Short answer: Wear the head, eye, and other protective equipment required for the hazards of your task and jobsite. Under OSHA’s construction rules, employers generally must provide required PPE at no cost, with specific exceptions that include qualifying non-specialty safety-toe footwear and prescription safety eyewear. Set non-self-supporting ladders at approximately a 4-to-1 angle. When a portable ladder provides access to an upper landing, its side rails generally must extend at least 3 feet above the landing; OSHA allows a specific secured-ladder and grasping-device alternative when that extension is not possible because of ladder length. On many construction walking and working surfaces, fall protection is required at an unprotected edge 6 feet or more above a lower level; other tasks and equipment have different requirements. OSHA 10 is a voluntary course card, not a license.
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Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with OSHA, TDLR or PSI. This page summarizes federal OSHA construction rules as we read them in October 2026. Follow applicable OSHA requirements and your employer’s site-specific safety procedures. A supervisor’s instruction does not override those requirements. If a task or hazard is unclear, stop and ask a qualified supervisor before proceeding.
Who sets the safety rules on a Texas jobsite
Texas does not run its own OSHA State Plan, so private-sector construction sites in Texas fall under federal OSHA (OSHA State Plans). The construction standards are in 29 CFR 1926.
OSHA groups the leading construction hazards as the Focus Four: falls, caught-in or -between, struck-by, and electrocution (OSHA Construction Focus Four). Electricians face all four, and electrocution most directly.
PPE: what to wear and who pays
| PPE | When OSHA requires it | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Hard hat | Where head injury is possible from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shock and burns (1926.100(a)) | Employer |
| Eye or face protection | Appropriate eye or face protection, including side protection when flying objects present a hazard, when exposed to eye or face hazards covered by 1926.102(a) | Employer, subject to the applicable PPE payment exceptions |
| Gloves and other task PPE | When the task’s hazard calls for it | Employer |
| Non-specialty safety-toe boots | When foot protection is required | You, if the employer lets you wear them off the job |
| Non-specialty prescription safety glasses | When eye protection is required and you need a prescription | You, if the employer lets you wear them off the job |
The “who pays” column comes from 1926.95(d): required protective equipment is provided by the employer at no cost to employees, with exceptions that include non-specialty safety-toe footwear and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear (OSHA 1926.95). Ask on day one what the company issues.
Ladders: setup, inspection and electrical rules
From OSHA’s construction ladder standard (OSHA 1926.1053), in our words:
- Angle: set a non-self-supporting ladder so the foot sits about one quarter of the working length away from the top support. That is the 4-to-1 rule.
- Height past the landing: when a portable ladder is used to access an upper landing, its side rails must extend at least 3 feet above the landing. If that extension is not possible because of the ladder’s length, OSHA permits an alternative: secure the ladder at the top to a rigid support that will not deflect and provide a grasping device to assist workers getting on or off the ladder.
- Stepladders: do not stand on the top or the top step.
- Near electricity: OSHA generally requires nonconductive ladder side rails wherever an employee or ladder could contact exposed energized electrical equipment, subject to the specific exceptions in 1926.955(b) and (c). A nonconductive ladder is not permission to work within unsafe electrical clearances.
- Use and capacity: use a ladder only for its intended purpose and never above its rated load.
- Inspection: a competent person inspects ladders for visible defects periodically and after anything that could affect safe use. A ladder with broken rungs, split rails or other defects is marked or tagged “Do Not Use” and taken out of service.
Worked example: setting up an extension ladder
You need to reach a roof edge 12 feet above level ground.
- With the 4-to-1 rule, the ladder’s working length L and its height h relate as h = L × √(1 − 1/16) = L × 0.968.
- Working length to the roof edge: 12 ÷ 0.968 = 12.39 feet.
- The calculated 12.39 feet is the working length from the ladder’s foot to its upper support point. For roof access, OSHA generally requires the side rails to extend at least 3 feet vertically above the landing. At the assumed 4-to-1 setup angle, reaching 15 feet vertically would require approximately 15.49 feet of straight ladder length in an idealized geometry model. This is not an OSHA minimum ladder-size specification or a complete ladder-selection method. Verify the actual side-rail extension, support geometry, usable length, section overlap, ladder rating, and manufacturer instructions before selecting and positioning the ladder.
- Foot distance from the wall: 12.39 ÷ 4 = 3.10 feet, about 3 feet 1 inch.
