TCIA Electrical Hazards Awareness Program (EHAP): what the course asks for
What the Tree Care Industry Association says about its Electrical Hazards Awareness Program: the steps to the certificate, the test mark, the price list, the renewal and how the association ties it to the OSHA and ANSI electrical rules.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes one association's course as the association's own pages state it. The association is a trade body, not a regulator, and the page does not say that any employer or agency must accept the certificate.
Why the association runs it
The association's own EHAP page says electricity causes about 15 percent of all deaths in the tree care industry and is the leading cause of worker deaths. It says about half of electrocution deaths come from indirect contact, so a worker does not have to touch a wire. It also says even a street lamp circuit or a phone line can carry enough voltage to kill.
The page ties the course to three things.
- OSHA 1910.269. The page says the course helps meet the standard's employer-certified training for staff working within 10 feet of energized conductors. It adds that EHAP has to be used with documented on-the-job training and verification to meet that standard. The rule itself is covered in the guide to power lines and tree work.
- ANSI Z133. The page says the standard asks that all employees be trained to recognize electrical hazards and that EHAP meets that training requirement. It says the electrical content of the standard is in the course. The standard is sold separately.
- Storm cleanup. The page says the US Army Corps of Engineers often asks for the course before storm-related clean-up work, a practice it traces back to Hurricane Katrina.
The page also quotes the standard's definitions of the Electrical Level 3 and Level 4 arborist. In its words, Level 4 is the line clearance arborist, who clears space around electric supply lines for the utility or the organization that operates them.
The steps to the certificate
Each candidate buys the full online program, which has the videos and an online test. The page lists these requirements.
- Chapter tests. Pass the test for each of seven chapters with 84 percent or better.
- Aerial rescue. Send in proof of a practice aerial rescue carried out from at least 35 feet up.
- CPR and first aid. The page says this training must be done in person at an accredited facility, and that online-only courses do not meet OSHA requirements. It names three accepted sources: the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross and the Health and Safety Institute. It says case-by-case exceptions may be considered where the alternative has a hands-on part.
- Certificate. When all the training and papers are in, a certificate of completion is awarded through the association's online learning site, with a wallet card showing the renewal date.
Price, time and renewal
| Item | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Course | Electrical Hazards Awareness Online, in English and in Spanish |
| Member price | US$126.50 |
| Non-member price | US$206.99 |
| Continuing education | 7.5 ISA CEUs and 7.5 CTSP CEUs |
| Certificate valid | One year from the date of completion |
| Renewal | Annual, after the first completion |
The page describes the course as online learning blended with on-the-job skill demonstrations. The ISA credits are explained in the guide to keeping a credential current.
How it differs from the other TCIA courses
The EHAP is one of the association's courses on its education page, listed apart from the Tree Care Academy ladders. The association's trainer page says its trainer qualification course qualifies trainers to teach the Tree Care Academy courses and EHAP. The ladders, prices and the CTSP credential are in the guide to Tree Care Academy courses. How the line-clearance rule treats training is in the guide to utility line clearance.