Do OSHA cards expire?

No, federal OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour Outreach cards do not expire. OSHA says so in its Outreach Training Program FAQ. The card has no expiration date printed on it.

So why do people keep telling you to renew it? Because other rules sit on top.

Who may require newer training

• Nevada: state law requires OSHA 10 (workers) or OSHA 30 (supervisors) on construction sites within 15 days of hire. The old five-year renewal rule was repealed in 2015, so construction cards do not expire there either.
• Connecticut: on covered public works, licensed trades whose OSHA 10 is five or more years old need a 4-hour refresher.
• New York City: the SST card required on many sites expires five years after issue.
• Philadelphia: the contractor license supervisor's OSHA 30 must be from within five years, or be backed by 30 hours of continuing education.
• Employers and GCs: many accept only cards issued within a set number of years, often five. Check your contract.

Missouri's Department of Labor says its required 10-hour cards do not expire, and New York State's public-works OSHA 10 law has no renewal requirement either.

Things that do expire

• Forklift operator evaluation: at least every 3 years.
• Respirator fit test: annually.
• CPR/First Aid: per the issuing organization, commonly 2 years.
• OSHA authorized trainer status (500/501/510-based): the trainer must attend an update course every 4 years.

Replacement is the hidden deadline

Even a card that "never expires" can become impossible to replace. Trainers can issue a replacement only within five years of the class, and only once. Keep a photo of every card.

What OSHA actually says

OSHA's Outreach Training Program FAQ is the primary source. Three points matter:

1. Outreach cards do not expire. There is no expiration date on the DOL card, and OSHA does not require workers to retake the course.
2. The card is not a certification or license. OSHA describes it as proof that a person completed a voluntary orientation course. It does not certify that someone is qualified for any particular job.
3. The course is voluntary under federal rules. OSHA recommends it, but federal standards do not require it. States, cities, employers, unions and contracts can.

That is why the answer to "do OSHA cards expire?" is always "federally no, but check who is asking."

Every rule that makes an OSHA card "too old"

Here is the full list of situations we track where the age of an OSHA 10 or 30 card matters, with the source for each.

And the states where the card does not age out:

• Missouri: the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations says 10-hour construction cards do not expire.
• New York State public work: the NYS Department of Labor says no renewal is required for §220-h.
• Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Virginia: the statutes do not set a renewal period.

Worked examples

A carpenter with a 2011 OSHA 10 card moving to a Massachusetts school job. The card still counts. Massachusetts requires completion of the course before starting work, and sets no renewal period.

The same carpenter moving to a Las Vegas casino remodel. The card still satisfies Nevada's construction law, because since 2015 Nevada construction cards do not expire. The employer only has to see the card within 15 days of hire. The GC may still ask for newer training under its own policy.

An electrician with a 2019 OSHA 10 on a Connecticut municipal job in 2026. If they are a licensed electrician subject to continuing education, the card is five or more years old, so they need the 4-hour refresher before starting.

A superintendent in Queens with a 2020 OSHA 30. The OSHA 30 is more than five years old in 2026, so it no longer counts toward a new SST card. If they already hold an active SST card, they renew it with the 16-hour supervisor refresher instead.

A laborer whose GC requires "OSHA 10 within the last five years." That is a contract requirement. Federally the old card is still valid, but the worker needs newer training to work on that GC's sites.

Should you retake OSHA 10 anyway?

Sometimes it is worth it even when no rule requires it:

• The card is close to five years old and you might lose it. After five years, a replacement is no longer possible, so a lost card means retaking the course.
• Standards have changed. Rules on silica, crane operator certification and confined spaces in construction have all changed in the last decade. A newer course covers them.
• You are moving into supervision. Take OSHA 30 instead. It covers more, and many GCs require it for foremen.
• You work in several states. If NYC work is likely, keeping training recent avoids last-minute scrambles over SST hours.

If none of these apply, there is no federal reason to retake the course.

How to record OSHA cards so expiry is never guessed

Most record-keeping mistakes come from putting an expiry date where none exists, or from leaving one out where a local rule creates it. A simple approach:

• Record the completion date for every card. Always.
• Leave expiry blank for federal OSHA 10/30 cards. Don't invent a date.
• Add an expiry only when a rule creates one: five years for NYC SST cards, five years for a Philadelphia license supervisor's OSHA 30, five years for Nevada entertainment-industry cards.
• Add a "replacement deadline" five years after completion, so you know when a lost card can no longer be replaced.
• Track the credentials that really expire: forklift evaluations every three years, respirator fit tests every year, first aid and CPR on the issuer's schedule.

A crew card tracker or a training matrix can hold all of this in one place.

Credentials people confuse with OSHA cards

Workers often say "my OSHA expired" when they mean something else. Common examples:

• Forklift (powered industrial truck) certification. The employer must evaluate each operator at least every three years under 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4). See forklift certification every 3 years.
• Fall protection training certification. Construction employers must certify training in writing under 1926.503(b) and retrain when needed. There is no fixed interval, but employers often refresh yearly.
• First aid and CPR. The issuing organization sets the validity, commonly two years. See first aid and CPR on construction sites.
• Respirator fit test. Required at least annually under 1910.134(f).
• NYC SST card. A city credential that expires after five years.
• OSHA authorized trainer status. Trainers must take an update course every four years to keep teaching.

Questions to ask when someone says your card is too old

1. "Which rule requires newer training?" A state law, city rule, contract or company policy?
2. "How recent does it need to be?" Three years and five years are both common.
3. "Will continuing education count?" In Philadelphia, and for Nevada entertainment-industry cards, it can.
4. "Is a refresher enough, or do I need the full course?" In Connecticut, licensed plumbers and electricians need only a four-hour refresher.

Getting a clear answer to these four questions usually saves a worker from paying for a course they do not need.

Construction, General Industry and Maritime: same answer

The no-expiry rule applies to all Outreach cards: 10-hour and 30-hour, Construction, General Industry and Maritime, and the 15-hour Disaster Site Worker card. What changes by industry is which card a job accepts:

• Construction sites expect the Construction card. A General Industry card is a different course and is often rejected by GCs and state laws written for construction.
• Warehouses, factories, healthcare and retail use General Industry. See OSHA training for warehouses.
• Shipyards and marine terminals use Maritime.

An old card for the right industry is usually better than a new card for the wrong one.

What employers should tell workers

A clear one-paragraph policy prevents confusion and wasted course fees. For example:

Your federal OSHA 10 or 30 card does not expire. Keep it safe and send us a photo of both sides. We will tell you if a job needs newer training because of a city rule (NYC SST, Philadelphia), a license rule (Connecticut plumbers and electricians) or a customer's contract. If that happens, we will schedule and pay for the course or refresher.

Workers then know that "renewal" talk only applies to specific jobs, and the office has the photos it needs for replacements and site checks.

A quick decision guide

• Working only on private jobs outside NV, NYC and Philadelphia? Your card is fine; follow your GC's policy.
• Going to Nevada? Any OSHA 10 or 30 Construction card counts, whatever its age. Bring it, or a photo, in the first 15 days.
• Going to a covered NYC site? You need an SST card, which does expire.
• Licensed plumber or electrician on Connecticut public works? Check for the four-hour refresher.
• Lost your card? Act before five years from the class, or you will need to retake it.