A lot of HVAC technicians treat OSHA training the same way they treat the safety briefing on an airplane — they know it exists, they're vaguely aware it matters, and they've never thought too hard about it. That works fine until a commercial GC turns you away at the gate because you don't have a card.
Here's what you actually need to know: which course, how to get it, what it costs, and what happens if you show up without one.
What OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Actually Are
OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 refer to the number of training hours in each program — 10 hours and 30 hours, respectively. Both come from OSHA's Outreach Training Program, a Department of Labor initiative that funds a curriculum developed around the most common and most deadly worksite hazards.
The training is delivered by OSHA-authorized trainers and providers, not by OSHA itself. When you finish, you don't sit for an exam in the traditional sense. You complete the coursework, the trainer submits your information to OSHA, and the DOL issues you a wallet-sized card. That card is the tangible proof of completion.
Worth being clear about what this is and what it isn't. OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 are safety training completions, not licenses. They don't authorize you to do anything you couldn't do before. They document that you've been exposed to a standardized body of safety knowledge. That distinction matters when you're comparing OSHA training to something like your EPA 608 card or a state HVAC license — more on that later.
The construction version of these courses is the relevant one for HVAC work. There's also a General Industry version, which covers warehouses, manufacturing, and similar environments. If you're doing commercial or industrial HVAC installs, replacements, or service calls on construction sites, you want the construction track.
OSHA 10 vs OSHA 30: Who Needs Which
The short answer: OSHA 10 is for field workers, OSHA 30 is for supervisors and foremen.
OSHA 10 is what most HVAC technicians are asked to carry. It's 10 hours of training that covers the hazards you're most likely to encounter — falls, electrical, confined spaces, struck-by hazards. Employers and general contractors ask for OSHA 10 as a baseline, especially on commercial and industrial work. Many GCs won't let you badge in without it.
OSHA 30 goes deeper and wider. It covers everything in OSHA 10 plus additional topics around managing safety programs, conducting inspections, and supervising workers in high-risk environments. The intended audience is anyone responsible for other people's safety on a job site — lead technicians, foremen, project supervisors, HVAC team leads. At 30 hours, it's a bigger time commitment, and most field techs don't need it unless they're moving into a supervisory role or working for a company that specifically requires it.
If you're an apprentice or a journeyman tech doing residential or light commercial work, OSHA 10 is almost certainly what you need — if you need either one at all. If you're a working foreman on commercial new construction, OSHA 30 is worth looking at seriously.
What the Courses Cover
Both programs run through four hazard categories that OSHA identifies as responsible for the majority of construction fatalities — called the "Focus Four." These are falls, struck-by incidents, caught-in/between accidents, and electrocution. For HVAC techs, these aren't abstract concepts.
Falls come up every time you're working on rooftop units, setting equipment on elevated platforms, or going up a ladder with a refrigerant gauge in one hand. The fall protection module covers guardrails, personal fall arrest systems, and the specific situations that tend to go wrong.
Electrical safety is one of the more immediately relevant sections for HVAC. Working around live panels, troubleshooting equipment while it's energized, understanding lockout/tagout — this is day-to-day HVAC territory. The course covers OSHA's electrical standards and the situations that put techs at real risk.
Confined spaces shows up in mechanical rooms, crawl spaces, attic installations, and equipment pits. The course covers permit-required confined spaces, atmospheric testing, and what procedures need to be in place before you go in.
Hazardous materials — refrigerants, brazing gases, flux — gets addressed through chemical hazards and PPE modules. The OSHA training won't replace your EPA 608 knowledge, but it covers handling protocols and the regulatory framework around exposure limits.
OSHA 30 builds on all of this and adds coverage of safety management systems, incident investigation, health hazard recognition (noise, heat, dust), and what a supervisor's legal obligations actually are when something goes wrong on site. The extra 20 hours are substantive — this isn't padding.
How to Take the Course
You have two options: online or in-person.
