Response to Fraudulent Outreach Cards Article

A recent article by Matthew Hemingway entitled "How to tell if your OSHA card is legit or bogus" (click here for article) brings up some important issues - specifically regarding verifying that a student's 10- and/or 30-hour outreach card is authentic. The writer is from Nevada, a state where bogus cards have notoriously been an issue; Nevada law requires construction workers to hold a 10- or 30-hour construction card before stepping foot on a construction site (http://www.nv1030.org/), which leads to a high demand of workers needing their cards as quickly as possible.

Prior to major changes made to outreach cards in March 2016, there were reports of workers receiving counterfeit cards or being granted a card after only a few hours-worth of safety training (10-hour cards require a total of 10 in-class hours, 30-hour cards require a total of 30 in-class hours, both with mandatory topics and other strict guidelines). OSHA took and continues to take fraudulent cases very seriously; according to the Department of Justice in the District of New Jersey, a person found guilty of distributing bogus cards can be charged with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine (https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/osha-certified-instructor-admits-selling-false-construction-safety-certification-cards).

Since March 1, 2016 new outreach cards have been issued which include a Quick Response, or QR, code on the back. Scanning this QR code with a QR app on your phone (or visiting https://outreach.chabotosha.com/ if we were the authorized training institute [ATI] who produced the student's card) will bring you to the OSHA Outreach Training Electronic Verification. Anyone can verify the authenticity of a card by entering the student's last name, card number found on the upper right hand corner of the card, and issuing date, which will confirm if this card was legitimately produced and distributed by an ATI. Additionally, a person could verify that an outreach trainer's card is authentic following these same steps.

These new outreach cards will greatly reduce the number of fraudulent cards in circulation and can help assure employers that their employees have received proper safety training.

Recordkeeping an Important Part of Outreach Trainer's Role

by Cari Elofson, Assistant Director, OSHA Training Center

Hello all our wonderful Outreach Trainers!

Running a class takes a lot of work and preparation. It also requires some administrative skill. I teach safety classes myself, and I know the last thing I'm thinking about in class is all the paperwork I have to do, but it is part of the responsibility of delivering an OSHA 10- or 30-hour class.

You are required by OSHA to keep class records for at least 5 years. "OSHA reserves the right to request copies of class records for verification purposes at any time." Please note that failure to keep or provide these records may result in corrective action, up to and including the revocation of Outreach Trainer status. The class records must include at least the following:

1. Student Sign-In Sheets. Sign-in sheets must be completed for each day of class. Printed or typed names must appear adjacent to the students' signatures.
2. Student Contact Information. This is the location where the Outreach Trainer will send the student card; it must be the student's home or business address.
3. Topic Outline. The outline must indicate the date and time period (e.g. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.) of every topic and break.
4. Class Documentation. A copy of the documentation submitted to request student course completion cards, including the list of the topics taught and the class time spent on each topic.
5. Student Course Completion Card Numbers. Outreach Trainers must make a copy (electronic or paper) of every course completion card they issue, after entering all information onto the card. This will enable the Outreach Trainer to track the card number issued to each student.
6. Guest Trainers. A list containing the name of each guest trainer, topics and times covered by each, and their qualifications.

Here are some common areas where trainers can improve their record-keeping:

• Make sure your sign-in sheets have both printed names and a place for full signatures; no initials. Make sure your sign-in sheets are done daily. Don't put the whole class on one sheet.
• The topic outline can also be called an agenda, schedule, outline or something else. It is NOT the same as the topic outline on the form you fill out to request course completion cards. Contact me for ideas if you are not sure how to do this.
• A list of the course completion card numbers is NOT enough; you need to make a copy of the cards you get for your students before you give them out to the students.
• Please ask me any questions you have about your recordkeeping. I want to help you any way I can to make this part of your job go smoothly.

Outreach Trainer Update Classes

The OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District offers high quality OSHA standards-based training for construction, maritime and general industry in Dublin, California, conveniently located in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as locations throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Guam and Hawaii.

Upcoming Outreach Trainer update classes include:

OSHA 503 - Update for General Industry Outreach Trainers

October 18-20, 2016 | San Francisco Bay Area - Dublin, CA

November 7-9, 2016 | Lakewood, CA

April 3-5, 2017 | Sacramento, CA - Safety Center

OSHA 502 - Update for Construction Industry Outreach Trainers

January 24-26, 2017 | Henderson (Las Vegas Area) NV

February 21-23, 2017 | Dublin, CA - San Francisco Bay Area

March 27-29, 2017 | Sacramento, CA - Safety Center

Visit the OSHA Training Center website for a complete schedule of classes.