OSHA 30-Hour Construction

Same OSHA — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The "30" refers to the 30 hours of training, aimed at whoever holds actual safety responsibility on a crew rather than an individual worker.

Crew LeadForemanSite Supervisor
Format : Online, self-paced
Duration : 30 hours
Typical cost : $90–190
Difficulty : 3/10

All figures editorial estimates. NABCEP and OSHA don't publish per-exam difficulty ratings.

What it is

The deeper counterpart to OSHA 10, covering the same core hazard categories in more depth plus jobsite safety program management. It's built for whoever holds actual safety responsibility on a crew, not just individual hazard awareness.

If you're managing a crew or coordinating subcontractors, OSHA 30 is what most companies expect on top of (not instead of) OSHA 10. It's the standard credential for a site supervisor role in solar construction.

Careers it unlocks

In solar specifically, this credential is most relevant for:

Crew LeadForemanSite Supervisor

Requirements

  • None formally required by OSHA, though most candidates already hold OSHA 10 and are moving into a supervisory or safety-responsible role.

Exam format & passing score

Questions

Module quizzes throughout (roughly 10 questions each) plus a longer final exam covering all 30 hours of content

Time allowed

Minimum 30 hours of coursework, spread across at least 4 days under OSHA's 7.5-hour/day training cap; final exam completion falls within your course access window.

Multiple choice / true-false, delivered entirely online through a DOL-authorized Outreach provider

Passing score : 70% on each module quiz and on the final exam

Same 3-attempts-per-assessment rule as OSHA 10, just applied across more modules given the additional content.

How hard is it

3/10

Same 70% threshold and 3-attempt structure as OSHA 10 — still a hazard-awareness and safety-management course, not a technical competency exam — but with three times the content and more nuanced material on running a safety program, not just recognizing hazards individually.

This score is our editorial estimate based on published pass-rate data and requirement complexity — NABCEP and OSHA don't publish an official per-exam difficulty rating.

Cost

Training$90–190 for most online providers (HeatSpring's course lists at $159)
Exam feeNone — included in the course price.
Total estimate$90–190 total, one-time

Often taken as part of a promotion into a foreman or supervisor role, rather than before hire.

Reimbursement & funding

Because it's usually tied to a promotion or an expanded safety responsibility rather than a condition of entry-level hire, OSHA 30 is frequently covered as part of an employer's leadership-development or tuition-assistance budget.

  • Employer-paid, often bundled into a promotion to crew lead or site supervisor.
  • Union training funds commonly cover it for members moving into leadership roles.
  • WIOA / state workforce funding, less commonly used at this level than for entry-level OSHA 10.

What it pays

Live salary data from current listings on Solar Roles for the roles this credential unlocks:

Get started today

For OSHA 30, HeatSpring uses the same authorized-provider partnership as their OSHA 10 course, so your card is valid nationwide. It's available in Spanish as well as English, with group pricing for companies certifying several supervisors at once.

*Solar Roles may earn a commission if you enroll through this link, at no extra cost to you. See our full, unsponsored comparison of training providers if you'd like to weigh other options.