Construction Safety Requirements: OSHA Rules Every Site Must Follow (2026)

This content is for informational purposes only. It isn’t legal advice and doesn’t create any professional relationship. Consult a qualified safety professional or attorney for your specific situation.

Construction kills more workers than any other major industry in the United States. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries recorded 5,070 total workplace fatalities in 2024, and construction accounted for more of those deaths than any other sector. About 60% of construction fatalities come from just four types of hazards, according to OSHA.

Those numbers aren’t abstract. They’re the reason OSHA wrote 29 CFR 1926, the federal standard that governs every construction site in the country. It runs from Subpart A through Subpart CC and covers everything from fall protection to crane operations to steel erection.

If you work in construction, you’re working under 1926 whether you’ve read it or not.

The Focus Four Hazards

OSHA calls them the “Fatal Four” or “Focus Four.” These four hazard categories cause roughly 60% of construction worker deaths every year (OSHA Focus Four training materials). If you only learn four things about construction safety, learn these.

Falls

Falls are the number one killer in construction. They’ve topped OSHA’s most cited violations list for 15 consecutive years. OSHA standard 1926.501 requires fall protection for any worker on a walking or working surface with an unprotected edge 6 feet or higher.

That means guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems. Not suggestions. Requirements. And the training requirement under 1926.503 applies to every worker exposed to fall hazards, not just the ones working on roofs.

Falls from ladders, scaffolds, roofs, and unprotected edges account for roughly one in three construction deaths (BLS CFOI data). A 10-foot fall onto concrete can kill you. A 6-foot fall can break your spine.

Struck-By

A struck-by incident happens when a moving object hits a worker. Falling tools, swinging loads, vehicles backing up, rolling materials. Construction sites have heavy things moving in every direction.

OSHA doesn’t have a single “struck-by” standard. The hazard cuts across multiple regulations, including crane operations (1926.1400 series), motor vehicles (1926.601), and general safety provisions. High-visibility vests, barricades, and tool lanyards are the basic countermeasures.

Electrocution

Contact with live electrical circuits killed workers on construction sites at a steady rate for decades. The relevant standards include 1926.405 (wiring methods), 1926.416 (safety requirements), and 1926.417 (lockout/tagout for construction). Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are required on all temporary wiring at construction sites under 1926.404.

Overhead power lines are the most common source of fatal electrocutions on construction sites. OSHA requires minimum approach distances for workers and equipment near energized lines.

Caught-In/Between

This covers workers pulled into machinery, caught between objects, or buried in a trench collapse. Excavation standards under 1926.650 through 1926.652 are the biggest piece of this category. Any trench 5 feet deep or more requires a protective system: sloping, shoring, or a trench box.

Trench collapses are almost always fatal if the worker is fully buried. Soil weighs about 3,000 pounds per cubic yard. A partial collapse at chest height generates enough force to stop breathing within minutes. OSHA requires a competent person to inspect every trench before workers enter it each day.

Most Cited Construction Standards

OSHA publishes its top 10 most cited violations every year. The construction standards on that list tell you exactly what inspectors find wrong most often. Here are the construction-specific ones from the most recent list (OSHA Top 10 Most Cited Standards).

Fall protection alone generates nearly three times the citations of any other construction standard. That’s not because it’s a hard rule to understand. It’s because construction has thousands of elevated work surfaces across thousands of job sites, and the hazard resets with every new project.

Scaffolding and ladder citations are often connected to falls. A scaffold without full planking or guardrails is both a scaffolding violation and a fall hazard. OSHA can cite both standards on the same inspection.

For the full breakdown of all 10, including general industry standards that also apply on construction sites, see our most cited OSHA violations guide.

Training Requirements for Construction Sites

There’s a common misconception that OSHA requires every construction worker to have an OSHA 10 card. Federal OSHA doesn’t. The OSHA Outreach Training Program is voluntary at the federal level.

But that doesn’t mean construction workers don’t need training. OSHA requires specific training for specific hazards. And on most construction sites, workers face enough hazards to trigger several training requirements at once.

What OSHA Actually Mandates

These training requirements come directly from 29 CFR 1926 and apply to every construction employer under federal OSHA jurisdiction:

• Fall protection training (1926.503). Required for every worker exposed to fall hazards. Must be delivered by a competent person.
• Scaffolding training (1926.454). Required for workers who erect, dismantle, move, operate, repair, maintain, or inspect scaffolds.
• Excavation/trenching awareness. Workers entering excavations must recognize cave-in hazards. A competent person must inspect daily.
• Electrical safety training. Workers facing electrical hazards must be trained on the specific hazards present.
• Confined space training (1926.1207). Required before any entry into a permit-required confined space on a construction site.
• Hazard communication (1926.59/1910.1200). Workers exposed to chemicals must be trained on Safety Data Sheets, labeling, and spill response.
• Crane signal person qualification (1926.1428). Signal persons must be qualified by a third party or by the employer.
• Steel erection training (1926.761). Workers involved in steel erection must be trained on hazards specific to the activity.

