Does OSHA 30 Expire? Renewal Explained

OSHA 30 does not expire under federal rules. Once you complete OSHA 30 Outreach training, your card has no federal expiration date. However, employers, project owners, states, and local jurisdictions may set their own requirements for how recent your training must be.

Below, you’ll learn how long OSHA 30 cards remain current under federal rules, when you may need to retake OSHA 30, which states and cities set their own time limits, how replacement cards work, and how OSHA 30 compares with OSHA 10.

Does OSHA 30 Expire?

OSHA 30 does not expire. According to OSHA Outreach Training Program information, student course completion cards for construction, general industry, maritime, and disaster site training have no expiration date, so your OSHA 30 card stays valid at the federal level for as long as you have it.

Do OSHA 30 cards expire under other rules? They can, because OSHA's Outreach program is voluntary, and OSHA leaves it to the organization requiring the training to decide what it will accept. An employer, union, state, or city can set its own time limit, and that limit applies to its jobs even though your card never expires.

It also helps to know what the card is. An OSHA 30 card is a student course completion card showing you finished 30 hours of safety and health training, and only OSHA-authorized trainers can issue one. OSHA does not consider the card a certification or a license, and Outreach training doesn't satisfy the training requirements in OSHA standards, so your employer still has to train you on the specific hazards of your job.

How Long Is OSHA 30 Good For?

How long does OSHA 30 last? Your card is valid for as long as the organization asking for it will accept it. Federal OSHA sets no time limit, but the group requiring your training can ask for a card issued within a set window before you start work.

Searches for OSHA 30 certification expiration usually start after a worker is told their card is too old for a specific job. OSHA Outreach requirements prohibit trainers from printing expiration language on the card. Still, they allow organizations to set their own expiration dates as long as they communicate them to workers separately. That's why your card lists only a completion date, and any time limit comes from whoever requires the training.

So when does OSHA 30 expire in practice? It depends on who's checking your card, and these are the timeframes workers encounter most often:

  • No time limit: Federal OSHA, and any employer or jurisdiction that hasn't set its own window, accepts your card regardless of its age.
  • Five years: The window used by every state and city rule in the section below, including New York City, Philadelphia, Connecticut, and parts of Nevada's requirements.
  • Employer or contract windows: Some employers and project owners write their own recency rules into company policy or project contracts, and those can be shorter or longer than five years.

Because each window belongs to whoever requires the training, how long an OSHA 30 certification is good for can change from one project to the next. A card that's accepted on a warehouse job this year may be too old for a public construction project next year.

When Does OSHA 30 Need Renewal?

OSHA 30 needs renewal when the organization requiring your training sets a time limit or when your work changes enough that your earlier training no longer covers it. OSHA's Outreach program has no shorter OSHA 30 refresher, so renewing your DOL card means retaking the full course, which gives you a new card with a current completion date. Some local rules also accept continuing education, as the location examples below show.

These are the most common reasons workers retake OSHA 30:

  • Employer policy: A plant safety manager can require supervisors to retake OSHA 30 on a set schedule.
  • State or city rules: A Philadelphia contractor renewing its license needs a supervisor with OSHA 30 or approved continuing education from the past five years.
  • Union rules: A union can require recent training before referring members to certain projects.
  • Project-owner contracts: A hospital expansion contract can limit the site to OSHA 30 cards issued within a set number of years.
  • Jobsite requirements: A general contractor can set its own card cutoff date for everyone on site.
  • Major hazard changes: A maintenance supervisor whose plant adds new equipment or processes may need updated training.
  • Outdated training: A supervisor who trained a decade ago may retake OSHA 30 to learn current standards.

Pick the version that matches your work. OSHA 30 construction training is designed for superintendents, foremen, and site safety roles, while the OSHA 30 general industry course fits supervisors in manufacturing, warehousing, and healthcare.

Location-Based Expirations

Several states and cities set their own time limits for OSHA Outreach training, and each one applies only to the work it covers.

  • New York City: OSHA 30 completed within the past five years counts toward the Site Safety Training (SST) card required on many construction sites, covering 30 of the 40 hours for a Worker card or 30 of the 62 hours for a Supervisor card. SST cards also expire five years after they're issued.
  • Philadelphia: General, excavation, and demolition contractors licensed in the city must identify at least one supervisory employee who completed OSHA 30 Construction or an approved alternative within the five years before the license application or renewal. At renewal, a supervisor the city has already accepted can complete 30 continuing education hours in construction or demolition safety instead of retaking the course.
  • Connecticut: Workers on public building projects costing $100,000 or more need at least 10 hours of OSHA-approved construction safety training, and the state accepts cards dated no more than five years before the project begins. Electricians and plumbers with older training can complete a four-hour supplemental refresher course instead.
  • Nevada: Workers in the entertainment and convention services industries need OSHA 10, and supervisors need OSHA 30, with cards that expire five years after they're issued. Entertainment industry supervisors can renew by retaking OSHA 30 or completing at least 15 hours of approved continuing education. Nevada's construction rule also requires OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 but no longer includes an expiration date.

OSHA 30 Replacement Card Rules

A replacement card deadline is not the same as your OSHA 30 expiring. Your card stays valid indefinitely, but the chance to replace it ends five years after your class, so a lost card from a 2019 class can't be reissued even though the training still counts.

Although most people call it an OSHA card, it's officially a Department of Labor (DOL) student course completion card issued through an OSHA-authorized trainer, which is why you'll often see it called an OSHA DOL card. Under OSHA's replacement rules:

  • Where to request: Contact your original trainer or online provider, since OSHA doesn't keep student training records and can't issue replacements.
  • Time limit: Replacement cards are available only if you completed your class within the last five years.
  • Number of replacements: Only one replacement card is allowed per student per class.

Authorized trainers must keep training records for five years, and the replacement window follows the same timeline. If your class was longer ago than that and an employer needs proof, you'll need to retake the course to get a new card.

Does OSHA 10 Expire Like OSHA 30?

OSHA 10 follows the same federal rule as OSHA 30, so the card has no federal expiration date, and employers or local laws can still set their own time limits. The replacement rules match, too: a five-year window and one replacement per class.

The difference is who each course is designed for. OSHA 10-hour training gives entry-level workers awareness of common job hazards, while OSHA 30 covers a wider range of topics in more depth and is intended for supervisors and workers with safety responsibilities. Some location rules require both, like Nevada's entertainment industry rule, which requires OSHA 10 for workers and OSHA 30 for supervisors.

Update Your OSHA 30 Training

OSHA 30 doesn't expire at the federal level, but the employer, contract, or city requiring your training can set its own window, and replacement cards are only available for five years after your class. Check the requirement for your next job before you arrive, so an older card doesn't keep you off the site.

Hard Hat Training is owned and operated by 360training, a trusted OSHA-authorized online Outreach training provider, so you can complete OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Outreach courses online at your own pace. Eligible participants receive an official DOL card after successful completion, and we offer a wide range of safety courses in English and Spanish, including OSHA training courses en español. Choose the course that matches your role and your next job's requirements, and start training today!