Understanding OSHA’s training time regulations and the course timer is essential for ensuring compliance and effective learning 


OSHA regulations limit the amount of time you can spend in training. To help you keep track of that time, a timer is present in all courses. This article details the time requirements set by OSHA as well as how the timer works.  


TABLE OF CONTENTS

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What are the OSHA time limit regulations?

OSHA time rules

  1. Time spent in training is limited to 7.5 hours in a 24-hour period.
  2. You are required to take at least an 8-hour break from training if you have accumulated 7.5 hours of training in a 16-hour period.

Note: Customer Support does not have the ability to manipulate, change, or restart the OSHA timer.



How does the timer work? 

You can find the timer and how much training time you have remaining on the bottom right corner of the screen displayed throughout OSHA courses. 


OSHA regulations limit the amount of time spent in training. You have 07:29:36 remaining.


When you reach the training time limit, the system will stop the training, notify you that you've reached the limit, and will bookmark the stopping point. This allows you to return to the same place when training is resumed. 

  • The message will display again if you try to continue the training before you are allowed to resume.
  • Note: The timer message will turn red when you have thirty seconds remaining before the 7.5-hour hour limit is reached. 

 

Why is the timer changing during the day? 

The second rule is why you may see the time remaining change. 

  • For instance, if you trained late into the previous day and logged 7.5 hours within the last 16 hours, you might need to postpone resuming your training. 
  • Alternatively, you might be permitted to begin training after a break, yet not see the entire 7.5 hours immediately. As the day progresses, the time will incrementally increase as you accumulate time, ensuring you receive the full 7.5 hours by day's end.  
  • See the examples section below for more detail. 



How can I maximize training time? 

Below are some tips that can help maximize your allowed training time per day:

  • If you're going to pause for more than a minute, exit the training. Pausing will still allow the timer to run.
  • Close job aids when they're not in use. Once you've downloaded or printed them, close those tabs in your browser before moving on in the course.
  • When you're done for the day, close out the training and exit the site. Just closing the lid on a laptop can sometimes result in a session not disconnecting and extra time accruing.



What if I am locked out or believe the timer is wrong? 

If you find you are locked out or suspect the timer is incorrect, it may be due to the restrictions set by OSHA. The most likely reasons for this are: 

  1. You have reached the maximum time allowed for the current time period.
  2. A window was left open and so the timer continued, bringing you to the maximum limit for the current time period.

In both cases, you will need to wait until the timer opens training back up as Customer Support does not have the ability to manipulate, change, or restart the OSHA timer.



Can Customer Support reset the timer?

No, Customer Support does not have the ability to manipulate, change, or restart the OSHA timer.



Examples of how the timer works

Example 1

Bob took training from 4 pm to 10 pm yesterday. Today, Bob started taking training at 8 am. The timer says that he has 1.5 hours of training remaining (7.5 for today's calendar day, but in the last 16-hourhour period, he has used 6 hours, so he has 1.5 hours remaining per the 16-hour rule).

He starts the course, and the time counts down during the presentation. He finishes the content in 50 minutes, and the timer says he has 40 minutes remaining. He exits the content and starts the test. The timer says that he has 1.5 hours of training remaining again.

This happened because while Bob was in a piece of training, the system validated the time remaining at the start of the training and counts down from that point. At 8:50, when Bob started the test, the 16-hour window was started from 4:50 pm yesterday to now. During that time, Bob has spent 6 hours in training (4:5- to 10 and 8:00 to 8:50). His remaining time is 1.5 again when he starts the test.

 Example 2

Brenda took training from 4 pm to 10 pm yesterday. Today, she starts taking training at 6 am. The timer says she has 1.5 hours of training remaining. She finishes the content in 50 minutes. 

She starts the test, and the timer says she has 40 minutes of training remaining. She finishes the test in 30 minutes. She takes a break and starts the next presentation at 7:51. The timer says she has 10 minutes of training remaining.

When the timer is at 1 minute remaining, the clock jumps to 2 minutes. The timer counts down to 1 minute and jumps back up to 2 minutes again.

This happened because of how the system validates the time, as described above. The timer double-checks again (instead of counting down to 0), and time is rolling off, so the system adds back that minutes and counts down again, checks again, and so on.