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Compliance Assistance Quick Start: Construction Industry » PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION Step By Step Version

Construction IndustryConstruction Quick Start

Follow the steps below to identify the major OSHA construction requirements and guidance materials that may apply to your jobsite. These steps will lead you to resources on OSHA's website that will help you comply with OSHA requirements and prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. For more information, see the Construction Quick Start Library. This includes a collection of forms, resources, publications, and sample programs that are incorporated into the Quick Start steps, plus additional compliance assistance resources. You can use this collection as a reference after completing the steps.

NOTE: If you have Spanish-speaking employees, visit OSHA's Compliance Assistance: Hispanic Employers and Workers page and OSHA en Español. If you employ teen or young workers, visit OSHA's Teen Workers page.
 

Step 1: OSHA Requirements Related to Leading Hazards at Construction Sites

The following resources will introduce you to OSHA requirements that address some of the leading hazards at construction sites.
  1. Falls consistently account for the greatest number of fatalities in the construction industry. If you have employees who work six or more feet above a lower level, you must provide fall protection.
  2. Stairways and Ladders. Working on and around stairways and ladders can be hazardous. Stairways and ladders are major sources of injuries and fatalities among construction workers.
  3. Scaffolding. Do you use scaffolding on your jobsite?
  4. Electrical. Almost all construction employers must consider the hazards associated with electricity (i.e., electric shock, electrocution, fires and explosions).
  5. Trenching and Excavation are among the most hazardous construction operations.
  6. Motor Vehicle Safety/Highway Work Zones. Do you operate motor vehicles on your jobsite or do your employees work in and around highway work zones?
NOTE: To find the OSHA standards that are most frequently cited by OSHA inspectors, visit Frequently Cited OSHA Standards. On that page, you can find the most frequently cited federal or state OSHA standards by your industry's Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code and the number of employees in your establishment. To generate a list of the most frequently cited standards in the construction industry as a whole, enter a C in the SIC code box.

NOTE: Most construction jobsites involve multiple employers (i.e., general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, etc.). If you perform work on such jobsites, you should review OSHA's Multi-Employer Citation Policy.

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Step 2: Other OSHA Requirements That May Apply to Your Jobsite

In addition to the OSHA requirements covered in Step 1, a number of other OSHA standards may apply to your jobsite. The following items can help you identify other key OSHA standards that may apply and point you to information to help you comply with those standards.
  1. OSHA construction standards (see 29 CFR 1926.28 and 1926.95) state that employers must require their employees to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in all operations where employees are exposed to hazardous conditions or where OSHA's construction standards indicate the need for using PPE to reduce the hazards.
  2. Hand and Power Tools. Hand and power tools are common at nearly every construction jobsite.
  3. Do you use concrete or masonry products on your jobsite?
  4. Do you use cranes, derricks, hoists, elevators, or conveyors on your jobsite?
  5. Do you conduct welding, cutting, or brazing at your jobsite?
  6. Are you engaged in residential construction?
  7. Are you engaged in steel erection?
  8. Fire Safety and Emergency Action Planning. Construction employers are responsible for the development and maintenance of an effective fire protection and prevention program at the jobsite throughout all phases of the construction, repair, alteration, or demolition work. (29 CFR 1926.24). OSHA recommends that all employers have an emergency action plan. A plan is mandatory when required by an OSHA standard. (29 CFR 1926.35). An emergency action plan describes the actions employees should take to ensure their safety in a fire or other emergency situation.
  9. Hazard Communication Standard. This standard is designed to ensure that employers and employees know about hazardous chemicals in the workplace and how to protect themselves. Employers with employees who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in the workplace must prepare and implement a written Hazard Communication Program and comply with other requirements of the standard, including providing Material Data Safety Sheets, training, and labeling.
This list is not comprehensive – additional OSHA standards may apply to your workplace. In addition, section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, known as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace that is free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Be sure to review OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR 1926) for requirements that may apply to your workplace.
  • You may review and print FREE copies of OSHA's construction standards from OSHA's Website. You may also order bound volumes of the standards from the Government Printing Office (GPO) at (202) 512-1800 or from GPO's website.
  • An OSHA booklet summarizes OSHA construction standards that are most frequently overlooked by employers and standards that cover particularly hazardous situations. Construction Industry Digest. OSHA Publication 2202 (2002). Also available as a 631 KB PDF.
  • The OSHA Construction Resource Manual includes links to the relevant mandatory standards for construction work that have been codified in OSHA's standards, including 29 CFR Parts 1903, 1904, 1910, and 1926.
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Step 3: Survey Your Workplace for Additional Hazards

Survey your workplace for additional hazards by: Find information on workplace health hazards, such as: Back to Top Back to Top

Step 4: Develop a Jobsite Safety and Health Program
OSHA's construction standards require construction employers to have accident prevention programs that provide for frequent and regular inspection of the jobsites, materials, and equipment by competent persons designated by the employers. See 29 CFR 1926.20(b).

NOTE:  OSHA's Construction Focused Inspection Policy recognizes the efforts of responsible contractors who have implemented effective safety and health programs, and encourages other contractors to adopt similar programs. Contractors who have implemented effective programs are eligible for focused inspections, should they be visited by an OSHA inspector. Focused inspections, which are narrower in scope than comprehensive inspections, target the leading construction hazards.  See Focused Inspections in Construction.

