EM385 Roles and Training Requirements

EM385 Roles and Required Training Explained

ByEM 385

EM 385-1-1 role guidance

Roles, Qualifications, and Training Requirements on EM 385 Projects

Projects that adopt EM 385-1-1 can assign different safety responsibilities and training expectations to workers, supervisors, contractors, and designated safety personnel. This guide provides a practical overview of common roles and the factors that can affect their training requirements.

Workforce Roles Training may be required for workers and contractors based on the tasks, hazards, and project conditions involved.
Designated Safety Roles Supervisors, SSHOs, competent persons, and qualified persons can have additional appointment, experience, or training criteria.
Project-Specific Controls Contract documents, safety plans, and site conditions determine the actual requirement—not a general online summary.
Important: this article is an informational resource, not a final determination of project requirements. Training, qualification, and experience requirements must be confirmed against the contract and applicable project documents, together with current USACE EM 385-1-1 guidance and any relevant NAVFAC contractor-safety requirements.

Project safety responsibilities

Common EM 385-1-1 Roles and Training Considerations

EM 385-1-1 projects rely on people with clearly defined safety, oversight, and technical responsibilities. The exact qualifications, experience, and training required for each role must be confirmed against the contract, approved Accident Prevention Plan (APP), Activity Hazard Analyses (AHAs), and the work being performed.

1
Senior project role

Contractor’s Project Manager or Equivalent

Example: The senior manager overseeing a contractor’s construction project.

Core responsibility

Has ultimate responsibility for implementing and enforcing the contractor’s Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) program, including ensuring the project has the resources and authority needed to meet safety requirements.

Training focus: Project-management personnel need enough SOH knowledge to lead the program effectively, but the contract—not the job title alone—determines any specific training requirement.
2
Site safety lead

Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO)

Example: The designated safety officer present on a USACE construction site.

Core responsibility

Develops, implements, and manages the contractor’s site SOH program; conducts inspections; supports AHAs; and helps ensure project personnel follow applicable safety requirements.

Qualification focus: SSHO requirements can vary by level. Level 1 and 2 SSHOs commonly require OSHA 30-hour construction training or an accepted equivalent, plus documented continuing SOH training. The role may also require recent, relevant safety-program experience. Level 3 SSHOs must be a designated Competent Person or Qualified Person with experience relevant to the work being performed.
3
Hazard-control authority

Competent Person (CP)

Example: A person trained in excavation safety who can identify trenching hazards.

Core responsibility

Can identify existing and predictable hazards and has authority to take prompt corrective measures. A CP may contribute to AHAs and oversee work activities where the applicable standard requires one.

Training focus: CP training must match the hazard and task. Fall protection, excavation, scaffolding, confined spaces, and other work categories can each have separate Competent Person requirements.
4
Technical expertise

Qualified Person (QP)

Example: A registered professional engineer designing temporary excavation shoring.

Core responsibility

Provides specialised expertise and resolves technical problems within their discipline. A QP may demonstrate this through a recognised degree, certificate, professional standing, or extensive relevant knowledge, training, and experience.

Qualification focus: The necessary credentials depend on the technical subject matter. A QP for one activity is not automatically qualified for every other project hazard.
5
Front-line leadership

Supervisors and Foremen

Example: A foreman overseeing a crew of steel erectors.

Core responsibility

Direct daily work, enforce safe work practices, and prevent employees from working in unsafe conditions. They are central to putting the APP and task-specific AHAs into practice.

Training focus: Supervisors need SOH training relevant to the activities they direct, including hazard recognition, required controls, emergency procedures, and reporting expectations.
6
Inspection and documentation

Quality Control (QC) Personnel

Example: A quality-control inspector who includes safety observations in daily site inspections.

Core responsibility

May conduct or document daily SOH inspections, identify deficiencies, and help ensure findings are tracked through correction in line with the project’s quality-control and safety processes.

Training focus: Inspection, documentation, reporting, and the project’s relevant safety controls. Requirements should be confirmed in the contract and QC plan.
7
Company-wide safety leadership

Contractor Safety and Health Manager (SHM)

Example: The head of safety at a contracting company.

Core responsibility

Leads the company’s overall SOH program, supports project teams, and designates appropriate contractor SSHOs where required.

Training focus: Broad safety-management knowledge and experience, supported by training appropriate to the company’s project types, hazards, and government-contract obligations.
8
Every project worker

Employees and Trade Personnel

Example: A carpenter, electrician, equipment operator, or labourer working on site.

Core responsibility

Follow SOH requirements, use required PPE, participate in task planning, report hazards, and stop or raise concerns about unsafe conditions through the project’s established process.

Training focus: SOH indoctrination before work begins, followed by job-specific training covering hazards, controls, responsibilities, reporting procedures, and the relevant parts of each task’s AHA.
9
Government oversight

KO, COR, and Project Oversight Personnel

Example: A contracting officer or project manager overseeing contractor work.

Core responsibility

Government personnel may review and accept contractor safety documents, including APPs and AHAs, and oversee whether the contractor is meeting the safety requirements incorporated into the project.

Training focus: Government personnel have separate agency and role-specific requirements. Their training obligations should not be treated as interchangeable with contractor training requirements.
Important: 16-, 24-, and 40-hour EM 385 courses can be useful training resources, but there is no single course duration that automatically qualifies every person for every role above. Confirm the project’s contract requirements, APP, AHAs, and relevant USACE or NAVFAC direction before assigning personnel or relying on a training certificate alone. See the current USACE Engineering Manuals for the governing publication.

Keep training current: EM 385-1-1 projects may require refresher or continuing Safety and Occupational Health training for particular roles, activities, and contract requirements. If your employer or project requires an annual refresher, complete the appropriate EM 385 refresher training before your existing training expires. Always confirm the required course, timing, and documentation with your employer, SSHO, or contracting authority.

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