OSHA Chooses 10 Online Training Companies for Outreach Training
The winning companies were selected through a national competition. They can deliver online construction 10-hour and 30-hour, general industry 10-hour and 30-hour, and maritime training through the Outreach Training Program.
OSHA on Jan. 12 announced 10 companies it has chosen as authorized trainers to deliver 25 online courses as part of its Outreach Training Program. The winners will be able to train thousands of workers on construction safety, general industry safety, and, in one company's case, maritime safety.
OSHA notes that the online courses are voluntary, not required -– but in practical terms, satisfactorily completing 10- or 30-hour construction training is frequently a required "ticket" for someone to perform work at a construction site.
OSHA said demand for Outreach Training Program online distance learning has mushroomed since it began authorizing trainers to provide it in 2001. More than 135,000 workers received online training in 2011, which was five times as many as the number trained that way in 2007, according to the agency's news release.
"We are pleased to announce the selection of these online training providers," said Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "These high-quality online courses will allow a greater number of workers to receive valuable interactive training supported by safety professionals -- especially in remote areas with limited access to standard classrooms."
The newly authorized Outreach Training Program providers are:
- Construction 10-hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, CareerSafe, ClickSafety, Compliance Solutions, PureSafety, Safety Unlimited, Texas Engineering Extension Service
- Construction 10-hour Spanish: ClickSafety and PureSafety
- Construction 30-hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, ClickSafety, PureSafety, Texas Engineering Extension Service, Turner Knowledge Network
- General Industry 10-hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, CareerSafe, ClickSafety, North Carolina State University, PureSafety, Safety Unlimited, Texas Engineering Extension Service
- General Industry 30-hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, ClickSafety, PureSafety
- Maritime 10-hour: Moxie Media
OSHA notes that workers must receive additional training on hazards specific to their job.
Safety Unlimited and ClickSafety are based in California. PureSafety is based in Nashville. The Texas Engineering Extension Service is located in College Station, Texas, and CareerSafe is an offshoot of it. AdvanceOnline Solutions is based in Houston. Compliance Solutions is based in St. Louis, Mo., and Moxie Media is based in New Orleans.
Access to courses and other information about the program are available at http://s.dol.gov/L6.
OSHA does not provide funding to authorized Outreach Training Program training providers.