For help in developing a program: Back to Top Back to Top

Step 5: Train Your Employees
Learn about OSHA requirements and resources for training construction workers by: Back to Top Back to Top

Step 6: Recordkeeping, Reporting and Posting
  1. Recordkeeping. OSHA generally requires construction employers to keep records of workplace injuries and illnesses (29 CFR 1904).
    • First determine if you are exempt from the routine recordkeeping requirements. If you had 10 or fewer employees during all of the last calendar year (29 CFR 1904.1), you are exempt from the recordkeeping requirements (unless asked to do so in writing by OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Even if you qualify for this exemption, you must still comply with the reporting requirements noted below.
    • If you do not qualify for this exemption, you must comply with OSHA's recordkeeping requirements.
  2. Reporting. OSHA requires all employers, regardless of size or industry, to report the work-related death of any employee or hospitalizations of three or more employees. Read about OSHA's reporting requirements (29 CFR 1904.39).
     
  3. OSHA Poster. All employers must post the OSHA Poster (or state plan equivalent) in a prominent location in the workplace. Where employers are engaged in activities that are physically dispersed, such as construction, the OSHA Poster must be posted at the location to which employees report each day (see 29 CFR 1903.2). Download or order the OSHA Poster in English or Spanish.
     
  4. Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records. An OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.1020) requires employers to provide employees, their designated representatives, and OSHA with access to employee exposure and medical records. Employers generally must maintain employee exposure records for 30 years and medical records for the duration of the employee's employment plus 30 years.
NOTE: If your workplace is in a state operating an OSHA-approved state program, state plan recordkeeping regulations, although substantially identical to federal ones, may have some more stringent or supplemental requirements, such as for reporting of fatalities and catastrophes. Contact your state program directly for additional information.

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Step 7: Find Additional Compliance Assistance Information
  1. Where can I find additional information targeted to the construction industry?
  2. Where can I find a collection of OSHA resources designed for smaller employers?
  3. Do you have Spanish-speaking employees?
  4. Do you employ teen or young workers?
  5. Are you concerned that your employees could suffer musculoskeletal disorders at the workplace?
  6. Has OSHA developed any compliance assistance information targeted for my specific construction industry?
  7. How do I find out about OSHA's voluntary programs and other ways to work cooperatively with OSHA?
  8. What if I still have questions?
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Construction Quick Start Library

This Construction Quick Start Library includes a collection of forms, publications, resources, and sample programs from the Quick Start steps, plus additional compliance assistance resources. You can use this collection as a reference after completing the steps.
  Laws and Regulations
Forms
Posters
Publications
Web Pages
Electronic Compliance Assistance Tools: eTools and Expert Advisors
Spanish-Language Materials

The following are examples of OSHA's Spanish-language resources of interest to the construction industry. For a complete list of OSHA's Spanish-language resources, visit the Compliance Assistance: Hispanic Employers and Workers page.
  • Asbestos Fact Sheet (Asbesto) [PDF – 67 KB]
  • Cold Stress Card (La Ecuación del Frío). OSHA Publication 3158 (1999). Also available as a 21 KB PDF.
  • Construction: Preventing Fatalities eTool (eTool de Construcción - La Prevención De Fatalidades).
  • Crystalline Silica Exposure Card for Construction (Exposición a la sílice cristalina: Información sobre riesgos de la salud para los empleados de la construcción). OSHA Publication 3179 (2003). Also available as a 42 KB PDF.
  • Crystalline Silica Fact Sheet (Exposición a la sílice cristalina) [PDF - 75 KB].
  • Dictionaries of OSHA Terms. These dictionaries include English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English translations of general OSHA, general industry, and construction industry terms. The dictionaries are intended to assist OSHA, recipients of Susan Harwood Training Grants, and others in their Spanish-language translations.
  • Disaster Recovery Resources (Cards, Fact Sheets, Public Service Announcements)
  • Electrical Fact Sheet (Trabajando en forma segura con electricidad) [PDF - 352 KB].
  • Falls Fact Sheet (Cómo prevenir caídas) [PDF - 348 KB].
  • Heat Stress Card (La Ecuación del Calor) [PDF - 75 KB]. OSHA Publication 3155 (2002).
  • Lockout/Tagout Fact Sheet (Candado/Etiqueta) [PDF – 92 KB]
  • Personal Protective Equipment Fact Sheet (Equipo de Protección Personal) [PDF - 68 KB].
  • Protecting Yourself in the Sun (Protéjase Contra Los Rayos Dañinos del Sol). OSHA Publication 3168 (2000). Also available as a 43 KB PDF.
  • Trenching Poster (No Entres en una Trinchera que Carezca de Protección!). OSHA Publication 3255 (2005). Also available as a 70 KB PDF.
  • Working Safely in Trenches QuickCard (Trabajando de Manera Segura en una Trinchera). OSHA Publication 3243. Also available as a 104 KB PDF.
Sample Programs

The following sample programs provide examples of written programs on workplace safety and health topics. They are provided for illustrative purposes only. These sample programs do not supersede the requirements in OSHA standards. Employers should consult the applicable OSHA standards for the specific requirements applicable to their workplaces when developing their own customized programs.

The sample programs from State Consultation Programs may contain local contact information. Employers are encouraged to contact their own State Consultation Program for help in developing customized programs.
 
 
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 Page last updated: 09/12/2008