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Do I need OSHA 10 in Rhode Island?

Only for some jobs. A contractor on a municipal or state construction project with a total cost of $100,000 or more must have an OSHA 10-hour construction safety program for its on-site employees.

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The rule, fact by fact

Who needs it
OSHA 10-hour program for on-site employees on state or municipal work of $100,000 or moreA firm without the program can't bid for or work on those projects.
Verified. webserver.rilegislature.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Rule
OSHA 10 card on your person while work is done on state or municipal projectsThe statute forbids handing your card to someone else.
Verified. webserver.rilegislature.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Program
An OSHA-approved curriculum taught by OSHA-trained instructors, with a card from OSHAThe statute says graduates get a card from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check three things. Is the project municipal or state construction? Does its total cost reach $100,000? And do you work on site for a contractor, not as an exempt person?

  2. Step 2. The training has to use an OSHA-approved curriculum and OSHA-trained instructors. Before you sign up, ask to see the trainer's current Authorized Trainer card.

  3. Step 3. OSHA says the 10-hour class is meant for workers, and the 30-hour class suits supervisors or workers with some safety responsibility. Rhode Island's Board of Safety Awareness has endorsed OSHA's Outreach Training Program for both the 10-hour and the 30-hour classes.

  4. Step 4. OSHA says a trainer has to issue your card within 90 days of the class. On state or municipal construction projects, keep it on you at all times while work is being performed. The statute asks every person there to carry it.

Before you pay

Ask the contractor you work for whether it already arranges the program, since the statute puts the duty on the firm doing the work.

Trainers work independently, and their fees and schedules vary. Compare more than one.

Questions

Who is exempt?

Two groups: law enforcement officers dealing with traffic control or jobsite security, and all relevant federal, state and municipal government inspectors.

Who counts as an on-site employee?

A private person or entity under contract to a contractor or developer who must physically enter the place where work is being done. Sales representatives, vendors and people who deliver building materials, supplies or customized products to the site are outside the rule.

What is the penalty for not complying?

The statute leaves it to the director of the Department of Labor and Training, who sets the penalties for the card holder. This section names no dollar amount.

Does the card expire?

No. OSHA says construction student course completion cards have no expiration date.

Does OSHA itself require the class?

No. OSHA says its Outreach program is voluntary, and whoever mandates training decides what it accepts.

What to do next

Ask the contractor who hired you whether the project reaches the cost threshold, then pick a trainer from OSHA's Find a Trainer page. The rule is in Rhode Island's safety awareness statute.

webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sources we read