WHAT Is A DOL Card Do I NEED One?

I’m Ron Wittmeyer, and today we’re going to talk about OSHA training that’s available to construction workers. OSHA doesn’t require that all construction workers in the US take its training.

OSHA training for construction workers

However, some employers may require it, including some federally funded job sites and some states. There are about seven or ten states in the US that require OSHA training by all construction workers. But Illinois is not one of them.

You won’t be OSHA certified if you take this training, but you are issued what’s called a DOL card. That’s from the Department of Labor, which is the federal governmental agency that OSHA is under. And once you are issued a DOL card, it doesn’t expire.

Different types of DOL cards

There are different types of DOL cards in the construction industry. There is a card issued for the completion of a 10-hour construction safety training course. There is a different card for the completion of a 30-hour course. That’s recommended for supervisors and foremen. And then there’s a trainers’ card.

The 10-hour course

Now let’s talk about the type of training you get as a construction worker in the 10-hour course. A large part of the 10-hour course focuses on what’s called the Fatal Four, which are the four leading causes of fatalities in construction work in the US. They are falls, electrocution, being struck by objects, and being caught in or between.

And out of that has come something OSHA calls the Focus Four. That’s safety training focused on preventing the leading causes of fatalities in construction. There are other subjects covered in the 10-hour course as well, such as proper handling of materials and the use of tools, including power tools.

Why you should get OSHA training

Clearly, it’s a great idea to protect yourself by getting OSHA training. It’s inexpensive too. You can do it for under $100. And it’s easy to do. You can even do it online and you don’t have to complete it all at one time. You can sit for an hour or two and then pause and come back and pick up where you left off.

So it couldn’t be easier to do. It’s a great credential to have as well.

Thanks for reading this post today. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. And please, stay safe and be well.