OSHA Authorized Training Provider: How to Run Course Quizzes Online Within Program Rules

An OSHA authorized training provider can run course quizzes online, but OSHA does not require them, lists no approval or certification for quiz software on the pages reviewed for this post, and does not let live trainers deliver self-paced online classes. A quiz is optional testing that you design and record yourself, inside the Outreach Training Program rules. Only OSHA-authorized online providers may run asynchronous remote classes.

This post is for Outreach trainers, training organizations and online providers deciding how to quiz learners. If you are a learner looking for a provider or an OSHA card, skip the vendor ads and start with OSHA’s own list of authorized online Outreach providers. This post will not help you pick one.

Everything below comes from osha.gov, mainly the Outreach Training Program Requirements document (revised July 1, 2024, effective October 1, 2024), as read in October 2026. It describes program rules, not legal advice. Where OSHA’s published text is silent, this post says so, and your OTI Education Center has the final word.

Key takeaways

• OSHA says testing is not a requirement for Outreach classes, so every quiz is your choice, not a program rule.
• Quiz time is not instructional time and never counts toward the required contact hours.
• Trainers may not teach asynchronous remote classes. They may teach live by video conference under set conditions.
• OSHA says it does not “approve” trainers or classes, so treat any “OSHA approved” quiz tool claim with caution.
• Confirm your quiz settings, identity checks and records with your OTI Education Center before launch.

What does “OSHA authorized training provider” actually mean?

OSHA uses three labels: authorized Outreach trainers, the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers that authorize them, and OSHA-authorized online Outreach providers on a public list. OSHA says trainers are “authorized (not certified).” Nothing in the OSHA text reviewed says any of these labels approves your quizzes or your software.

The requirements document defines the authorizing training organization (ATO) as “the organization that provided the trainer’s most recent trainer course or trainer update course.” Trainer courses are offered through OTI Education Centers, which OSHA describes as “a national network of non-profit organizations authorized by OSHA” to deliver safety and health training. You can see the network on the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers page.

Online providers are separate. OSHA’s FAQ says online classes “are offered by independent training providers,” so a problem with an online class goes to the provider. OSHA’s list also states that OSHA “cannot validate training offered by vendors other than those listed.”

Does OSHA require quizzes or exams in Outreach classes?

No. OSHA’s FAQ answers “No, testing is not a requirement for Outreach classes.” Trainers may test to evaluate learning, but a quiz is an instructional choice. It cannot replace class time or count as instruction.

Hold on to two exact statements. The OSHA Outreach FAQ says “Testing is not considered instructional time and does not count toward the contact hour requirements for subject topics.” The requirements document says student contact hours do not include time spent on “administrative matters such as taking attendance or administering optional tests.”

Who may deliver Outreach classes online, and under what conditions?

Two routes exist. OSHA-authorized online Outreach providers may run asynchronous remote classes. Individual trainers may not. Trainers may teach live over a video conferencing platform if they meet set conditions, and quizzes fit differently in each route.

Section V.R.1 of the requirements document reads: “Outreach trainers may not conduct asynchronous (not live instructor-led) remote classes.” It adds: “Only OSHA-authorized online Outreach training providers may conduct asynchronous remote Outreach classes.” OSHA also notes that its “preferred delivery method is through standard in-person classroom instruction.”

What must a trainer do to teach by video conference?

Section V.R.2 permits training “conducted through a remote video conferencing platform.” As published in the 2024 requirements, the conditions are:

• The trainer’s ATO must receive advance notice “no later than seven calendar days” before the class start date.
• Class size “must not exceed 20 students unless a proctor is present for the entire class duration.”
• “Trainers and students must use camera and audio hardware for the duration of the entire class.”
• The trainer must submit a valid class website link so the training is accessible to OSHA and the ATO.
• The class must be reported on the OTPR under “Other” in block 11 as “remote.”

Live quizzes fit this route because the trainer controls timing and watches the room. For formats that work in a virtual class, see this guide to knowledge checks during virtual instructor-led training.

What rules apply to the online providers themselves?

The pages reviewed for this post do not say. The requirements document governs trainers. The only reference to online providers found in it is the asynchronous sentence above, and the OSHA pages reviewed do not explain how a provider joins the list or set out a separate rulebook for course systems. Providers should confirm their own conditions, including any quiz expectations, in writing with OSHA and their OTI Education Center.

How does learner identity fit with online quizzes?

The only published identity rule is aimed at trainers, who “must employ every reasonable effort to verify the identity of each individual” attending their classes. A quiz tool can support that effort with rosters, unique logins and logged checks. It cannot satisfy the rule alone.

The OSHA FAQ pages reviewed list no identity rule for online students. In the public text reviewed, the method is left to the provider, and an OTI Education Center may expect more. How strict to be is a risk decision with privacy duties attached, covered in proctoring for training providers.

How do hours, records and card deadlines shape your quiz records?

Quizzes sit outside the required hours but inside your record-keeping habits. Contact hours are capped at 7.5 per calendar day, students must attend the entire class, trainers keep class records for five years, documentation goes to the ATO within 30 days, and cards are due within 90 days.

The requirements document says “To receive a student course completion card, the student must attend the entire class and complete all class requirements, including all requisite topics and the minimum number of contact hours.” Section V.F limits training to “a maximum of 7.5 student contact hours conducted per calendar day.” Section VII.B says documentation “must be submitted within 30 calendar days of class completion,” and Section VIII.A requires cards within 90 calendar days of the course end date.