That list isn’t complete. OSHA has training requirements scattered across dozens of 1926 subparts. But these are the ones that generate the most citations and the most fatalities.

What Employers and GCs Commonly Require

On top of federal mandates, most general contractors add their own requirements. The two most common:

OSHA 10-Hour Construction for all workers. This is the baseline card most GCs want to see. Some won’t let you on site without it.

OSHA 30-Hour Construction for supervisors and foremen. The 30-hour goes deeper into hazard identification, OSHA standards, and the employer’s legal responsibilities under the law.

Several states have gone further and made OSHA 10 a legal requirement. New York City, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island all require it for certain construction work. Check your state’s page for specifics.

For a side-by-side comparison of the two courses, see OSHA 10 vs OSHA 30.

The Competent Person Requirement

OSHA uses the term “competent person” across construction standards more than any other regulation. It’s not a job title. It’s a legal designation with a specific definition.

Under 29 CFR 1926.32(f), a competent person is someone who can identify existing and predictable hazards in their surroundings and who has the authority to take prompt corrective action to eliminate them. Both parts matter. You need the knowledge to spot the hazard and the power to stop work and fix it.

Activities That Require a Competent Person

OSHA requires a designated competent person for:

• Excavations and trenching (1926.651). Must inspect the trench daily and after rain, freezing, or thawing.
• Scaffolding (1926.451). Must inspect before each work shift and after any event that could affect structural integrity.
• Fall protection (1926.502). Must design and supervise fall protection systems, including anchor points.
• Steel erection (1926.753). Must inspect connections and approve work sequences.
• Demolition (1926.850). Must perform engineering surveys before work begins.
• Concrete and masonry (1926.701). Must inspect forms and shoring before concrete placement.
• Stairways and ladders (1926.1060). Must train workers and determine safe ladder placement.
• Cranes and derricks (1926.1412). Must conduct pre-shift inspections.

The competent person requirement is one of the most cited gaps in OSHA inspections. Employers sometimes assign the title without giving the person actual authority to stop work. That doesn’t satisfy the standard. A competent person who can identify a hazard but can’t shut down a job until it’s fixed isn’t a competent person under OSHA’s definition.

Required Certifications by Role

Different roles on a construction site carry different certification and training requirements. Here’s how it breaks down.

All Workers

No federal certification is required just to set foot on a construction site. But as a practical matter, most workers need:

• OSHA 10-Hour Construction. Not federally required, but expected by nearly every GC. Required by law in several states.
• Hazard-specific training for every hazard they’ll face on the job. This comes from the employer, not a card.

Don’t confuse OSHA 10 General Industry with the construction version. They cover different standards. If you’re working on a construction site, you need the construction card.

Supervisors and Foremen

• OSHA 30-Hour Construction. The industry standard for anyone directing work crews. Covers the supervisor’s legal responsibilities under OSHA.
• Competent person designation for applicable activities (not a card, but requires documented training).

Crane Operators

Federal OSHA requires crane operators on construction sites to be certified by an accredited testing organization or by the employer’s own qualified evaluator (1926.1427). This is one of the few federally mandated operator certifications in construction. The certification must specify the crane type and capacity.

Forklift and Heavy Equipment Operators

Forklift certification is required under 1910.178 (referenced by 1926.602 for construction). Training must include formal instruction, practical exercises, and a performance evaluation. Recertification every 3 years.

Workers Entering Confined Spaces

Confined space training is required under 1926 Subpart AA for construction sites with permit-required confined spaces. Entrants, attendants, and entry supervisors each need role-specific training.

Workers Exposed to Fall Hazards

Fall protection training under 1926.503. Required before any worker is exposed to a fall hazard. Must cover how to recognize fall hazards, the procedures for erecting and dismantling fall protection systems, and the proper use of personal fall arrest equipment.

State Requirements That Go Beyond Federal OSHA

Federal OSHA sets the floor. But 22 states and several territories run their own OSHA-approved State Plans. These state programs must be at least as strict as federal OSHA, and many are stricter (OSHA State Plans page).

Construction-specific examples:

California (Cal/OSHA) requires a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program from every employer. Federal OSHA has no equivalent requirement. Cal/OSHA also has stricter heat illness prevention rules, directly relevant to outdoor construction work. Full California details.

New York requires OSHA 10 training for all workers on public projects. New York City’s Site Safety Training Act extends that to most private construction work too. Full New York details.

