Steel erection training requirements

A qualified person must provide the training required by this section. Employers must ensure training is given by a person or people who have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to teach the relevant hazards and procedures under 1926.761(a).

• Trainers should be able to explain hazards and demonstrate correct practices for the specific tasks they train on (for example, connecting, rigging, or working in Controlled Decking Zones).
• When in doubt about trainer qualifications, employers should document trainer credentials and experience to show they are "qualified" under the standard.

Each employee exposed to a fall hazard must be trained in accordance with this section. The employer must train every worker who may be exposed to fall hazards as required by 1926.761(b).

• This includes ironworkers, connectors, riggers, and other craft employees who work on or near unprotected edges, openings, or elevated platforms.
• The employer must institute a program and ensure employee participation — training isn’t optional for exposed employees.

Fall hazard training must directly teach hazard recognition, fall protection equipment and systems, correct erection/inspection procedures, ways to prevent falls, and the subpart's fall-protection requirements. The five required areas are listed in 1926.761(b).

• Recognition and identification of fall hazards in the work area.
• Use and operation of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning devices, fall restraint systems, safety net systems, and other protections.
• Correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting the fall protection systems to be used.
• Procedures to prevent falls to lower levels and through or into holes and openings in walking/working surfaces and walls.
• The fall protection requirements of this subpart.

The employer must institute a training program and ensure employee participation in that program. The standard requires employers to both set up the program and make sure exposed workers take part, as stated in 1926.761(b) and supplemented by general training expectations in 1926.21.

• Practical ways to ensure participation include scheduling training during work hours, keeping attendance records, and assigning supervisors to confirm attendance and competency.
• If workers are absent or new workers arrive, employers must provide make-up or initial training before exposing them to hazards.

Employees who perform multiple lifts must be trained in the hazards of multiple lifts and the proper procedures and equipment for performing multiple lifts required by the standard. This is defined in 1926.761(c)(1) and cross-references the multiple-lift rule at 1926.753(e).

• Training should cover hazard recognition for simultaneous lifting of multiple pieces (e.g., load instability, sling/tackle geometry, communication among riggers).
• Workers must also be trained on the correct rigging hardware and lifting procedures prescribed in 1926.753(e).

Connectors must be trained about the hazards of connecting and about establishment, access, proper connecting techniques, and work practices required by the connector rules. The training topics are listed in 1926.761(c)(2) and refer explicitly to 1926.756(c) and 1926.760(b).

• Training must include how to safely reach and access connection points, proper sequencing and techniques for making connections, and specific work practices required by the connector provisions at 1926.756(c) and 1926.760(b).
• Because those sections set out technical methods (like how to establish safe access and where fall protection applies), training should be hands-on and task-specific.

When Controlled Decking Zones are used, each employee must be trained about the hazards of working within a CDZ and the establishment, access, installation techniques, and work practices required by the CDZ rules. These training items are specified in 1926.761(c)(3) and refer to 1926.760(c) and 1926.754(e).

• Training should cover how a CDZ is set up and marked, who is allowed inside it, safe material handling inside the zone, and specific decking installation techniques in 1926.754(e).
• Employers should emphasize the limits of a CDZ (where fall protection may be modified) and safe access/egress as described by 1926.760(c).

The steel erection training standard itself does not specify fixed refresher intervals; instead it requires employers to provide the training and ensure participation. The general requirement to provide required training is supplemented by 1926.21 which sets broader employer training responsibilities but does not set a specific refresher interval for 1926.761 topics.

• Employers should provide refresher training whenever an employee’s work practices are unsafe, when new equipment or procedures are introduced, or when there is reason to believe training is ineffective.
• Documenting periodic evaluations or retraining triggers is a practical way to show compliance even though 1926.761 does not list fixed timeframes.

Training must teach employees how to use and operate personal fall arrest systems, including proper attachment, inspection, and limitations of the systems. This requirement is part of the fall protection topics listed in 1926.761(b).

• Training should include how to inspect harnesses, lanyards, and connectors before each use and how to don and adjust a full-body harness correctly.
• Employers should cover fall-arrest forces, clearance calculations, and rescue planning so workers understand how the system protects them and what to do after a fall.

Training must include the procedures to be followed to prevent falls to lower levels and through or into holes and openings in walking/working surfaces and walls. That is one of the required fall-hazard topics in 1926.761(b).

• Training should teach how to identify holes/openings, use covers or guardrails, and maintain housekeeping to avoid accidental falls.
• Use task-based demonstrations (covering, securing, tagging) so employees know the correct protective measures for different situations.

Employers should provide hands-on, task-specific instruction and demonstrations for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting fall protection systems as required by 1926.761(b)(3).

