OSHA Vermont Online Training

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Looking for information about OSHA training in Vermont? You’ve come to the right place. We have the answers to your top questions, including:

• What’s a state plan and does Vermont have one?
• What are OSHA’s training requirements?
• Why is safety training important for employees and employers?
• Are there specific workplace accident and injury statistics for Vermont?
• Where can you find OSHA 10 and 30 training

Occupational Safety and Health Jurisdiction in Vermont

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) allows states to assume their own occupational safety and health responsibilities as long as they're "at least as effective" as the federal program.

Vermont has an official state plan that covers all state and local government workers in Vermont, as well as most private sector workers.

The state plan adopts federal OSHA standards by reference. Vermont also has two unique standards in effect:

• Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
• Lineworker Safety

Enforcement—including inspections, notification, citations, penalties, and appeals—is handled by the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) under the Vermont Department of Labor.

A small number of Vermonters remain under federal OSHA jurisdiction, instead. Specifically:

• Federal employment
• The U.S. Postal Service plus private contractor-operated facilities engaged by USPS
• Offshore maritime employment, including offshore shipyard employment and longshoring
• Working conditions of aircraft cabin crewmembers onboard aircraft in operation

OSHA Vermont Training Requirements

Since Vermont adopted most federal standards, Vermonters will follow similar training requirements regardless of jurisdiction.

Federal OSHA requires training on specific safety standards that apply to your job functions. Those under VOSHA jurisdiction have the same mandatory training, but Vermont employers should be careful to teach state requirements on the topics of PELs and lineman safety.

Federal OSHA also has Outreach courses (sometimes referred to as "DOL cards") that cover common requirements for your industry. Even though OSHA doesn't require OSHA Outreach training, some employers might. In that case, you’ll either need an OSHA 10-Hour course for entry-level workers or an OSHA 30-Hour course for supervisors.

Benefits of OSHA Vermont Training for Workers

The main goal of OSHA safety training has always been to improve employee well-being by reducing workplace accidents, injuries, and fatalities. However, employees aren’t the only ones that benefit from safety training; when employers invest in the training they can avoid penalties from OSHA noncompliance, lower workers’ compensation costs, and increase financial performance.

If you don’t yet believe us that safety training will reduce the number of workplace accidents, take a look at the below statistics from OSHA, the Department of Labor, and other Vermont agencies.

Fatal Occupational Injuries in Vermont

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were a total of 22 fatal occupational injuries in Vermont in 2017, while nationally there were 5,147 fatal occupational injuries.

Of the 22 fatalities:

• 10 were the result of transportation incidents
• 3 were the result of contact with objects and equipment
• 3 were the result of violence and other injuries by persons or animals
• 3 were the result of exposure to harmful substances or environments

The industries with the greatest number of fatalities were:

• 6 in leisure and hospitality
• 4 in construction
• 3 in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting

2015-2019 Top OSHA Enforcement Cases in Vermont

Although you now know that Vermont workers are at high risk for injuries and accidents, employees aren’t the only ones at risk for loss. Businesses can lose financially when they don’t invest in safety training programs.

While OSHA lists the top enforcement cases on their website, here are the top cases for 2015-2019 to give you an idea of the hefty risk for violations.

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