Washington state (L&I/DOSH) has specific fall protection rules for residential construction that differ from the federal standard. Full Washington details.

Nevada requires OSHA 10 for construction workers and OSHA 30 for supervisors on all public works projects.

Oregon runs its own plan (Oregon OSHA) with additional rules around heat stress and agricultural operations that overlap with construction activities.

If you work in multiple states, your training obligations change at every state line. A certification that satisfies Texas won’t automatically satisfy California. Check our state requirements hub for the states where you work.

What Triggers an OSHA Construction Inspection

OSHA doesn’t inspect every construction site. They don’t have the staff for it. But certain events move your job site to the front of the line. Here’s how OSHA prioritizes construction inspections, from highest to lowest priority.

Imminent Danger

If OSHA believes conditions exist that could cause death or serious physical harm immediately, they’ll show up that day. A report of an unshored trench with workers inside, or a structural collapse, triggers an imminent danger response.

Fatalities and Catastrophes

Employers must report any worker death to OSHA within 8 hours. Any inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye must be reported within 24 hours (29 CFR 1904.39). Every reported fatality triggers an inspection.

Worker Complaints and Referrals

Workers can file complaints directly with OSHA online, by phone, or in writing. OSHA is required to respond to formal written complaints with an on-site inspection. Informal complaints may get a phone call to the employer instead.

Referrals from other agencies, media reports, or observations by OSHA compliance officers passing a site also generate inspections.

Targeted Inspection Programs

OSHA runs National Emphasis Programs (NEPs) and Local Emphasis Programs (LEPs) that target high-hazard industries. Construction is always on the list. Current emphasis programs include trenching/excavation, falls in construction, and silica exposure.

If your project is visible from a road, an OSHA compliance officer driving by can initiate a “referral inspection” based on what they see. An unguarded roof edge or workers on a scaffold without harnesses is enough.

Follow-Up Inspections

After a citation, OSHA may return to verify that the employer fixed the hazard. Failure-to-abate penalties reach $16,550 per day (2025, per OSHA penalty schedule, adjusted annually for inflation) until the hazard is corrected.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

OSHA penalties hit construction employers hard because construction violations tend to be serious. A missing guardrail isn’t an administrative oversight. It’s a fall hazard that can kill someone.

Current penalty maximums, effective January 15, 2025 (source: OSHA Penalties, adjusted annually for inflation):

Those are per-violation amounts. On a construction site with 20 workers and no fall protection training, OSHA could treat each untrained worker as a separate violation. That math gets ugly fast.

The Multi-Employer Worksite Doctrine

Construction sites almost always have multiple employers working at the same time. OSHA’s multi-employer citation policy means they can cite more than just the employer whose worker was directly exposed to a hazard.

OSHA identifies four employer roles on multi-employer worksites:

• The creating employer, who caused the hazard.
• The exposing employer, whose workers face the hazard.
• The correcting employer, who’s responsible for fixing the hazard.
• The controlling employer (usually the GC), who has general supervisory authority over the site.

A general contractor who walks past an obvious fall protection violation and doesn’t stop work can be cited as the controlling employer, even if none of their own employees were at risk. This is why GCs are aggressive about site safety requirements and why they require OSHA 30 from their supervisors.

For more on how employers share OSHA obligations, see our employer training requirements guide.

Criminal Penalties

A willful OSHA violation that results in a worker’s death is a criminal misdemeanor under the OSH Act. Penalties under OSH Act Section 17(e) include jail time of 6 months and fines of $250,000 for individuals or $500,000 for corporations. Second offenses double the jail time.

State prosecutors can bring separate charges under state criminal codes, and some have. Manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges have been filed against construction employers and supervisors following fatal incidents on sites with known, unaddressed hazards.

How to Stay Compliant

Compliance on a construction site isn’t a one-time checklist. It resets with every new project, every new subcontractor, and every change in site conditions.

Start with the Focus Four. If your site controls fall, struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/between hazards, you’ve addressed the causes of about 60% of construction fatalities. Build outward from there.

Get a site-specific safety plan before work starts. Identify every OSHA standard that applies to the work being performed. Assign competent persons for each activity that requires one. Document the assignments.

Train workers on the specific hazards they’ll face. Not a generic video. Actual training on the actual hazards at the actual site. And document it.

If you’re a safety manager or construction safety director, the best investment you can make is knowing 29 CFR 1926 inside out. The standard isn’t perfect, but it tells you exactly what OSHA expects. Everything else is execution.

If you’re a worker trying to figure out what training you need, start with our certification decision tree. For a direct comparison of the two most common construction certifications, see OSHA 10 vs OSHA 30.

This content is for informational purposes only. It isn’t legal advice and doesn’t create any professional relationship. Consult a qualified safety professional or attorney for your specific situation.