Online is the more common path for working techs because you can do it on your schedule and finish in a few days rather than blocking a week for a classroom. Several OSHA-authorized providers offer self-paced online OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 courses:
- ClickSafety — OSHA 10 Construction is $59, OSHA 30 Construction is $159
- 360training — OSHA 10 starts at $59.99, OSHA 30 runs $160–$180
- OSHA Education Center (oshaeducationcenter.com) — similar price range
- CareerSafe — another authorized provider; pricing is comparable
Online OSHA 10 typically costs $50–$80. Online OSHA 30 runs $150–$200. In-person courses through trade schools or community colleges can run higher — $100–$200 for OSHA 10, $250–$400 for OSHA 30 — because you're paying for a trainer and a facility.
One caveat on online courses: OSHA requires a minimum amount of time spent on the material. You can't click through in 90 minutes and call it done. The platform tracks your time. For OSHA 10, expect the online course to take roughly 10–12 hours spread across multiple sessions.
In-person training through union halls or apprenticeship programs is often included at no additional cost if you're in a union program. IBEW, UA (United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters), and SMART (Sheet Metal Workers) all incorporate OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 into apprenticeship curriculum. If that's your path, check with your coordinator before paying out of pocket.
Some employers also pay for OSHA training outright or reimburse after completion. It's worth asking before you register.
The DOL Card: What It Is and How Long It Takes
After you finish the course, the training provider submits your completion to OSHA's tracking system, and the DOL mails you a physical wallet card. This is different from the digital certificate of completion you get immediately after finishing — that PDF is your interim proof while the card is in transit.
The card typically arrives within two to eight weeks. Trainers have up to 90 days to issue cards under OSHA's rules, so the timing can vary by provider. If you're starting a new job that requires the card, download your digital certificate right after completing the course and have that ready. Most employers and GCs will accept a certificate of completion while the physical card is processing.
The card itself has no expiration date printed on it. A card from 2015 is still a valid record of OSHA training at the federal level. That said, many GCs and employers won't accept a card more than three to five years old — not because of any law, but because of their own insurance requirements. Some jurisdictions have formal renewal periods: New York City requires OSHA training completed within the past five years for SST card eligibility, and several other cities and states have similar provisions. If you're working across multiple markets, check what each GC or project owner requires.
How OSHA 10 Affects Your Chances of Getting Hired
For residential HVAC — single-family homes, light residential multi-family — OSHA 10 is rarely a hard requirement. Most residential work doesn't put you on a GC-managed construction site, so the gatekeeping that comes with commercial work doesn't apply.
Commercial and industrial HVAC is a different story. If you're doing HVAC work on new commercial construction, building commissioning, or industrial facility maintenance, a general contractor is almost certainly running the site. GCs commonly require every trade worker who enters their site to carry an OSHA 10 card. It's standard practice on projects above a certain size, and it's become more consistent over the past decade as risk management requirements tightened.
The practical result: if you want to work commercial HVAC, OSHA 10 is effectively required. Not by federal law — OSHA doesn't mandate the training for most workers — but by the businesses who control site access. It's the same logic as requiring a hard hat or steel-toed boots. The GC sets the rules, and the GC's rules are the rules.
OSHA 30 starts to matter for lead tech roles and foreman positions. An HVAC employer looking to promote someone into a supervisory role on a commercial project wants confidence that person understands the safety responsibilities that come with managing a crew. The 30-hour card communicates that. It won't guarantee a promotion, but the absence of it can be a reason to pass on a candidate for a leadership position.
One more practical note: some employers list OSHA 10 as a requirement in job postings for commercial roles. If you're on HVACJobs.IO searching for commercial HVAC positions and see it listed, treat it as a genuine filter — not a nice-to-have.
OSHA 10 vs EPA 608 vs NATE
These three credentials come up together often enough that it's worth sorting out what each one actually does.
EPA Section 608 is a federal legal requirement. You cannot purchase refrigerants or service sealed refrigerant systems without it. Full stop. There's no employer discretion here — it's the law under the Clean Air Act, enforced by the EPA. You take the exam through an approved testing organization (ESCO Institute, Mainstream Engineering, others), pass, and you're certified for life. No renewal. This is the credential you get before anything else.
