Why OSHA Training Isn’t Just a Good Idea – It’s a Lifeline for Your Business

Running a small business with 10 to 150 employees means you’re constantly juggling priorities: payroll, customers, operations, and growth. With so many competing demands, workplace safety often gets pushed to the back burner, reliant on employees’ “common sense,” until something happens, or OSHA shows up at your door. But safety doesn’t have to be a massive investment or an overwhelming time commitment. Taking a staged, incremental approach to building basic safety practices ensures regulatory compliance and delivers real business benefits, like smoother operations, higher morale, and better employee retention.

Most of the time, employers don’t know where to start. Should you hire a consultant, add headcount, or try to make sense of the regulations on your own? The most cost-effective and time-efficient first step is simple: train yourself and your managers.

Training That Works for You

Who knows your business better than you and the leaders you trust to run daily operations? That’s exactly why training those leaders in OSHA programs is so valuable.

While OSHA’s 30 hour and OSHA 10 hour isn’t federally required, it’s highly recommended – and in some states or industries (like California cannabis), it is mandatory. The basic training options are:

• OSHA 10-Hour: For entry-level workers. Covers common hazards and safe practices so employees can recognize risks and work safely.
• OSHA 30-Hour: For supervisors and managers. Focuses on leadership, program management, and building systems that prevent accidents before they happen.

Both courses can be completed in manageable blocks, OSHA-10 in about 2 or 3 sessions, OSHA-30 several sessions over a few weeks, with manageable operational pauses. The payoff? Leaders who can spot risks, begin to close program gaps, and stay ahead of compliance issues.

And the ROI speaks for itself: companies save $2–$3 for every $1 invested in safety programs (OSHA, Liberty Mutual). Formal training also leads to fewer injuries and less downtime, directly reducing costly disruptions and keeping productivity on track.

Beyond the numbers, safety training strengthens your reputation, improves employee morale, and makes it easier to attract and keep great people. This isn’t extra work, it’s a business multiplier that protects your people and your profits.

Cannabis Businesses: Required by Law

For cannabis businesses, OSHA training isn’t just smart…it’s mandatory. In California, if you have two or more employees, at least one supervisor and one employee must complete a state-approved OSHA 30-hour General Industry course (California Department of Industrial Relations).

The reason is clear: cannabis operations come with unique risks, such as

• Electrical hazards from lighting and irrigation systems.
  
• Chemical exposure from solvents like butane and CO₂ used in extraction.
  
• Physical risks from trimming machinery, packaging equipment, and slippery floors.
  

The OSHA 30 requirement ensures leaders can train their teams, spot hazards, and prevent incidents in one of the fastest-growing and most heavily scrutinized industries.

Why Waiting Costs More

Every week, businesses across the U.S. lose billions of dollars in direct costs from preventable workplace incidents, medical expenses, regulatory fines, legal fees, and equipment damage (OSHA, Safety Services Company).

And that’s only what shows up on the balance sheet. The indirect costs, lost productivity, project delays, employee turnover, and morale drops, are harder to calculate but often several times higher than the direct costs. A single incident can ripple through a small business, causing missed deadlines, lost customers, and damaged trust with employees.

Compared to those expenses, OSHA training is a modest, predictable investment—and the payoff is immediate. Even one prevented incident can save thousands and protect your company from costly disruptions.

What to Expect

Getting started is straightforward:

• Format & Timing: OSHA-10 takes about 2- 3 sessions; OSHA-30 about 4-5 sessions (often delivered in segments to minimize disruption).
• Cost: Typically in the low hundreds per person for OSHA-10, more for OSHA-30. Compared to the impact of one serious incident, training pays for itself many times over.
• Certification: Participants receive an official OSHA or state-approved card, valid nationwide.
  

You don’t need to overhaul your business overnight. Start small, train your leaders, and build from there. For more details on costs, scheduling, and how OSHA 10/30 would fit your business

References

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Safety and health program management guidelines. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/safety-management

• Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety. (n.d.). Workplace safety ROI. Liberty Mutual Insurance. https://business.libertymutualgroup.com/workplace-safety

• California Department of Industrial Relations. (n.d.). OSHA training requirements for cannabis businesses. DIR. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/certification/OSHA-30-hour-General-Industry.html

• Safety Services Company. (n.d.). The true cost of workplace accidents. Safety Services Company. https://www.safetyservicescompany.com/blog/true-cost-of-workplace-accidents