OSHA South Dakota Certification

Prior to the OSH Act in 1970, there were few governmental regulations protecting workers from jobsite hazards in the United States. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for employees to work in extremely unsafe conditions. Today, however, OSHA has standards in place that protect workers in every state, including South Dakota, and ensure they have a safe work environment.

To help you become more familiar with the OSHA standards in South Dakota, let's review OSHA's training recommendation and how to get your OSHA South Dakota training online.  We'll also discuss the importance of training for South Dakotans in all industries, but particularly farming and construction.

OSHA South Dakota Training Requirements

Different from some states, South Dakota doesn’t have its own occupational health and safety regulatory program (often called a "state plan"). South Dakotans fall under federal OSHA jurisdiction, which covers most private sector workers.

And OSHA mandates training on certain topics. In South Dakota, OSHA 10-Hour and 30-Hour "Outreach" courses are not required by federal or state regulations; however, OSHA does recommend Outreach training as a general orientation to safety because the courses cover common required topics for your industry.

Even when Outreach training isn't required by law, many South Dakota employers will require it as part of their safety training obligations. Depending on your responsibilities, you’ll either need an OSHA 10-hour course for entry-level workers or an OSHA 30-hour course for supervisors.

Benefits of OSHA South Dakota Training for Workers

When employees complete OSHA safety training, they are equipped with the knowledge they need to recognize hazards, so they can prevent accidents and fatalities. But training isn’t just beneficial to employees, South Dakota employers also benefit from OSHA training programs.

• Showing records of training helps you avoid penalties from OSHA inspections
• You can lower workers’ compensation costs with less injuries and accidents
• Employees are more productive which improves financial performance

Additionally, while we can make the claim that awareness helps keep workers safe, it’s another thing to look at the statistics from OSHA, the Department of Labor, and other South Dakota agencies. These workplace injury statistics tell an important story about the role of safety training in preventing fatalities, accidents, and fines.

Fatal Occupational Injuries in South Dakota

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were a total of 30 fatal occupational injuries in South Dakota in 2017, while nationally there were 5,147 fatal occupational injuries.

Of the 30 fatalities:

• 17 were the result of transportation incidents
• 6 were the result of falls, slips, and trips
• 3 were the result of contact with objects and equipment
• 2 were the result of violence and other injuries by persons or animals
• 2 were the result of exposure to harmful substances or environments

All the fatalities were in the private sector. Specifically:

• 6 in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, including:
  • 1 in corn farming
  • 1 in oilseed/grain combination farming
  • 1 in other in crop production
  • 1 in beef cattle ranching
  • 1 in dairy cattle and milk production
  • 1 in logging
• 6 in transportation and warehousing, including:
  • 3 in line-haul railroads
  • 2 in specialized freight trucking
• 6 in construction (including 4 specialty trade contractors)
• 4 in wholesale or retail trade (including 1 in livestock wholesaling)
• 2 in manufacturing (1 in milk, 1 in construction machinery)
• 2 in leisure and hospitality
• 5 in various other private industries

2018-2019 Top OSHA Enforcement Cases in South Dakota

As you can see, workers in South Dakota, especially in farming and construction, are at high risk for injury and accidents. But they are not alone. South Dakota businesses can also use OSHA training to help reduce their risk of enforcement penalties from an OSHA inspection.

Currently, OSHA lists the top enforcement cases by state on its website, but here are the top cases for 2018-2019.

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