OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency devoted to the safety of employees across the country.

It is important to remember that this agency is specifically devoted to keeping jobs safe for employees and protecting them from legal issues. If you are doing your job safely, OSHA cannot be used against you.

In the stage industry, OSHA regulations can be difficult to follow. The strange nature of our spaces and time constraints make it difficult to do the job to the exact letter of these regulations, but that makes it even more important to know what they are and how they are applied. Even when we can't be perfect, just knowing optimum safety procedures ensures that we can be as close as possible while getting our job done.

When time and space do allow, it is very important to follow these safety regulations closely. Not only do we want to make sure none of us get hurt, but if an accident occurs, we need to be able to say we did our best to avoid it. This is important for legal, contractual, and ethical reasons.

That is why being informed and certified is growing in importance in our industry. Here is how to do it:

OSHA 10 Certification

There is an OSHA 10 certification and an OSHA 30 certification. The OSHA 10 is important for all workers to have. The OSHA 30 is designed more for management personnel, teachers/trainers, or those wishing to apply for higher jobs.

We suggest choosing 1 of these 2 options.

In Person Classes

In January of 2026, Local 193 intends to invite an OSHA 10 trainer to give a class to our members to obtain the certification. After that class, it will likely be a few years before another opportunity arises.

At one point, there was an option to attend zoom classes, but that option seems to have gone away after the pandemic.

Online Classes

You can take these classes online at your own pace. Many of them will not allow you to do it all in one day, but it can easily be done in two or more days (must be done in less than 30 days.)

The downside to this option is that you will need to pay for them yourself (usually around $60), submit an application for reimbursement by the IATSE Training Trust Fund, and wait a few weeks for the money to get back to you.

While an in-person class will likely have some discussion tailored to our industry, an online course will be in either General Industry or Construction. Either of these options are acceptable for stagehands.

Here is a list of approved online certification websites. You are welcome to shop around, but the first option is a great one.

Online OSHA Classes

Reimbursement

Reimbursement is not a guarantee in every case, but generally a reimbursement for this course is not a problem.

Note: The class must be under $100 to be reimbursed.

The following link will get you to the application for reimbursement.

(Once you follow the link, read through the page and hit the button at the bottom that says "Application". This will take to a portal that is very easy to use.)

Make sure to have your receipt from the payment for the online course saved so that you can include it.
You also need to wait for your OSHA card to arrive in the mail and include a picture or scan of it.
Make sure to complete this application within a reasonable time frame of completing the program in order to get reimbursed.