OSHA Compliance Tools Built for Construction
From fall protection plans to competent-person requirements, get plain-English answers to 29 CFR 1926 questions — free, instant, and backed by training your crews can actually use.
Construction is the industry OSHA watches most closely, and for good reason: falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between hazards account for the majority of jobsite fatalities year after year. The rules that govern your site live in 29 CFR 1926 — a sprawling set of standards covering everything from guardrail heights to trench protective systems — and the contractors who stay off OSHA's citation lists are the ones who can answer a compliance question before the inspector asks it.
occupationalsafety.ai puts that answer at your fingertips. Ask the Standard translates 1926 requirements into plain English, the OSHA 300 checker helps you get your recordable injuries logged correctly, and free toolbox talks give your foremen ready-made safety meetings. When a question turns into a training gap, Safety Academy+ has the OSHA-aligned courses to close it.
Top compliance priorities in construction
The standards inspectors cite most in construction — each with the regulation behind it and the training that closes the gap. Every link lands on the matching courses, pre-filtered.
Fall protection
Workers exposed to falls of 6 feet or more to a lower level must be protected by guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems. Falls are consistently OSHA's most-cited construction standard, so this is where inspectors look first.
See fall protection training →Scaffolding
Scaffolds must be designed by a qualified person, erected and inspected under a competent person, and able to support at least four times the intended load. Missing planking, inadequate access, and absent guardrails drive most scaffold citations.
See scaffolding training →Trenching and excavation
Any excavation 5 feet or deeper requires a protective system — sloping, shoring, or a trench box — and a competent person must inspect the excavation daily and after every rainstorm. Cave-ins are among the deadliest construction events, and unprotected trenches are treated as imminent-danger situations.
See trenching and excavation training →Respirable crystalline silica
Cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete, masonry, and stone releases silica dust that causes silicosis and lung cancer. The standard requires wet methods or vacuum dust collection, a written exposure control plan, and in many cases medical surveillance.
See respirable crystalline silica training →Ladder safety
Ladders must be inspected before use, extend 3 feet above the landing surface, and be used only as designed — no top-step standing, no makeshift repairs. Ladder falls are one of the most common and most preventable jobsite injuries.
See ladder safety training →Electrical safety
Jobsites must use GFCI protection or an assured equipment grounding conductor program, maintain safe clearances from overhead power lines, and keep flexible cords in serviceable condition. Contact with energized parts remains one of construction's "Fatal Four" hazards.
See electrical safety training →Train your construction team with Safety Academy+
5,000+ OSHA-aligned online courses, assignable and trackable — covering every standard on this page and hundreds more.
Browse the course catalog →Free to browse · Volume pricing for teams
Construction safety FAQs
At what height does OSHA require fall protection in construction?
Six feet above a lower level for most construction work under 29 CFR 1926.501. Different triggers apply in specific situations — for example, scaffolds use a 10-foot threshold and steel erection has its own rules under Subpart R.
Do my workers need OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 training?
OSHA itself doesn't mandate 10- or 30-hour outreach cards federally, but many states, cities, and general contractors require them as a condition of site access. OSHA 10 suits workers; OSHA 30 is designed for supervisors and anyone with safety responsibilities.
What is a competent person on a construction site?
Someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and who has the authority to take prompt corrective action. Standards like scaffolding, excavation, and fall protection each require a competent person, and OSHA expects you to designate one by name.
Do small construction companies have to keep an OSHA 300 log?
Employers with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the year are exempt from routine OSHA 300 recordkeeping, though all employers must still report fatalities within 8 hours and inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, or eye losses within 24 hours.
Have a specific construction question? Ask the Standard for a cited answer, or check whether an injury is recordable with the OSHA 300 Checker.
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