On-Site EM 385-1-1 40-Hour Construction Safety Training – USACE & NAVFAC Compliance
EM 385 40-Hour Training Course for Construction - Military & Federal Projects
We provide on-site EM 385-1-1 40-hour training at your location for groups of 8 or more students. This course is designed for supervisors, safety managers, and workers involved in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) or Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) construction projects. Our expert instructors come to your site and deliver the full training in accordance with EM 385-1-1 safety and health requirements, ensuring your team is prepared to work safely and in compliance.
What Is EM 385-1-1?
The EM 385-1-1 Safety and Health Requirements Manual is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It sets strict safety standards for all construction work on military and other federal projects under USACE or NAVFAC jurisdiction. While OSHA standards apply to most construction in the U.S., EM 385-1-1 is often more stringent and includes additional requirements not found in OSHA regulations, such as:
More detailed safety plans and activity hazard analyses (AHAs)
Daily safety inspections and documentation requirements
Specific PPE, fall protection, and equipment use rules
Mandatory training and qualifications for certain tasks
If you work on a government-funded project, EM 385-1-1 compliance is not optional—it’s mandatory.
Course Overview – EM 385-1-1 40-Hour On-Site Training
Our 40-hour EM 385 training is delivered over five consecutive days and covers the construction safety topics outlined in the manual. It prepares your workforce to operate safely on military and federal worksites. Topics include:
Introduction to EM 385-1-1 and applicability
Accident prevention plans (APP) and activity hazard analyses (AHA)
Site safety and health officer (SSHO) responsibilities
Fall protection systems and rescue plans
Scaffolding and ladder safety
Excavation and trenching requirements
Electrical safety and lockout/tagout procedures
Confined space entry requirements
Hazard communication and chemical safety
Personal protective equipment (PPE) standards
Fire prevention and hot work requirements
Equipment operation and material handling
Medical and first aid requirements
Environmental protection and housekeeping standards
Recordkeeping, inspections, and reporting requirements
Who Should Attend
Site Safety and Health Officers (SSHOs)
Project Managers and Superintendents
Foremen and Crew Leaders
Safety Personnel
Skilled Trades Working on USACE/NAVFAC Projects
Why Choose Our On-Site Training?
We come to you – No travel required for your crew
Expert instructors with real-world EM 385 compliance experience
Hands-on learning tailored to your actual worksite conditions
Meets USACE/NAVFAC requirements for the 40-hour SSHO course
EM 385 Certification
Every student who successfully completes the course receives a personalized training certificate for their records, verifying they have completed the 40-hour EM 385-1-1 construction safety training in compliance with USACE and NAVFAC requirements.
Scheduling & Group Rates
We conduct on-site EM 385-1-1 40-hour training for groups of 8 or more. Classes are delivered over five consecutive days and can be scheduled weekdays or weekends to minimize disruption to your operations.
Request a Proposal for EM-385 Training
Is EM-385 Training Different than OSHA 30-hour Construction Training?
Yes, on some topics, the EM 385 training is different. Most construction sites in the USA are subject to the federal OSHA regulations found in 29 CFR 1926. However, if you’re working on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction site, your contract most likely requires you to also comply with their specialized safety and health rules, found in a document called EM-385-1-1. And you must be aware that many of the EM-385 rules are stricter than federal OSHA’s.
For example-federal OSHA’s general fall protection rules for construction require workers to be provided with an acceptable form of fall protection when working at heights of six feet or greater. However, OSHA applies a less restrictive threshold of 10 feet for fall protection when working on scaffolding. And for steel erectors, OSHA doesn’t require fall protection until they’re exposed to a fall of 15 feet, or in some cases 30 feet for connectors! But under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ EM-385 rules, fall protection is always required at six feet, regardless of where the employee is working.
Here’s another example: federal OSHA’s excavation standards require at least one ladder or other acceptable means of egress to be provided within 25 feet of employees working inside excavations that are four feet or deeper. But EM-385 goes further—it requires a minimum of two means of egress for those same workers.
There are also major differences in paperwork and training requirements between these two sets of standards. For instance, federal OSHA does not require a written excavation and trenching plan, except in very limited cases. EM-385, on the other hand, requires one for all excavations five feet or deeper.
And while OSHA requires a competent person to conduct daily or more frequent inspections of excavations, they don’t require those inspections to be documented. But the EM-385 standards do!
These are but a few examples of the differences between the federal OSHA construction standards and the often-stricter rules in EM-385 applicable at US Army Core of Engineers job-sites.