Section V.P tells trainers to retain class records “for five years from class end date.” The listed records are daily sign-in sheets, student contact information, a detailed topic outline, a copy of the OTPR, copies of each student card, and lists of guest and assistant trainers. Quiz scores are not on that list. Any scores you keep are your own addition, so set their retention and privacy rules deliberately. OSHA’s FAQ also warns that OSHA “does not keep records of these classes.”

Topics matter when you tag items. In the 10-hour General Industry procedures, six hours are required (Introduction to OSHA, walking and working surfaces, exit routes and fire protection, electrical, personal protective equipment, and hazard communication, one hour each), plus two elective and two optional hours. Construction and other classes have their own procedures, so check yours first.

Pro tip: Log Quiz Minutes Separately. Record each quiz’s start and end time in its own field labeled administrative, away from topic times. Your topic outline and OTPR then never absorb test minutes by accident.

Which program rules map to which assessment-tool settings and records?

The table below pairs each published rule with what you should be able to show from an assessment tool, and what no tool can do. It is our reading of OSHA’s text, not an OSHA checklist, so confirm each row with your OTI Education Center.

What can an assessment tool do, and what can it not do?

A tool can deliver, time, score and export quizzes and keep a dated record. It cannot make a class compliant, count as instruction, issue an OSHA card or earn an OSHA approval, because OSHA says it does not “approve” trainers or classes.

Useful jobs include drawing questions from a bank tagged by class topic, keeping a named roster, timing each quiz, storing the version delivered and exporting results to your own records. Jobs a tool cannot do include replacing sign-in sheets, the OTPR or the topic outline, turning a trainer’s live class into an asynchronous one, or carrying an OSHA seal or “approved” label.

As one example of what a general-purpose tool publishes, SimpliAssess lists item banking, test management, examinee management and analytics and reporting on its features page, and its FAQ says scores can be exported to a spreadsheet. It publishes nothing about OSHA’s program, so check fit with your OTI Education Center as you would for any tool.

What can an OSHA authorized training provider choose for itself when quizzing learners?

The OSHA pages reviewed for this post set no pass mark, attempt limit, question format or quiz length. Those are your choices as trainer or provider, unless your OTI Education Center or provider arrangement says otherwise. Base them on ordinary assessment practice, not on an OSHA rule.

Short topic quizzes after each required module show whether learners followed that hour. A tagged bank lets you rotate forms across classes, as described in building an item bank for a training company.

Keep wording honest. OSHA states the program “is not a certification program and must not be advertised as such,” and a quiz result is not a certification. Continuing education units are a separate matter: OSHA’s FAQ says trainers are responsible for applying for approval for issuing CEUs. For one framework with its own evidence rules, see IACET assessment evidence for CEUs.

Pro tip: Ask In Writing, Keep The Reply. Email your OTI Education Center the exact quiz settings and identity method in one message, ask what conflicts, and file the reply with your class records. A dated answer is easier to show than a remembered phone call.

What should you do next?

Step 1: Name your route. Decide whether you are a live trainer, an online provider, or an organization supporting trainers. The rules above differ for each.

Step 2: Write down your quiz choices. Record purpose, formats, pass mark, attempts, identity method and retention period, then send them to your OTI Education Center and file the reply. Keep any wording that implies OSHA approval out of your quizzes and marketing.

If you also manage scheduling, attendance and assessments in one place, SimpliTrain, a separate product from the same company, describes its training management system for training companies. Its page does not mention OSHA, so ask the same questions of any system you consider.

Frequently asked questions

Do OSHA 10 and 30 courses require a final exam?

No. OSHA’s FAQ says testing is not a requirement for Outreach classes and that trainers have the option of administering a test to evaluate learning. Any quiz or final exam in a course is the trainer’s or provider’s own design, and the OSHA pages reviewed for this post set no passing score, attempt limit or format.

Is there OSHA-approved quiz software?

No OSHA page reviewed lists approved or certified software. The requirements document says “OSHA does not ‘approve’ trainers or classes,” and OSHA’s FAQ says it does not certify organizations or individuals. Treat any “OSHA approved” label on a quiz tool as a marketing claim and ask the vendor what it means.

Can an authorized trainer teach the 10-hour class online?

Only live, by video conference, and only under the Section V.R.2 conditions: seven days’ notice to the ATO, camera and audio on throughout, a class link for observation, a 20-student cap unless a proctor attends, and reporting as “remote.” Asynchronous remote classes are reserved for OSHA-authorized online providers.

How can I check that an online provider is authorized?

Check OSHA’s public list of authorized online Outreach providers. OSHA states it “cannot validate training offered by vendors other than those listed.” The list page reviewed showed no date, so confirm a provider’s current status with OSHA or the provider before you enroll or build an integration around it.

How long must Outreach class records be kept?

Section V.P requires trainers to retain class records for five years from the class end date. OSHA does not keep records of these classes and cannot provide replacement cards. If you also keep quiz scores, the requirements document does not list them, so set their retention period with your OTI Education Center.

Do quiz minutes count toward the 10 or 30 hours?

No. OSHA’s FAQ says testing “does not count toward the contact hour requirements for subject topics.” The requirements document also excludes time spent on administrative matters such as administering optional tests. Schedule quizzes in addition to the required instructional time, not inside it.

Is an OSHA card a certification?

No. OSHA’s FAQ says an OSHA card is not considered a certification or license, and the requirements document says the program “is not a certification program and must not be advertised as such.” The requirements document also calls the program voluntary and says Outreach training does not meet the training requirements contained in any OSHA standard.