145 Hour Construction Industry Safety Supervisor

The 145 Hour Construction Industry Safety Supervisor program from the American Institute of Safety Professionals is a comprehensive supervisor-level certification that develops the operational enforcement, multi-employer coordination, and site-level leadership competencies required to supervise safety compliance across the full complexity of active construction projects. At 145 instructional hours, this programme combines the technical construction safety knowledge of the 130 Hour Specialist with the supervisory enforcement, accountability, and site-management competencies that a construction safety supervisor performs every day on projects where multiple trades, multiple employers, constantly changing conditions, and life-threatening hazards converge simultaneously.

Construction safety supervision is fundamentally more complex than general industry supervision. A factory supervisor oversees the same workforce, the same equipment, and the same processes shift after shift. A construction safety supervisor oversees a different set of hazards every day as the project progresses from excavation through structural through mechanical/electrical/plumbing through finishing. The workforce changes with every project phase as subcontractors mobilise and demobilise. The site conditions change as floors are added, openings are created, scaffolds are erected and dismantled, and crane configurations shift. The multi-employer worksite means the supervisor must enforce compliance not just on their own workers but across subcontractors who may resist external safety oversight. The 145 Hour programme prepares supervisors for every aspect of this dynamic environment.

The programme delivers 105 hours of mandatory core modules covering comprehensive 29 CFR 1926 enforcement from the supervisor’s perspective, daily site inspection and walkthrough techniques, multi-trade permit-to-work management (confined spaces, hot work, energy isolation, excavation entry, crane operations), subcontractor safety compliance enforcement, site emergency response leadership, worker accountability and progressive discipline, OSHA inspection management, and incident response. An additional 40 hours of specialised modules cover advanced fall protection supervision, scaffolding inspection leadership, excavation competent person supervision, crane operation oversight, multi-employer citation policy deep-dive, NYC Local Law 196 alignment, and construction site emergency management.

All training is delivered 100 percent online through Microsoft Teams and the American Institute of Safety Professionals Learning Management System (LMS). Upon completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, professional wallet card, and official transcript, all employer-verifiable at amiosp.com/student-verifications.

Upon completing the 145 Hour Construction Industry Safety Supervisor program, participants will be able to:

• Enforce OSHA 29 CFR 1926 construction standards across multi-trade, multi-employer construction worksites, understanding the specific regulatory basis for each enforcement action and the multi-employer citation policy that determines supervisory liability.
• Conduct daily site safety walkthroughs covering all active work areas, using phase-specific inspection checklists that target the hazards of current construction activities and the 29 CFR 1926 subparts applicable to each trade.
• Manage a comprehensive construction permit-to-work system covering confined space entry (Subpart AA), hot work, energy isolation (lockout/tagout), excavation entry, crane and lifting operations, working at heights, and overhead work, verifying all permit conditions before authorising high-risk activities.
• Enforce subcontractor safety compliance: conducting subcontractor pre-work orientations, monitoring onsite compliance, issuing safety notices and stop-work orders, documenting violations, and coordinating corrective actions with subcontractor management.
• Lead pre-task planning sessions with multi-trade crews, ensuring that hazards are identified, controls are agreed, PPE is confirmed, and every worker understands the specific safety requirements before the task begins.
• Respond to construction site emergencies as the first-line supervisor: scene security, medical response coordination, evidence preservation, crane-related emergency protocols, trench rescue coordination, fall rescue activation, and communication with project management and emergency services.
• Hold workers and subcontractors accountable for safety compliance through coaching, verbal warnings, written notices, stop-work authority, and site removal, applying progressive consequences consistently across all trades and employers.
• Manage the supervisor’s role during OSHA construction inspections: accompanying the compliance officer, documenting inspector observations, managing employee interviews, preserving parallel documentation, and coordinating post-inspection abatement.
• Supervise competent persons for fall protection (Subpart M), scaffolding (Subpart L), and excavation (Subpart P), verifying that competent persons are performing required inspections and that their findings are documented and actioned.
• Monitor construction site safety performance using project-specific metrics: TRIR, first aid cases, near-miss reports, inspection findings, stop-work events, and subcontractor compliance scores, reporting trends to the project safety manager and project management team.

