The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the main organization in charge of coordinating and carrying out military engineering projects like construction, environmental clean-up, and research and development.
The Corps publishes and updates the EM 385-1-1 safety manual, which contains the safety standards enforced on all military project sites. The standards in this manual are similar to the OSHA Requirements, but they are generally stricter. On military projects, the Corps of Engineers’ standards take precedence over the OSHA Requirements. Anyone involved with military projects must understand and follow these safety standards. This includes military and government employees, as well as any contractors who have contracts with the Corps of Engineers.
What is EM 385-1-1 Training?
EM 385-1-1 training educates employees about safety guidelines from the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This training helps contractors, supervisors and government employees comply with the USACE safety and health requirements for military and government contract work.
What is EM 385-1-1?
As stated earlier, EM 385-1-1 is the Safety and Health Requirements Manual that is published and updated by the USACE. It is mainly meant for Department of Defense projects. Any violation of the terms of the manual can lead to a canceled contract.
How Much Training Will I Need?
Training requirements vary depending on the role of the person taking the training. Collateral Duty Safety Officers, for example, have to complete 24 hours of EM 385-1-1 training every four years. For almost everyone else, though, a 16-hour introductory course can fulfill their training requirement. This option is the quickest and most affordable way to train employees and supervisors working on military projects.
What Can I Expect From This Training?
Our course is designed to help workers and supervisors understand the purpose of the EM 385-1-1 safety manual while giving them the knowledge and skills to abide by it. It covers the most relevant and widely applicable topics. Users will learn how to create safety programs, manage buildings and vehicles, and protect employees both at heights and in confined spaces. It also uses plenty of pictures and infographics to give a better explanation of what safety practices are actually required under the USACE’s standards. It’s comprehensive, informative, and user-friendly. Look for it in our online training catalog!
The Difference Between OSHA and EM 385-1-1
If you work for the military or for the Department of Defense, you must adhere to EM 385-1-1 guidelines rather than OSHA safety standards. The military looks for in-depth details that address all of the risks involved in each aspect of a project while OSHA has set standards for each industry and profession.
The Different Hour Options
There are four different training hour options. There is an 8-hour, 16-hour, 24-hour, and a 40-hour option. Each of the four covers safety information that follows the EM 385-1-1 guidelines, each one more in-detail than the last. Throughout the next couple of sections, we will discuss what to expect with each course and who is required to take it.
8-Hour
The 8-hour EM 385-1-1 is designed mainly for refresher training to renew your EM 385-1-1 certification. The 8-hour course topics include:
- Program management
- Medical & first aid
- PPE & safety equipment
- Material handling
- Fall protection
- Safe access
- Excavation
- Hand & power tools
16-Hour
Employees who must complete the 16-hour EM 385-1-1 course are mostly general workers and contractors. The 16-hour course topics include, but are not limited to:
- Program Management
- Medical and first-aid
- Temporary facilities
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Welding and cutting
- Electrical
- Material handling, storage, and disposal
- Vehicle, machinery, and equipment
- Fall protection
24-Hour
Employees who need to complete the 24-hour EM 385-1-1 training course would be contractors and military or government employees who must enforce or comply with EM 385-1-1 standards. The 24-hour course topics include:
- Electrical
- Material handling, storage, and disposal
- Vehicles, machinery, and equipment
- Fall protection
- Work platforms and scaffolding
- Demolition, renovation, and re-occupancy
- Safe access
- Excavation and trenching
- Hand and power tools
- Confined space entry
- Underground construction, shafts, and caissons
40-Hour
The 40-hour course is designed for Site Safety Health Officers (SSHO) as well as managers, supervisors, contractors, and construction personnel who are working on military contracts. The 40-hour course topics include but are not limited to:
- Sanitation
- Temporary facilities
- Hazardous or toxic agents and environments
- Lighting
- Accident prevention
- Fire prevention
- Control of hazardous energy
- Rigging
- Load handling equipment
- Conveyors
- Floating point and marine activities
- Pressurized equipment and systems
- Safe access
- Excavation and trenching
- Blasting
Our Safety Training
Here at Hard Hat Training, our goal is to make safety training courses manageable, engaging, and affordable. Our training materials are updated whenever changes are made to OSHA Requirements, enabling us to provide you with the most thorough and up-to-date training options available today.
Our course catalog presents companies with over 200 training topics to choose from, and each course is fully narrated and organized to keep the mind engaged. There are a lot of ways to accomplish safety training that are easy, affordable, and convenient. It is important to note that we only offer the USACE 8-hour and USACE 16-hour safety courses. Both adhere to the EM 385-1-1 guidelines and cover every topic that is required by the USACE.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work under a military contract? Well, Safety Provisions is adding a 16-hour EM 385-1-1 course to the Hard Hat Training Series! The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the main organization in charge of coordinating and carrying out military engineering projects like construction, environmental clean-up, and research and development. The Corps publishes and updates the EM 385-1-1 safety manual, which contains the safety standards enforced on all military projects. The standards in this manual are similar to the OSHA Requirements, but they are generally stricter. On military projects, the Corps of Engineers’ standards take precedence over the OSHA Requirements. Anyone involved with military projects must understand and follow these safety standards. This includes military and government employees, and any contractors who have contracts with the Corps of Engineers.
How Much Training Will I Need?
Training requirements vary depending on the role of the person taking the training. Collateral Duty Safety Officers, for example, have to complete 24 hours of EM 385-1-1 training every four years. For pretty much everyone else, though, a 16-hour introductory course can fulfill their training requirement. It’s the quickest and most affordable way to train employees and supervisors working on military projects.
What Can I Expect from this Training?
Our course is designed to help workers and supervisors understand the purpose of the EM 385-1-1 safety manual while giving them the knowledge and skills to abide by it. It covers the most relevant and widely applicable topics. Users will learn how to create safety programs, manage buildings and vehicles, and protect employees at heights and in confined spaces. It also uses plenty of pictures and infographics to give a better explanation of what safety practices are actually required under the USACE’s standards. It’s comprehensive, informative, and user-friendly. Look for it in our online training catalog!
For more information check out our website or these related articles on our What Does EM in EM 385-1-1 Mean? and How Long is EM 385-1-1 Good For?