OSHA 10-Hour Course

The CAWV Safety Committee in conjunction with Encova Insurance will host an OSHA 10-Hour Training Course on August 17 & 18 at the Encova Insurance Headquarters in Charleston. The OSHA 10-Hour certification is required for all construction workers on publicly funded projects. Senate Bill 376 was passed into law during the 2014 legislative session and went into effect on July 1, 2014. It requires all construction workers on a publicly financed project over $50,000 to complete the OSHA 10-Hour Course. There has been a recent increase in the Division of Labor inspections on projects and inspectors are asking for the OSHA 10-Hour certifications. Below are the provisions of the new law.
 

• All construction workers on a publicly financed project over $50,000 must complete the OSHA 10-Hour safety course (Course). The course is a one-time requirement, not annual.

• Employees must complete the course no later than 21 calendar days after starting employment at a public improvement site. The time for a new employee starts when he/she begins on a project, not when he/she is hired. This gives the contractor time to evaluate the employee to determine if he/she is going to be made permanent and, therefore, needs to complete the course.

• S.B. 376 makes the course a requirement of the employee, not the contractor. Employees can pay for the course and take the course on their own time. Contractors can provide and pay for the course for their employees, and contractors can pay their employees’ time for taking the course, but this is not required. The employee must show the contractor he/she has taken the course and provide the contractor with documentation.

• The WV Division of Labor may issue a cease and desist in performing work at the site to any employee who has not completed the course. The WV Division of Labor may also assess a civil penalty of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 to a business that does not get the necessary documentation from the employee.