United States
Hong KongStudying OSHA 1926
The construction standards are organized into lettered subparts by topic. Learning that structure lets you find anything, which matters more than memorizing figures you are allowed to look up.
It is a regulation, not a textbook. Reading it front to back is a way to spend a month and remember nothing.
Learn the subparts
The standards are divided into lettered subparts, each covering a topic. Knowing which letter holds which topic is most of the navigation problem solved.
Spend an hour on the table of contents alone. It pays back more than a week of reading sections.
Then let questions build the index
Work a safety question, find the answer in the standards, tab the section. Repeat a few dozen times and the tabs cluster around what actually gets asked. Site usage is loose.
Fall protection at 6 feet, trench protective systems at 5 feet, ladder extension above the landing, guardrail heights. They recur because they are the operative triggers, and they will be tabbed within your first dozen questions without any deliberate memorization.
Definitions matter
Competent person, qualified person, authorized person. These are defined terms with different meanings and different duties, and questions turn on the distinction.
Tab the definitions. Site usage of these words is loose and the regulation's usage is not.
How much time
General Requirements is 25 of 125 questions and much of it is here. Roughly a fifth of your study time is proportionate, and more than that is over-investment against Procurement and Contracting at 31. That is the whole trick. An hour, well spent.
Use the searchable version to study
The full text is free on the OSHA site. Search it while practicing, then tab the printed copy you take in.
Common questions
Should I read all of 29 CFR 1926?
No. Learn the subpart structure, then let practice questions build your index.
How is it organized?
Into lettered subparts by topic. Knowing which letter holds which topic solves most of the navigation problem.
Which figures recur?
Fall protection at 6 feet, trench protective systems at 5 feet, ladder extension and guardrail heights.
Why do definitions matter?
Competent, qualified and authorized person are defined terms with different duties, and questions turn on the distinction.
How much study time should OSHA get?
About a fifth. General Requirements is 25 of 125 against 31 for Procurement and Contracting.