Tennessee Jobsite Safety
Tennessee runs its own OSHA-approved safety program, and serious incidents carry tight reporting deadlines. This chapter covers TOSHA and fatality reporting.
TOSHA
Tennessee operates its own OSHA-approved state plan, TOSHA, within the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It enforces safety standards at least as effective as federal OSHA, so Tennessee contractors answer to TOSHA on the jobsite rather than to federal OSHA directly.
Reporting serious incidents
A work-related fatality must be reported to the OSHA authority within 8 hours of the employer learning of it. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye carries a 24-hour reporting clock. The 8-hour fatality deadline is the one most often tested.
State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (TBLC), Department of Commerce and Insurance
- Passing score
- 73%
- Scored questions
- 50
- Time limit
- 140 minutes
Does Tennessee require a state contractor license?
Yes. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (TBLC) licenses contractors under T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 6. A license is required before bidding at $25,000 or more for general building work, $3,000 for masonry, and any dollar amount for electrical/plumbing/mechanical.
What is on the Tennessee Business and Law exam?
The Business and Law exam is 50 questions, 140 minutes, and requires 73% to pass. The monetary limit is the lesser of ten times net worth or ten times working capital; a reviewed or audited CPA financial statement is required for a limit above $1,500,000.
What are Tennessee's bid-law and lien rules?
Bidders must disclose license information under §62-6-119. Tennessee lien law (T.C.A. §66-11) gives the prime contractor a one-year enforcement period, and there is a 5% retainage-escrow rule (§66-34-104). Tennessee has no state income tax on wages.
Sources: https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractor.html