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Federal OSHA construction certification requirements

Federal OSHA rules apply in every state, on top of a state's or a city's own rules. This page lists the federal construction rules that put a date on a card: the ones that must be repeated or renewed.

The safety training Federal OSHA asks of construction crews, rule by rule: what each card is, who needs it, how long it lasts, and the official source to check it against.

Last reviewed September 29, 2026

This is a summary to help you plan, not legal advice. Check the linked source before you rely on it.

Crane operator certification, valid 5 years

Before operating a crane covered by the federal construction crane rules, each operator must be trained, certified or licensed, and evaluated by the employer. A certification is valid for 5 years.

The card it asks for

  • Crane Operator Certification

    Who needs it
    Crane operators and operating engineers on covered equipment.
    Issued by
    Accredited crane operator testing organization, or an audited employer program
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 5 years.
Who it covers
Operators of cranes and other equipment covered by 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC. Not covered by this section: operators of derricks, sideboom cranes and equipment rated to lift 2,000 pounds or less, whose own training rules still apply. Where a state or city licenses crane operators under a program that meets the rule, the operator must hold that license to work there.
Deadline
Before operating the equipment. Until then an operator in training may operate only under the rule for trainees, continuously monitored on site by a trainer.
Renewal
A certification from an accredited crane operator testing organization is valid for 5 years and goes with the operator from employer to employer. A certification from an audited employer program is also valid for 5 years, but counts only while the operator works for the employer that issued it. A government license counts for the period the licensing office sets, but no longer than 5 years. Record the expiry printed on the card.
Read closely
The employer must also evaluate each operator on the equipment they will run; the rule sets no interval for that. Nevada has its own crane operator rule and New York City its own license, on their pages.
Official source

Forklift operator evaluation every 3 years

Each forklift or other powered industrial truck operator must be trained, and the employer must evaluate each operator's performance at least once every 3 years.

The card it asks for

  • Forklift / Powered Industrial Truck

    Who needs it
    Laborers, operators and anyone else who drives a forklift or other powered industrial truck.
    Issued by
    Employer
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 3 years.
Who it covers
Operators of forklifts and other powered industrial trucks on construction work. The construction rule, 29 CFR 1926.602(d), uses the general industry rule, 29 CFR 1910.178(l), word for word.
Deadline
Training and evaluation before operating, except for a trainee working under the direct supervision of someone able to train and evaluate operators.
Renewal
Evaluation at least once every 3 years. Refresher training, with an evaluation, is due sooner after unsafe operation, an accident or near miss, a poor evaluation, a move to a different type of truck, or a change in the workplace that affects safe operation.
Official sources

Respirator fit test and training every year

An employee who wears a tight fitting respirator must be fit tested before first use, whenever the facepiece changes, and at least every year. Everyone required to wear a respirator must be retrained every year.

The cards it asks for

  • Respirator Fit Test

    Who needs it
    Anyone who wears a tight fitting respirator, such as concrete, masonry, demolition and abatement crews.
    Issued by
    Employer
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 1 year.

  • Respirator Training

    Who needs it
    Anyone required to wear a respirator.
    Issued by
    Employer
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 1 year.
Who it covers
Employees required to wear respirators on construction work, for example for silica, asbestos, lead or demolition dust. The construction rule, 29 CFR 1926.103, uses the general industry rule, 29 CFR 1910.134, word for word.
Deadline
Fit test and training before first use of the respirator.
Renewal
Fit test at least annually, and whenever a different facepiece size, style, model or make is used. Training annually. The medical evaluation has no fixed interval; it is repeated only on the triggers the rule lists.
Official sources

Asbestos training and medical exams every year

Employees who do Class I to IV asbestos work, or are likely to be exposed above a permissible exposure limit, must be trained before or at their first assignment and at least every year after. Those who do Class I, II or III work, or are exposed at or above a limit, for a combined 30 or more days a year must be offered a medical exam at least every year.

The cards it asks for

  • Asbestos Training (OSHA)

    Who needs it
    Abatement crews, and demolition, carpentry, electrical and plumbing crews who do Class I to IV asbestos work.
    Issued by
    Employer
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 1 year.

  • Asbestos Medical Exam (OSHA)

    Who needs it
    Anyone doing Class I, II or III asbestos work, or exposed at or above a limit, for 30 or more days a year.
    Issued by
    Licensed physician
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 1 year.
Who it covers
Construction work that disturbs asbestos, including work too small to need a state license. A day of Class II or III work on intact material that takes one hour or less, done fully by the rule's work practices, does not count toward the 30 days.
Deadline
Training before or at the first assignment. The medical exam before assignment to an area where negative pressure respirators are worn, and within 10 working days after the thirtieth day of exposure.
Renewal
Training at least annually. The medical exam at least annually, or more often if the examining physician says so.
Official source

Lead training every year

Employees exposed to lead at or above the action level on any day must be trained before the job and at least every year after.

The card it asks for

  • Lead Training (OSHA)

    Who needs it
    Ironworkers, demolition crews, painters and anyone else exposed to lead at or above the action level.
    Issued by
    Employer
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 1 year.
Who it covers
Construction work with lead exposure at or above the action level, for example demolition, torch cutting of painted steel, and work on old painted surfaces.
Deadline
Before job assignment.
Renewal
At least annually for each employee exposed at or above the action level on any day.
Read closely
Blood tests and medical exams under the same rule run on schedules that change with the test results, so they are not a single card with an expiry and are left out here.
Official source

Silica medical exam every 3 years for respirator users

An employee who must wear a respirator under the construction silica rule for 30 or more days a year must be offered a medical exam within 30 days of assignment and at least every 3 years after.

The card it asks for

  • Silica Medical Exam (OSHA)

    Who needs it
    Concrete, masonry, drywall and demolition crews who wear a respirator for silica 30 or more days a year.
    Issued by
    Licensed health care professional
    How long it lasts
    Valid for 3 years.
Who it covers
Employees required by the construction silica rule to use a respirator for 30 or more days a year.
Deadline
The first exam within 30 days after initial assignment, unless the employee had an exam that meets the rule in the last 3 years.
Renewal
At least every 3 years, or more often if the licensed health care professional recommends it.
Read closely
The rule says the employer must make the exam available, at no cost to the employee. Record the date of the last exam.
Official source

Keep the federal cards current across your crew.

Crane Operator Certification is valid for 5 years, and 7 more cards on this page expire too. Currity warns you at 90, 60 and 30 days before each one lapses, so a lapsed card turns up on the board before it turns up on site.

Track these for your crew. Free for 14 days.See a sample crewHave us load your listGet the free matrix template

From $49 a month. 14 days free, no card.

Your crew's card pages and emails come in English or Spanish. See the Spanish crew page.

Questions about a rule, or a place we do not cover yet? Email hello@currity.com.