Do OSHA 10/30-Hours Training Programs Revamp the Safety Attitudes of Construction Workers?

Safety attitude plays a major role in the safety performance of construction workers. Research has demonstrated that a positive safety attitude decreases the likelihood of workers' unsafe behavior. Unsafe behavior is reportedly accountable for the majority of construction accidents. The construction industry, unfortunately, suffers from high rates of fatal and non-fatal accidents, and workers' safety performance enhancement is essential to prevent accidents in workplaces. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers safety training, among which OSHA 10-h and OSHA 30-h programs are the most recognized and prevalent training. Extensive research studies have evaluated the effectiveness of such training programs. However, the impact of these outreach courses on the safety attitude of construction workers has not been investigated. Therefore, this article aims to examine the impact of OSHA 10/30-h construction training on the safety attitude. One-hundred and seventeen construction workers in the United States were recruited, and their safety attitude was measured using a standard questionnaire. Among the participants, 56 (48%) had participated in OSHA 10 and/or OSHA 30, and the rest of the workers asserted they did not attend such training courses. The results of the t-Tests show a statistically significant difference among workers' safety attitudes, indicating that OSHA 10/30-h training succeeded in changing the safety attitude of workers for the better (cognitive and behavioral). Given the importance of safety attitude, the study's findings urge the safety trainers, professionals, and policymakers to incorporate safety attitude enhancement elements to OSHA 10/30 agendas and advance their training effectiveness to improve construction safety.