Occupational Safety & Health Training
OSHA Program FAQ
“Since 2006 we have won 7 District Quarterly Awards and 2 Yearly Awards. Much of this success is from having an instructor in the company and the continued support from Georgia Tech’s OSHA instructors.”
Jack Manley (Barlovento, LLC)
Becoming a Trainer | Already a Trainer | Certificates | General
Online Courses or Courses Outside of Atlanta | On-Site Training
Becoming a Trainer
1. Do I need to satisfy BOTH prerequisites before I can take the OTI 500 or OTI 501 trainer course?
Yes. Both prerequisites are required.
2. How can I prove my work experience to meet the prerequisites?
We require all registrants for the OTI 500 and OTI 501 trainer courses to complete the following eligibility forms and bring them with them to class:
3. Does my work experience have to be in the "safety and health" field?
Yes, your experience must be specific to safety and health field with a working understanding of the OSHA standards relevant to the industry (contruction or general industries).
Already a Trainer
1. How soon after taking the trainer course can I teach the 10- or 30-hour course(s)?
Immediately, provided you passed the test and received your authorized trainer card.
2. I already have my trainer card and want to teach a course. What do I do?
Look in your trainer manual under the Outreach Training tab.
3. I've just taught an outreach course and want to issue cards to my students. What do I do?
Submit your Outreach Training Report and list of students to the Georgia Tech OSHA Training Institute Education Center via fax at 404-407-9024.
4. My trainer card expired. How can I get it renewed?
Authorized trainers must take the OTI 502 or OTI 503 update courses every four years to maintain their trainer status. There is a 90-day grace period from the expiration date on your trainer card in which to take the update course. If your card has been expired for more than 90 days, you must retake the OTI 500 and exam or the OTI 501 and exam to get a new card.
5. I lost my trainer card. Can I get a replacement?
Yes, for a $25 replacement fee. Contact Diane Knobloch at diane.knobloch@gtri.gatech.edu.
Certificates
1. How many courses do I need to take to complete a certificate?
- Industrial Safety and Health Certificate: 3 Core Courses and 3 Elective Courses
- Construction Safety and Health Certificate: 5 Core Courses and 1 Elective Course
- Safety and Health Program Management Certificate: 5 Core Courses and 1 Elective Course
- Hazardous Materials Management Certificate: 5 Core Courses and 1 Elective Course
2. Do you have to take the courses in any specific order?
No, unless specific course prerequisites require it.
3. Can I apply courses I've taken toward more than one certificate?
Electives may be applied to more than one certificate as electives. However electives taken for one certificate may not be used as core courses for another certificate.
Online Courses or Courses Outside of Atlanta
1. Can I take the courses online, or do you have to attend in person?
Currently four courses are offered online:
- OTI 2264: Permit-Required Confined Space Entry
- OTI 7500: Introduction to Safety and Health Program Management
- OTI 7505: Introduction to Accident Investigation
- EST 7000: Scaffolding Safety
Additional online courses are under development.
2. How do the online courses work?
Online courses begin on specific dates and end three weeks later. Once you register, you will receive access instructions (user ID and password) to login on the start date.
3. Are the courses only taught in Atlanta?
No, Georgia Tech offers select courses at several locations throughout the Southeast.
On-Site Training
1. Can Georgia Tech teach OSHA courses at my company facility?
Yes. For more information on bringing our courses to you, contact Katie Takacs at katie.takacs@dlpe.gatech.edu or 404-385-3544.
General Questions
1. I'm new to the safety field. Which course(s) should I take?
You should begin with OTI 510 or OTI 511.
2. My company wants me to be able to train our employees in OSHA safety guidelines. Do you have a course for that?
You may take the OTI 500 and OTI 501 courses to become an authorized outreach trainer. However, OSHA requires that the following prerequisites must be satisfied before registrants are eligible to attend:
- OTI 500: Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry
— Five years relevant experience in the construction safety and health field AND
— OTI 510 course
- OTI 501: Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the General Industry
— Five years relevant experience in the general industrial safety and health field AND
— OTI 511 course
3. Does Georgia Tech offer certification courses?
Attendees who successfully complete a course will receive a certificate of completion, but is not considered “certified”. However, Georgia Tech does offer several professional certificate programs to help advance your career.
4. Does Georgia Tech offer an Occupational Safety and Health degree program?
No, but we do offer several professional certificate programs to help advance your career.
5. Do these courses provide the Competent Person certification I need for my job?
OSHA no longer uses the term “competent person” as all the OTI courses provide the training needed to meet this requirement.
