA 30 card before they can run jobs independently. Your card is older than their definition of “current.”
- State, County, or City Requirements . For example, you’re a construction laborer who has been hired for your first high-rise project in NYC, where a rigorous amount of training is required for this project type. Taking OSHA 30 is part of fulfilling that requirement.
- Union Rules . For example, you’ve just joined a union, and they require OSHA 30 construction training before you can supervise a crew on a union project.
- Project-Owner Contracts . For example, a new project contract requires project managers and field supervisors to show an OSHA 30 card issued within the last 5 years.
- Jobsite Requirements . For example, you’re the superintendent assigned to a large data-center construction project, and you hold an OSHA 30 card, but it was issued 8 years ago. The site’s access policy requires construction superintendents and forepersons to show an OSHA 30 card completed within the last 3 years before receiving a site badge. To work at that jobsite, you’ll need to repeat OSHA 30.
- Equipment Changes . For example, your worksite’s forklift fleet has been replaced with a different make and model. Having OSHA 30 doesn’t exempt you from OSHA’s operator training and evaluation requirements for specific equipment.
- Duty Changes . For example, you’re a machine operator who has been promoted to production supervisor at an auto-parts plant. The role includes enforcing safety procedures like machine-guarding and LOTO, and the employer requires OSHA 30 general industry training before you can supervise the production line.
- Hazard Changes . For example, you’re part of a plumbing crew that normally works in open-access areas, but you’ve been assigned to install piping inside a utility vault. Even though you’ve completed OSHA 30, you now need confined-space hazard training before the new assignment begins.
- Outdated Training . For example, a construction estimator completed OSHA 30 fifteen years ago but is now returning to field supervision. Their employer asks them to repeat OSHA 30 because hazard controls and applicable standards have changed in the interim.
State and Local Jurisdiction Expirations
Some jurisdictions across the country require OSHA 30 cards under specific circumstances, and expiration or refresher requirements are set by the state, county, or city that sets them. Here are some examples:
- New York State requires an OSHA 10 Construction card for every employee on public contracts, but OSHA 30 is accepted in its place for supervisors. Their state-level requirement is one and done –no refresher requirement or expiration.
- Miami-Dade County, FL , has a similar requirement, except the cards must be issued within the last 5 years and only county projects over $1 million apply.
- City of Philadelphia, PA , requires at least one on-site supervisory employee with an OSHA 30 Construction card for most permitted construction and demolition activities. It must be issued within the last five years.
- New York City, NY , requires NYC SST training in which even non-supervisory construction workers need at least 40 hours of training. A new OSHA 30 card can be put toward SST requirements, and SST cards expire every 5 years.
- The State of Nevada is one of the few places where OSHA card requirements apply to non-construction personnel. All supervisors in the entertainment, convention services, and cannabis industries must obtain an OSHA 30 GI card within 15 days of hiring and retake the training every 5 years.
This is not an exhaustive list. Check your local requirements.
OSHA 30 Replacement Card Rules
If you lose or damage an OSHA 30 card, also called a DOL card, there are a number of OSHA replacement card rules that apply, and one is that you can only request a replacement within the first five years. This isn’t the same as the OSHA 30 card expiring, but it is a time-sensitive limitation.
OSHA doesn’t maintain student records, so replacement cards must be requested through your original training provider. You can learn more about the rules for replacing a DOL card in our article on the subject.
If we were your original training provider, visit our OSHA DOL card replacement page to submit a request. You can always print a paper certificate of completion, but plastic wallet cards are only available within 5 years of the issue date.
Does OSHA 10 Expire Like OSHA 30?
OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 cards are both part of the OSHA Outreach Training program, and they follow the same general rules for validity, replacement, and expiration. We have a separate article on OSHA 10 expiration if you need to know more.
The difference between the two is that OSHA 10-hour training is targeted at non-supervisory employees (entry-level or experienced workers who are only responsible for themselves), while OSHA 30 is more extensive and often used by supervisors or workers with safety responsibilities.
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