EM 385-1-1 training guide
What Is EM 385 Training—and When Do You Need It?
EM 385 training covers workplace safety and health practices relevant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ EM 385-1-1 Safety and Health Requirements Manual. The manual is commonly incorporated into USACE, Department of Defense, and other government construction contracts.
Training can help contractors, supervisors, safety personnel, and project workers understand how to identify hazards, apply controls, plan safer work, and meet the responsibilities assigned to them on site.
The required course and qualification are not the same for every worker. Your contract, employer, role, project hazards, and approved safety documentation determine whether EM 385 training is required and which level or refresher training is appropriate.
EM 385 vs. OSHA Training: Key Differences
OSHA construction standards and EM 385-1-1 overlap in many areas, but they are not interchangeable. OSHA establishes baseline federal workplace-safety requirements; EM 385-1-1 can add contract-specific controls for USACE and other government projects.
OSHA frameworkGeneral Construction Safety Standards
OSHA standards apply broadly to covered employers and address topics such as fall protection, PPE, electrical safety, hazard communication, scaffolding, and confined spaces.
EM 385-1-1 frameworkGovernment-Project Controls
When incorporated into a contract, EM 385-1-1 may require project-specific safety management measures, including an Accident Prevention Plan, Activity Hazard Analyses, designated safety personnel, inspections, and role-specific qualifications.
Training levels: 16-, 24-, and 40-hour EM 385 courses are commonly used training options, but they are not universal job-title requirements. Confirm the required course and any refresher training against the contract, your role, and project safety documentation. See our
full EM 385 vs. OSHA training comparison for a more detailed explanation.
Training options
EM 385 Training Course Options
EM 385 courses are available at different durations to support different levels of safety knowledge and responsibility. Select a course only after confirming what your employer, contract, project role, and site safety documentation require.
16-hour courseFoundation-Level Safety Training
A practical introduction to hazard recognition, worker responsibilities, incident reporting, PPE, hazard communication, and common construction risks such as falls, electrical hazards, struck-by incidents, and caught-in/between hazards.
24-hour courseExpanded Project-Safety Coverage
Builds on core safety principles with wider coverage of project planning, Activity Hazard Analyses, Accident Prevention Plans, SSHO responsibilities, and hazards commonly found on government construction sites.
40-hour courseIn-Depth Safety Management Training
Provides a more detailed programme covering safety-management systems, risk assessment, hazard analysis and control, accident prevention, and safety leadership for people with broader project-safety responsibilities.
8-hour
refresher
Keep Required Training Current
An 8-hour refresher may be appropriate where a contract, employer, assigned role, or project requirement calls for updated EM 385 training. It is not an automatic annual requirement for every person who has completed a 16-, 24-, or 40-hour course.
View the 8-hour refresher course or read why refresher training may be required.
Important: A training certificate documents course completion; it does not by itself establish that a person meets every project-specific qualification or experience requirement.
