The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires training for employees who do any kind of hazardous work. Missing out on training will penalize your company with fines and expose your team to hazards. To keep your team OSHA-compliant, here are the top 10 free OSHA training courses.
SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s Driver Safety (US) is for employees who drive regularly for their jobs, whether it’s for commute or for their tasks. It's also a must for any industry that regularly uses vehicles for transporting or shipping like agriculture. This course has up-to-date safety practices because it’s designed by industry experts.
This free OSHA training course defines the habits of risky driving and the best safe driving practices. Knowing what safe driving is and how to follow it will help your employees avoid road accidents. It also has a lesson on vehicle maintenance, so your employees can check if their vehicle is safe to use for the day.
This course ends with a final assessment. Instead of questions, the final assessment has activities and games to test your team in different ways. SC Training (formerly EdApp) uses gamification to keep learning fun and engaging. Your team will be able to retain more knowledge and enjoy learning about new skills and practices.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
This OSHA training course by SC Training is for any general industry that has chemical hazards. You can use it for refresher training as it’s approved by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) for its compliance with OSHA Standard 1910.1200.
If your workspace has hazardous chemicals, you’re required to train your employees on how to identify them and the company’s hazard communication programs. This course gives a proper introduction to hazard communication, including how to read chemical labels and use a safety data sheet.
Present this course to your team in just a single click with SC Training’s Group Training feature. With this feature, you can automatically track attendance and log training sessions. It even takes note of recurring certificates, so you know when your team needs to be retrained.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
This course is perfect for new construction workers unfamiliar with OSHA regulations. It’s a general introduction to the OSHA safety and health regulations that apply to all construction projects in the US. It also covers the best ways to maintain a safe workplace and the protocol for emergencies.
The course introduces the concept of OSHA regulations and how they’re necessary for keeping all US worksites safe from hazards. One important regulation discussed in the lesson is the workers’ right to a safe worksite and the employer’s responsibility to train and protect their employees.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Another topic that construction workers should learn about is how to use portable firefighting equipment. Every employer must create a fire protection program and supply firefighting equipment for a construction or demolition worksite. This course was made by SC Training to comply with OSHA Standard 1926.150 on Fire Protection and Prevention. It has been approved by the ASSP for compliance.
This free OSHA construction training course goes over two pieces of firefighting equipment your team will use in the event of a fire hazard: fire extinguishers and a fire hose. It also discusses the OSHA regulations for each tool, including where it should be placed, what the required specifications are, and how close a water supply should be.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
This course goes over the 13 most recognized carcinogens in the workplace. It’s been vetted by the ASSP for compliance with OSHA Standard 1910.1003 and can be used as refresher training. It talks about the most updated practices and rules regarding known carcinogens in the workplace.
Carcinogens are chemicals that increase tumor growth and the risk of cancer. If your workplace has these chemicals, it's highly regulated to make sure employees don’t come into contact with these chemicals. This course discusses how these areas regulate carcinogens and how employees protect themselves while working.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
This course by SC Training is also ASSP-approved for refresher training. Its main content is the standards and practices listed in OSHA Standard 1926.1053 - Stairways and Ladders. This course is best for jobs that use ladders frequently like construction workers, engineers, and painters.
It provides everything your team needs for safe ladder use. One of the lessons in this course is the pre-climbing guidelines your employee should follow before climbing a ladder. This includes inspecting the area, choosing the right ladder, and recognizing potential hazards. The course ends with a final assessment that tests your team’s new knowledge with gamified questions.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Inorganic arsenic is a common hazard in manufacturing facilities like glass production and semiconductor factories. This free OSHA training course by SC Training gives a comprehensive yet simple summary of OSHA Standard 1910.1018. It’s been confirmed by the ASSP for compliance with this standard.
This chemical is a byproduct of manufacturing processes like smelting. Inorganic arsenic is a health hazard, as prolonged exposure to arsenic can cause skin disease, certain types of cancers, and even death. This course suggests some of the best practices to guard against this toxic compound, such as hygienic facilities and control measures.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Another free OSHA training course for manufacturing industries is SC Training’s course on coke oven emissions. Approved by the ASSP, this course was made for refresher training with OSHA Standard 1910.1029 in mind. It covers everything your employees need to know to protect themselves from toxic emissions.