• Site Safety Supervisors and Site Safety Officers on commercial, industrial, and infrastructure construction projects
• Safety professionals preparing for or currently serving in NYC Site Safety Supervisor roles under Local Law 196
• GC and EPC contractor safety supervisors responsible for enforcing compliance across subcontractor workforces
• Experienced construction superintendents and general foremen transitioning into dedicated safety supervision roles
• Construction safety specialists seeking to add supervisory enforcement competencies to their technical expertise
• Safety professionals on Gulf mega-projects (NEOM, Aramco, ADNOC) seeking an advanced OSHA-aligned construction supervision credential
• Military construction (MILCON) and government project safety supervisors requiring comprehensive federal OSHA construction training

Prerequisite: Completion of the 30 Hour Construction programme is strongly recommended. Construction site experience is essential. The 130 Hour Specialist or 47 Hour Trainer provide an excellent foundation.

• Completion of the 30 Hour Construction Safety programme is strongly recommended
• Construction site experience (supervisory, safety, or skilled trade) is strongly recommended
• Completion of the 130 Hour Construction Specialist or 47 Hour Trainer provides an excellent foundation
• No formal academic degree is required
• All instruction is delivered in English; professional proficiency is required

Upon completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, wallet card, and transcript. All credentials are employer-verifiable at amiosp.com/student-verifications.

The 145 Hour Construction Safety Supervisor programme combines comprehensive construction technical knowledge with the operational enforcement competencies that site supervision demands.

Core Modules (105 Hours)

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Enforcement for Construction Supervisors (15 Hours): Complete regulatory framework from the supervisor’s enforcement perspective. Supervisor liability and the General Duty Clause. Multi-employer citation policy: creating, exposing, correcting, and controlling employer duties. How OSHA construction inspections work: targeting criteria, programmed vs unprogrammed, fatality/catastrophe response. Serious, wilful, repeat, and failure-to-abate classifications. Supervisor’s role during walkaround. Citation defence coordination.
• Daily Site Inspections and Phase-Specific Walkthroughs (10 Hours): Inspection planning by construction phase: demolition, earthwork, foundation, structural steel, concrete, MEP, exterior envelope, finishing. Phase-specific checklists aligned with applicable 29 CFR 1926 subparts. Hazard prioritisation: imminent danger, serious, other. Finding documentation: photographs, GPS location, description, applicable standard. Corrective action tracking. Follow-up verification. Pre-shift and mid-shift inspection protocols.
• Construction Permit-to-Work System Management (10 Hours): Confined space entry permits (Subpart AA): atmospheric testing verification, rescue readiness, continuous monitoring. Hot work permits: fire hazard clearance, fire watch assignment, post-work monitoring. Energy isolation permits: LOTO verification for construction equipment and temporary power. Excavation entry authorisation: competent person inspection verification, protective system confirmation. Crane lift permits: lift plan review, ground conditions, swing radius. Working at heights permits: fall protection plan verification, rescue readiness. Supervisor as the final authority before high-risk work proceeds.
• Subcontractor Safety Compliance Enforcement (8 Hours): Subcontractor pre-work safety orientation. Monitoring subcontractor compliance during active work. Issuing safety observations, notices, and corrective action requests. Stop-work authority: when and how to stop unsafe subcontractor work. Documenting subcontractor violations. Escalation to subcontractor management and GC project management. Subcontractor safety scorecards.
• Fall Protection Supervision (10 Hours): Subpart M enforcement at the supervisor level. Daily fall protection inspection: guardrails, PFAS, safety nets, covers, controlled access zones. Verifying competent person inspections. Fall protection equipment inspection programme. Monitoring leading edge work, roof work, and formwork/reinforcing steel operations. Fall rescue readiness verification. Common fall protection citations and how to prevent them.
• Scaffolding Inspection and Supervision (8 Hours): Subpart L enforcement. Supervising scaffold erection and dismantling. Daily competent person inspection verification. Scaffold capacity monitoring: load management, material storage on scaffolds. Access compliance. Fall protection on scaffolds. Suspended scaffold safety. Weather-related scaffold decisions. Common scaffolding citations.
• Excavation and Trenching Supervision (8 Hours): Subpart P enforcement. Supervising competent person daily inspections. Protective system compliance monitoring. Access and egress verification. Water accumulation management. Adjacent structure and utility protection. Atmospheric monitoring for excavations meeting confined space criteria. Common excavation citations.
• Crane and Lifting Operation Supervision (8 Hours): Subpart CC enforcement. Lift plan review before authorising crane operations. Ground condition and outrigger verification. Swing radius monitoring and barricading. Signal person and operator certification verification. Critical lift supervision. Rigging inspection verification. Struck-by prevention during active lifting. Common crane citations.
• Incident Response and Investigation for Construction Supervisors (8 Hours): First-response protocols: scene security on active construction sites, medical response coordination (site access for EMS), evidence preservation, management and OSHA notification. Preliminary investigation: witness statements, photographs, timeline. Fatality and catastrophe procedures. Supervisor incident report writing. Coordination with formal investigation team and OSHA compliance officer.
• Worker Accountability, Discipline, and Safety Leadership (6 Hours): Positive recognition for safe behaviours. Coaching conversations for at-risk behaviours. Progressive discipline: verbal warning, written notice, suspension from task, removal from site. Consistency across trades and employers. Documentation requirements. Handling union and subcontractor pushback. Modelling safety leadership behaviour. Building crew-level safety culture.
• Pre-Task Planning and Toolbox Talk Leadership (6 Hours): Leading pre-task planning sessions for multi-trade work: hazard identification, control agreement, PPE confirmation, emergency procedures. Designing and delivering daily toolbox talks tied to the day’s specific work. Engaging multilingual crews. Documenting pre-task briefings.
• Safety Performance Monitoring for Construction Supervisors (8 Hours): Tracking project safety metrics: TRIR, first aid rate, near-miss reporting, inspection findings, permit compliance, stop-work events, subcontractor scores. Trend analysis at the project level. Weekly and monthly safety reporting to project management. Benchmarking against project targets and industry rates.

