10 Hour General Industry Safety and Health

The 10 Hour General Industry Safety and Health program from the American Institute of Safety Professionals is an entry-level safety training course aligned with the OSHA Outreach Training Program that provides workers, supervisors, and safety personnel in general industry settings with the foundational knowledge they need to recognise, avoid, and prevent the workplace hazards that cause injuries, illnesses, and fatalities across manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare, food processing, retail, utilities, and every other non-construction industry regulated under OSHA 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry Standards).

General industry encompasses the broadest workforce in the United States. OSHA 29 CFR 1910 applies to every employer and workplace that is not specifically covered by the construction (29 CFR 1926), maritime, or agricultural standards. The hazard profile is diverse: machine guarding and lockout/tagout violations, chemical exposure and hazard communication failures, electrical hazards, slip-trip-fall incidents on walking and working surfaces, ergonomic injuries from repetitive motion and manual handling, respiratory hazards, confined space fatalities, and fire and explosion risks. The OSHA Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards list is dominated by general industry violations, with Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200), Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147), Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910.212), Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134), and Powered Industrial Trucks (29 CFR 1910.178) appearing consistently among the most-cited standards year after year.

The American Institute of Safety Professionals 10 Hour General Industry program addresses these high-frequency hazards through a structured 10 Hour curriculum: 6 hours of mandatory topics covering worker rights, walking and working surfaces, exit routes and emergency planning, electrical safety, personal protective equipment, and hazard communication; 2 hours of elective topics selected from specialised general industry hazard areas; and 2 hours of optional extended training for deeper exploration of specific workplace hazards. All training is delivered 100 percent online through Microsoft Teams live sessions and the American Institute of Safety Professionals Learning Management System (LMS), with open enrolment throughout 2026.

Upon successful completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, a professional wallet card, and an official transcript. All credentials are employer-verifiable through amiosp.com/student-verifications. This program is the entry point to the American Institute of Safety Professionals General Industry Safety career ladder, which progresses from the 10 Hour worker-level training through specialist, supervisor, trainer, manager, and professional-level programmes up to 132 hours.

Upon completing the 10 Hour General Industry Safety and Health program, participants will be able to:

• Understand their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, including the right to a safe workplace, the right to access exposure and injury records, whistleblower protections under Section 11(c), and the process for filing a complaint with OSHA.
• Identify the most common general industry hazards covered under OSHA 29 CFR 1910, including machine guarding deficiencies (29 CFR 1910.212), lockout/tagout violations (29 CFR 1910.147), chemical exposure (29 CFR 1910.1200), electrical hazards (29 CFR 1910 Subpart S), and walking/working surface hazards (29 CFR 1910 Subpart D).
• Apply the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) in daily work, including reading and interpreting Safety Data Sheets (SDS), understanding GHS pictograms and signal words, recognising container labeling requirements, and exercising the right-to-know for all chemical hazards in the workplace.
• Select, inspect, and correctly use personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate for general industry hazards per 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I, including eye and face protection, hand protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection awareness, and foot protection.
• Recognise electrical hazards in the workplace per 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, including exposed wiring, improper grounding, overloaded circuits, damaged equipment, and unsafe work practices around energised electrical components.
• Identify walking and working surface hazards per 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D, including slip-trip-fall hazards, unguarded floor openings, ladder safety, stairway requirements, and fall protection obligations for general industry workers.
• Understand emergency action plan requirements per 29 CFR 1910.38, including evacuation routes, alarm systems, employee alarm notification procedures, and the responsibilities of designated emergency response personnel.
• Recognise fire prevention plan requirements per 29 CFR 1910.39, including identification of fire hazards, proper storage of flammable materials, fire extinguisher location and use, and evacuation procedures during fire emergencies.
• Report unsafe conditions through proper channels, exercise OSHA complaint rights without fear of retaliation, and contribute to a proactive safety culture that prioritises hazard reporting and continuous improvement.
• Apply hazard identification and basic risk assessment principles to their specific workplace environment, connecting OSHA regulatory requirements to practical, job-relevant safety actions.

