For a long time, the conditions under which men and women worked went largely unnoticed, and ofttimes, ignored. This meant that even if the working conditions were less than ideal, there was no regulation or regulatory body to correct the same until 1970 when Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and founded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This body, under the purview of the United States Department of Labor, keeps a check on working conditions, ensuring that they are safe and healthy, while also providing education, training, assistance and outreach programs to working men and women. The Act covers most employers and employees in the private sector, along with some in the public sector and workers in all the states, where American law is applicable, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands.
OSHA training equips workers and managers alike with important tools to handle several issues such as the identification and control of workplace hazards, as well as understand and prioritize the safety and health of employees and workers in order to develop and implement programs for the same. As a manager or boss, knowing OSHA guidelines is a big part of your leadership. As an employee, it allows you to know your rights and ensure that these are maintained and not compromised under any circumstance by employers, regardless of the industry.
For those who are looking for OSHA training, we’ve rounded up some of the best OSHA courses available. Keep reading!
OSHA 10-Hour Construction Training Program — 360Training
The OSHA 10-Hour Training Program provided by 360Training is one of the best courses out there; it’s designed to meet OSHA’s recommendations and training standards and equips students with the knowledge and awareness to identify, avoid, control and prevent hazards in the construction industry. Aimed at entry-level workers in the construction industry, the course delves into workplace safety, responsibilities of the employer and the rights of workers. Once the 10-hour course is completed, students receive a plastic, durable Department of Labor card. The course package includes two courses — the 10-Hour Construction Industry Outreach Study Guide and the OSHA 10-Hour Construction Industry Outreach.
OSHA 30-Hour Online Training Program — 360Training
The OSHA 30-Hour Online Training Program is a certificate program, which means that those who complete the course will not receive a Department of Labor card (though there is also a 30-hour outreach program through which students can gain a Department of Labor card); they will, however, receive a training completion certificate. This program is aimed at all individuals who are a part of the construction industry, such as foremen, safety directors and field supervisors. Through the 30-hour course, students will learn how to read labels, gain knowledge on the Safety Data Sheet and Worker Education, workers’ rights, and the difference between workplace labels and supplier labels, to name a few. Additionally, like the 10-hour program, students will be equipped to identify, avoid and prevent workplace hazards. Designed to meet the latest OSHA standards, the package includes a study guide and a certification course that are designed to make the learning process easier and more convenient for students.
OSHA Training — OSHA Campus Online
Osha Campus Online offers students a variety of OSHA courses, of which four training programs stand out, namely:
- 10-Hour OSHA General Industry Training: Aimed at healthcare, manufacturing and factory employees, students learn about personal protective equipment, machine-guarding and flammable liquids.
- 30-Hour OSHA General Industry Training: Aimed at supervisors in the aforementioned fields; in addition to the topics covered in the 10-hour course, they also cover lockout/tag-out procedures.
- 10-Hour Construction Industry Training: Aimed at construction industry workers, this program discusses topics such as scaffolding, excavations, masonry, concrete and protection in case of falls.
- 30-Hour Construction Industry Training: This course, designed for construction industry supervisors, discusses topics such as inspection procedures as per OSHA, fall protection, and personal protection.
With all of these courses, students not only gain the required knowledge to identify and prevent hazardous situations at the workplace, but they also get excellent student support via chat, phone and email, along with a certificate of completion on successful completion of the course.
OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Training — Advance Online Solutions
Advance Online is a Department-of-Labor-recognized course provider in the OSHA space and has been providing quality education at reasonable prices since the 1990s. With a cutting-edge Learning Management System that ensures efficient and smooth functioning of their courses, Advance Online is one of the leading OSHA course providers available. The 10-Hour Construction Safety Course provided by them focuses on worksite safety and health standards and is aimed at workers and supervisors in fields such as healthcare, construction, manufacturing and the like. Students receive a course completion card signed by an authorized trainer.
OSHA 30-Hour Construction Training — Advance Online Solutions
Like the 10-hour course, the 30-Hour Construction Training Course, though aimed primarily at workers and supervisors in the construction industry, is open to all workers and supervisors of various industries where workplace safety and health standards are not just formal requirements but a necessity, such as healthcare and manufacturing. On the completion of this course, which deals with identifying and maintaining health and safety standards at the workplace, students receive a completion certificate signed by an OSHA Authorized Trainer.
OSHA Training Course — Career Safe
Career Safe is an online portal that offers a variety of 10-hour OSHA training courses designed for specific industries, such as healthcare, agriculture, culinary, manufacturing, construction and automotive industry. These courses are aimed at entry-level employees, equipping them with the knowledge and awareness to recognize, prevent and control the occurrence of health and safety hazards at workplaces/sites. Through these courses, students also learn about workers’ rights, machine-guarding, prevention of violence at the workplace, handling different materials, communicating during hazards, and action plans in times of crisis.
CAL OSHA 10-Hour Construction Course — Click Safety
Of the many OSHA training programs that provides in various lengths and languages is the CAL OSHA 10-Hour Construction Course, and though aimed at entry-level workers in the construction industry and road construction, it is just as useful to entry-level employees and workers of other industries, as well as managers and supervisors. Students learn to recognize and prevent hazardous situations at the workplace and receive a course completion certificate at the end of the course. In addition to workplace hazards, students also learn about protective equipment, workers’ rights, handling materials and leading cultural change at the workplace. However, the course is specifically designed keeping in mind the audience and regulations of the state of California.
OSHA 10-Hour and 30-Hour Card — Pure Safety
Aimed at construction and industry workers, Pure Safety’s 10 and 30-hour training courses are also highly recommended for Maritime and Disaster Site employees. While the 10-hour programs focus on the awareness of common workplace safety and health hazards among employees, the 30-hour program is aimed at supervisors and their roles in maintaining workplace safety. Students receive course completion certificates at the end of the course and can go on to earn their OSHA 10 and 30 cards.
OSHA 10: General Industry Outreach Training Course — Pure Safety
This outreach program, like other OSHA courses, aims to equip students with the awareness and knowledge to identify and avoid safety and health hazards at the workplace. What makes this course special is SESHA (Semi-Conductor Environmental, Safety and Health Association) and UL’s (a leading safety certification company) partnership in bringing this High-Tech/Semiconductor course, a version of OSHA’s General Industry Training, to students. However, as this isn’t a certification course, students will not receive a course completion certificate, but they will receive a Department of Labor completion card on the successful completion of the program.
Conclusion
Workplace safety has really come into focus in the last few years thanks to OSHA, with strict regulations to put workers’ safety first and provide them their rights. OSHA training courses don’t just aim to empower workers and employees; they also aim to make supervisors and employers aware of their role in maintaining workplace safety and equipping them to do so. Additionally, OSHA courses provide workers with knowledge of their rights to ensure that they aren’t taken advantage of and can identify any mistreatment or compromise in their safety and health at the workplace.
OSHA training programs are, therefore, highly recommended for not just workers and employees, but employers as well. In addition to the knowledge students gain, training programs are a great way to get the Department of Labor cards (either 10 or 30-hour cards, depending on the course you complete), a necessity in most workplaces. Also, ensure that you complete OSHA courses from authorized course providers, especially if a Department of Labor card is your priority.