NATE certification is a voluntary competency credential issued by North American Technician Excellence. It tests your knowledge of HVAC systems across specific specialties — residential HVAC, light commercial, heat pumps, and others. Employers value it because it signals demonstrated technical ability, not just training completion. It requires a passing score on a proctored exam and expires after two years, requiring recertification. It's the most rigorous of the three from a knowledge-testing standpoint.
OSHA 10/30 is safety training. It doesn't prove you can charge a system, diagnose a fault, or size ductwork. It documents that you understand job site hazards and the regulations around them. It has no exam. It doesn't expire by federal rule. And it's the credential that controls physical site access in commercial work.
These three serve completely different purposes and none of them substitutes for the others. You need EPA 608 to legally handle refrigerants. You might pursue NATE to demonstrate technical skill. You get OSHA 10 to get on a commercial job site.
Which OSHA Card Do You Actually Need?
If you're doing residential work only and plan to stay there, OSHA 10 is optional. Nice to have, not a gate you'll hit in most residential-focused roles.
If you're doing commercial HVAC or want to, get OSHA 10. It costs $59–$80 online, takes about 10 hours, and the card comes in the mail a few weeks later. Without it, you're locked out of a significant portion of commercial job sites before you even get to talk about your actual qualifications. That's an expensive door to leave closed for the cost of a tank of gas. Find OSHA 10 HVAC jobs by city to see which commercial and industrial employers are currently hiring for roles where the card is required.
If you're a lead tech, foreman, or aiming for a supervisory role, look at OSHA 30. It's $150–$200 online and 30 hours of material that covers what managing safety on a job site actually involves. Browse OSHA 30 supervisor and lead tech positions to see what those roles are paying in your market.
ClickSafety, 360training, and OSHA Education Center are all OSHA-authorized and all run roughly the same material. Pick one, register, and do the work in the evenings over a few days. If your employer covers it, even better — ask before you pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OSHA require HVAC technicians to have OSHA 10?
No federal OSHA standard requires HVAC technicians to hold an OSHA 10 card. What makes it effectively mandatory in many situations is the general contractor or project owner running a commercial job site — they set their own access requirements, and OSHA 10 is a common one.
Can I take OSHA 10 online?
Yes. Several OSHA-authorized providers offer fully online OSHA 10 courses, including ClickSafety, 360training, and OSHA Education Center. Online OSHA 10 runs $50–$80 from most providers. The course is self-paced but tracks your time — you can't rush through it.
How long does it take to get my OSHA 10 card in the mail?
The physical DOL card typically arrives within two to eight weeks after you complete the course. Your provider will issue a digital certificate of completion immediately, which most employers accept as interim proof.
Does OSHA 10 expire?
The DOL card has no expiration date printed on it. However, many GCs and employers only accept cards issued within the past three to five years. Some jurisdictions — including New York City — have formal recency requirements tied to local site safety programs.
What's the difference between OSHA 10 Construction and OSHA 10 General Industry?
Construction covers job site hazards specific to building trades — falls from height, scaffolding, excavation, electrical work. General Industry covers manufacturing, warehouses, and similar environments. For HVAC work on construction sites or commercial buildings, you want the Construction version.
Who pays for OSHA training — me or my employer?
Both situations exist. Many employers, especially larger commercial HVAC contractors, cover OSHA 10 costs for new hires or reimburse after completion. It's worth asking before paying out of pocket. If you're job hunting, some companies list it as a benefit. Others expect you to show up with the card already.
Is OSHA 30 worth it for a field technician?
For a working field tech with no supervisory responsibilities, probably not — unless your employer specifically requires it or you're actively pursuing a lead tech or foreman role. The 30-hour course is designed for people managing safety on job sites, and the depth of content reflects that. If that describes where you're headed, it's worth the time.
How is OSHA 10 different from EPA 608?
They serve completely different purposes. EPA 608 is a federal legal requirement that authorizes you to purchase and handle regulated refrigerants. OSHA 10 is safety training that documents your knowledge of job site hazard management. Neither substitutes for the other — most commercial HVAC technicians need both.