The 10 Hour General Industry Safety and Health program follows the OSHA Outreach Training Program structure, delivering a balanced combination of mandatory, elective, and optional topics that provide comprehensive general industry safety awareness within the 10 Hour timeframe.

All participants complete the following six hours of essential general industry safety training:

• Introduction to OSHA (1 Hour): History of the OSH Act of 1970, OSHA’s mission and enforcement authority, worker rights and employer responsibilities, the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)), how to file a complaint, whistleblower protections, and an overview of OSHA’s general industry standards (29 CFR 1910).
• Walking and Working Surfaces Including Fall Protection (1 Hour): Slip-trip-fall hazard recognition per 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D, housekeeping standards, floor opening and hole protection, fixed and portable ladder safety (29 CFR 1910.23), stairway requirements, and fall protection for general industry (29 CFR 1910.28–29).
• Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention, and Fire Protection (1 Hour): Emergency Action Plan requirements (29 CFR 1910.38), Fire Prevention Plan requirements (29 CFR 1910.39), exit route design and maintenance (29 CFR 1910.36–37), portable fire extinguisher requirements (29 CFR 1910.157), and employee alarm systems.
• Electrical Safety (1 Hour): Electrical hazard recognition per 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, wiring design and protection, grounding requirements, safe work practices around electrical equipment, GFCI usage, extension cord safety, and recognising defective electrical equipment.
• Personal Protective Equipment (1 Hour): PPE hazard assessment and selection per 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I, eye and face protection (29 CFR 1910.133), head protection (29 CFR 1910.135), hand protection (29 CFR 1910.138), foot protection (29 CFR 1910.136), hearing protection, and employer PPE programme responsibilities.
• Hazard Communication (1 Hour): The Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labeling, Safety Data Sheet (SDS) 16-section format, container labeling requirements, GHS pictograms and signal words, workplace chemical inventory, and worker right-to-know provisions.

• Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910.212): point of operation hazards, nip point hazards, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks, types of guards (barrier, interlocking, adjustable, self-adjusting), and the requirement for guarding at every point of operation
• Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147): the Control of Hazardous Energy standard, energy sources (electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, gravitational), lockout/tagout procedures, authorised and affected employees, periodic inspections, and group lockout requirements
• Introduction to Industrial Hygiene: anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace health hazards, chemical exposure routes (inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption, injection), OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs), and the hierarchy of exposure controls
• Bloodborne Pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030): exposure control plans, universal precautions, engineering and work practice controls, hepatitis B vaccination, post-exposure evaluation, and recordkeeping for healthcare and non-healthcare workers
• Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention: risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (repetition, force, awkward posture, vibration, contact stress), ergonomic assessment basics, workstation adjustment, and manual material handling techniques
• Powered Industrial Trucks / Forklift Safety (29 CFR 1910.178): operator training requirements, pre-shift inspection, load handling, pedestrian safety, refueling and recharging, and operating on grades and ramps
• Respiratory Protection Awareness (29 CFR 1910.134): when respirators are required, respirator types, medical evaluation requirements, fit testing, and the hierarchy of controls that should precede respirator use

• Confined Spaces Awareness (29 CFR 1910.146): permit-required confined space recognition, atmospheric hazards, entry permit elements, attendant and entrant responsibilities, and rescue planning awareness
• Materials Handling and Storage: proper stacking and storage, dock safety, conveyor safety, compressed gas cylinder handling, and housekeeping for materials storage areas
• Workplace Violence Prevention: risk factors, warning signs, employer prevention programmes, reporting procedures, and de-escalation awareness
• Heat Illness Prevention: heat stress recognition, heat stroke versus heat exhaustion, acclimatisation, hydration, work-rest cycles, and employer heat illness prevention programme elements
• Safety and Health Programme Development: elements of an effective workplace safety programme, management leadership, worker participation, hazard identification and assessment, hazard prevention and control, education and training, and programme evaluation