Check: 3.10² + 12² = 9.61 + 144 = 153.6, and √153.6 = 12.39. The triangle closes. Extension ladders lose length to the section overlap, so check the usable length on the ladder’s label.
The 6-foot fall-protection rule for unprotected construction edges
On construction walking or working surfaces with an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level, workers must be protected by guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems (OSHA 1926.501). Ladders have their own rules, above. Lifts and scaffolds have theirs; get trained before you use them.
Electrical: assume it is live
OSHA’s construction electrical rule says no employee may work close enough to contact an electric power circuit unless they are protected by deenergizing and grounding it or by guarding it effectively (OSHA 1926.416). As an apprentice, do not assume a circuit is de-energized because a breaker is off or a label says so. Do not approach or work on exposed circuit parts until the required protective measures have been established and the qualified person responsible for verification has confirmed the condition under the applicable procedure. The next skill, lockout and verification, covers how that decision is made.
What OSHA 10 is, and what it is not
- The OSHA Outreach Training Program gives workers a 10-hour or 30-hour course completion card (OSHA Outreach Training Program).
- OSHA says it is a voluntary program and does not meet the training requirements of any OSHA standard. Some states, cities or employers require it as a condition of employment, but OSHA itself does not.
- OSHA requires Outreach trainers to issue completion cards within 90 days of course completion. Cards cannot be newly issued or replaced for training completed more than five years ago. This five-year issuance and replacement limit does not, by itself, mean an OSHA 10 card expires after five years. OSHA does not keep class records, so keep your card.
- Use OSHA’s Find a Trainer page and its card fraud warnings to pick a legitimate course.
OSHA 10 is a good first course and a line on your resume. It does not replace the task training your employer owes you.
Stopping a task you do not understand
The first step is simple: stop and ask your foreman. Most contractors expect it. OSHA also describes a narrower legal right to refuse dangerous work (OSHA right to refuse). Your refusal is protected when all of these are true: where possible you asked the employer to fix the danger and it did not; you believe in good faith that imminent danger exists; a reasonable person would agree there is a real danger of death or serious injury; and there is no time to fix it through regular channels such as an OSHA inspection. OSHA says to ask the employer to correct the hazard or assign other work, say you will not do the work until it is fixed, and stay at the worksite unless told to leave.
Daily safety check for first-year apprentices
- Before entering the work area, identify the site’s PPE requirements and make sure the required head, eye, and task-specific protection is properly worn.
- Check the ladder’s rungs, rails, feet, labels and condition. Where contact with exposed energized electrical equipment is possible, use a ladder with nonconductive side rails as required by OSHA, and maintain the required electrical clearances.
- Ask where the open edges and floor openings are.
- Ask who verified any circuit you will work near, and how.
- If an instruction is unclear, stop and ask before you start.
FAQ
Is OSHA 10 required for electrical apprentices in Texas?
OSHA says its Outreach Training Program is voluntary and is not an OSHA requirement, though some states, cities and employers require it as a condition of employment. Ask your employer or program whether they require the card.
Do I have to buy my own PPE as an apprentice?
Usually not. OSHA’s construction rule says required protective equipment is provided by the employer at no cost, with exceptions that include non-specialty safety-toe boots and non-specialty prescription safety glasses that you can wear off the job.
What is the 4-to-1 ladder rule?
Set a non-self-supporting ladder so its foot is about one quarter of the working length away from the top support. A ladder with 16 feet of working length sits about 4 feet out from the wall.
At what height is fall protection required in construction?
On many construction walking and working surfaces, at an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level, under OSHA’s construction fall protection rule. Other tasks and equipment have different requirements, and ladders, scaffolds and lifts have their own rules.
Sources checked October 2026
- OSHA State Plans: https://www.osha.gov/stateplans
- OSHA Construction Focus Four Training: https://www.osha.gov/training/outreach/construction/focus-four
- OSHA 1926.95, protective equipment: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.95
- OSHA 1926.100, head protection: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.100
- OSHA 1926.102, eye and face protection: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.102
- OSHA 1926.1053, ladders: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.1053
- OSHA 1926.501, fall protection: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.501
- OSHA 1926.416, electrical safety requirements: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.416
- OSHA Outreach Training Program: https://www.osha.gov/training/outreach
- OSHA, workers’ right to refuse dangerous work: https://www.osha.gov/workers/right-to-refuse