Specialised Modules (40 Hours)

• Advanced Fall Protection Supervision and Rescue (6 Hours): Rescue planning: self-rescue, assisted rescue, mechanical rescue. Suspension trauma awareness. Rescue equipment inspection. Rescue drill design and execution. Fall protection plan development for complex structures. Leading edge and controlled access zone management.
• Construction Confined Space Supervision (Subpart AA) (5 Hours): Entry supervisor duties in depth for construction-specific confined spaces. Atmospheric monitoring in excavations, manholes, and vaults. Ventilation strategies for construction spaces. Multi-trade coordination during confined space operations. Rescue planning for construction spaces.
• NYC Local Law 196 Alignment (4 Hours): NYC Site Safety Supervisor requirements under Local Law 196. How the 145 Hour programme content maps to LL196 competency areas. NYC DOB site safety plan requirements. Additional NYC-specific requirements beyond federal OSHA. Gap analysis for candidates pursuing NYC Site Safety Supervisor designation.
• Multi-Employer Citation Policy Deep-Dive (5 Hours): OSHA multi-employer worksite policy applied to complex construction scenarios: GC responsibilities, subcontractor overlapping work, creating employer versus controlling employer analysis, defence strategies. Case studies: multi-employer citation outcomes. Practical exercises: determining employer classification on sample projects.
• Construction Emergency Management (5 Hours): Emergency response plan development for construction sites. Medical emergency response: site access for EMS, triage, helicopter landing zones on urban projects. Structural collapse response coordination. Fire and explosion response. Severe weather protocols: lightning, high winds, extreme heat/cold. Emergency drill design for construction sites.
• Traffic Management and Work Zone Supervision (5 Hours): Supervising work zone traffic control: MUTCD compliance, flagging operations, temporary traffic control devices. Internal site traffic management: haul road safety, reversing protocols, vehicle-pedestrian segregation. Mobile plant supervision: excavators, loaders, dump trucks, concrete pumps. Delivery vehicle management.
• Health Hazard Supervision on Construction Sites (5 Hours): Supervising silica dust controls (29 CFR 1926.1153 Table 1 compliance verification). Lead exposure monitoring oversight (29 CFR 1926.62). Asbestos work monitoring (29 CFR 1926.1101). Noise exposure management. Heat illness prevention programme supervision: acclimatisation monitoring, work-rest enforcement, hydration station management.
• Demolition and Renovation Supervision (5 Hours): Supervising demolition operations per Subpart T: engineering survey verification, utility disconnection confirmation, floor-by-floor removal monitoring, debris management, structural stability assessment. Renovation in occupied buildings: dust containment, noise management, egress maintenance, and occupant communication.