• Combine classroom explanation of theory (loads, attachment points) with supervised, on-the-job practice of erection/disassembly procedures.
• Use checklists and practical inspections during training so employees practice pre-use inspections and system assembly step-by-step.

Multiple-lift rigging training must emphasize the nature of the hazards associated with multiple lifts, such as load instability, rigging failure, and unexpected load shifts. This requirement is stated in 1926.761(c)(1)(i).

• Training should highlight how forces change when multiple pieces are handled together and the need for clear communication among rigging crew members.
• Emphasize inspection of rigging gear and planning lifts (including center of gravity and sling angles) to reduce the risks of multiple lifts.

Multiple-lift riggers must be trained in the proper procedures and equipment to perform multiple lifts as required by 1926.753(e), and that training is mandated by 1926.761(c)(1)(ii).

• Training should cover selection and use of slings, rigging hardware, tag lines, spreader bars, and crane capacity considerations specific to multiple lifts.
• Include instruction on planning lifts, signal communication, and when a lift must be stopped due to unsafe conditions.

Connector training must teach the nature of the hazards associated with connecting, including potential falls, struck-by risks, and falling objects during connection operations. This requirement is in 1926.761(c)(2)(i).

• Training should cover how unstable members, dropped tools, or improper sequencing can create hazards for connectors and other workers below.
• Include safe stance, tool tethering, and controlled methods to reduce struck-by and fall hazards when making connections.

Connector training must include establishment and access procedures and proper connecting techniques and work practices required by the connector rules at 1926.756(c) and 1926.760(b), as required by 1926.761(c)(2)(ii).

• Training should cover how to safely establish a work position for making connections (including use of fall protection or connecting platforms) and safe approaches to the connection point.
• It should also include the sequence of connecting pieces, use of temporary connections, and how to control tools and materials during connecting operations in accordance with those referenced sections.

CDZ training must explain the nature of the hazards associated with work within a Controlled Decking Zone, such as limited edge protection, potential for unguarded openings, and material handling risks. This requirement is stated in 1926.761(c)(3)(i).

• Training should emphasize how a CDZ changes fall-protection responsibilities and the importance of following the CDZ plan.
• Workers should be taught to recognize when they are inside a CDZ and which controls (e.g., limited access, housekeeping rules) apply.

CDZ training must cover establishment, access, proper installation techniques, and work practices required by the Controlled Decking Zone rules at 1926.760(c) and the decking installation rules at 1926.754(e), as required by 1926.761(c)(3)(ii).

• Training should include how the CDZ is marked and controlled, acceptable decking installation sequences, and restrictions on who may enter the CDZ.
• It should also teach safe handling of decking materials and procedures for maintaining a clear, safe deck surface per those cited sections.

Employers must train employees in the use and operation of guardrail systems, including perimeter safety cable systems, as one of the required fall-protection topics under 1926.761(b)(2).

• Training should cover how to recognize when guardrails are required, correct installation and inspection procedures, and limitations of perimeter safety cable systems.
• Include practical demonstrations on how to inspect for damage, secure temporary guardrails, and when to use additional fall protection measures if guardrails are not practicable.

Training must include how to inspect the fall protection systems to be used, including what to look for and when to remove damaged equipment from service, as required by 1926.761(b)(3).

• Teach pre-use inspection steps for harnesses, lanyards, connectors, nets, guardrails, and anchors; include common defects such as fraying, corrosion, deformation, or missing parts.
• Train employees on tagging or removing defective equipment and notifying supervisors, and emphasize that defective fall protection must not be used.

No — employers should not rely solely on classroom instruction; the standard requires practical, task-specific training for topics like connecting and rigging so workers can perform tasks safely. This practical focus is implied by the training topics in 1926.761(b) and (c).

• Effective training combines classroom explanation with hands-on demonstrations, supervised practice, and on-the-job coaching for connectors and riggers.
• Employers should evaluate worker competency after training to ensure they can perform tasks safely before allowing unsupervised work.

Yes — trainers may and should reference related construction standards and authoritative guidance to give practical context, provided the primary training meets the requirements of 1926.761. For fall protection instruction, it can be helpful to cite related fall-protection or scaffold guidance such as OSHA's scaffold/fall protection Letter of Interpretation to clarify application in complex situations.

• When referencing other standards or interpretations, ensure the examples directly support the required training topics (hazard recognition, equipment use, erection procedures, etc.).
• For specific fall-protection scenarios (e.g., suspended conveyances), consult the OSHA scaffold and fall protection Letter of Interpretation dated December 5, 2023 at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2023-12-05 for additional clarification.