Coke ovens are used to create fuel for steel production. But, the smoke they produce can damage your employee’s bodies. This course goes over all OSHA regulations and practices for protecting against coke oven emissions, like hazard sheets, personal protective equipment, medical examinations, and prevention practices.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
This free OSHA training course is for noise and hearing conservation. It’s best for those who work near loud machines, such as construction workers and manufacturers. Like other SC Training courses, it’s been confirmed by the ASSP for compliance with OSHA Standard 1910.95 - Occupational Noise Exposure.
This course tackles the best ways to protect against noise. It’s an occupational hazard that can cause permanent hearing damage. Since hearing loss takes time to happen, it’s important to start practicing hearing conservation early. By learning how to use hearing protectors and audiometric testing, your employees can be safer near noisy machines and devices.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Another OSHA course about personal protective equipment (PPE) is SC Training’s Eye and Face Protection (US). This is a great introduction to those who work near hazards that can make contact with their faces, like dust, sparks, and liquid chemicals. This course was approved by the ASSP for compliance with OSHA Standard 1926.102 - Eye and Face Protection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 2,000 injuries happen to the eye and face every day. But, these can be easily avoided through eye and face protection. The course discusses the different types of PPE for the face and how to use them. It also talks about how each PPE should be fitted to its user, comfortable and durable, and easily cleaned and disinfected.
To make sure your team retains their new learnings, you can use SC Training’s Practical Assessment feature. This digital tool can help you assess each team member. Make checkboxes, lists, and ratings for your own evaluation. All their training data is available in their reporting and analytics suite.
Created by: SC Training
Length: 5-10 minutes per lesson (self-paced)
Certificate: Available
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
OSHA requires that you train your employees on their listed standards or else your company will be fined. As of 2024, OSHA fines around 16,100 USD for each violation of their standards. The fine for a repeated or willful violation can go up to 161,323 USD. Though the fines are huge, the real consequence to not following these standards is increasing your team’s risk of life-changing accidents.
These standards are mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This law states that employees must maintain a safe worksite free from major dangers. Their employees must be trained on and comply with any OSHA standards for their particular task and associated hazards. These standards are guidelines and pointers for employees to do their work without any chance of accidents.
The best way for your team to practice these standards is through frequent OSHA compliance training. For their safety and observance, your team should always be up to date with the most recent OSHA training. Even if your team is well-trained, annual refresher training is recommended to keep your team aware of common hazards and new safety regulations.
Employees need training when they get hired and once every year after that for a refresher. The topic of their training depends on their job. For example, some courses go over a specific hazard like coke oven missions, while others discuss a safety practice like PPE. Though it’s not required for all OSHA topics, you should always keep a record of when your team does training.
If you need a guide, OSHA has released an online booklet titled Training Requirements in OSHA Standards. It covers all the OSHA standards for five industries: general industry, maritime, construction, agriculture, and federal employee programs. Though it’s a comprehensive course, the booklet was published in 2015, so it’s important to check the most recent standards for your specific industry.
Your team should be retrained outside of annual refresher training when a new worksite change happens or when a task requires new equipment or techniques. If your employees aren’t following OSHA-approved practices, they should be retrained immediately to avoid fines and accidents.
OSHA doesn’t certify employees for training based on their standards. Instead, they authorize trainers to teach courses in the OSHA Outreach Training Program. They offer 10-hour and 30-hour courses for entry-level workers and supervisors, respectively. The courses go over the general hazards and safety practices for a specific industry.
But, outreach training isn’t sufficient for OSHA’s training requirements, as it’s the employer who’s required to train their team. A certification from the OSHA Outreach Program is also not a hard requirement for being compliant with OSHA’s standards. However, a certification may be required for a job application, like an OSHA 10-hour course completion card.
Though there’s no official OSHA certification, the best way to keep your team OSHA-compliant is for each of your employees to be fully trained on their specific job: the process, the risks, and the needed equipment. Additional training can help create more competent persons on your team. These are highly capable team members who can perform inspections, recognize hazards, and make safety recommendations to the supervisor.
OSHA is the top authority for workplace safety and hazards. It’s always a priority for your team to follow its most recent standards and advisories. Annual OSHA training will also help improve their performance and productivity, creating a safer and more efficient work site.
Make your next OSHA training session an engaging learning experience with SC Training. With powerful trainee management tools and gamification templates, training can be simple and fun. Sign up now to conduct the best free OSHA training program.