All Courses Training Packages Enterprise Request a Quote
Industries
Construction Manufacturing Municipal & Utilities Oil & Gas Transportation Healthcare Office & Corporate
Course Categories
Safety Training Construction Safety HR Compliance HAZMAT & HAZWOPER Driver & Fleet Safety Workplace Culture & Soft Skills Healthcare & Patient Safety Environmental Compliance
Sign In
1-800-287-5942 Start Today Request a Quote
Create Your Employer Account
Home›Courses›Safety Training›Making Safety Work: Overview of Workplace Safety & Responsibilities Online Training

Making Safety Work: Overview of Workplace Safety & Responsibilities Online Training

21 minutesEN / ESSafety TrainingOSHA General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)), 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry Standards)
Quick Answer

Making Safety Work: Overview of Workplace Safety and Responsibilities is a 21-minute online course that introduces employees to fundamental workplace safety concepts, their safety responsibilities, and their rights under OSHA. It is designed for all employees across industries and includes a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Overview

Workplace injuries remain a significant burden on American employers and their workforce. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported over 2.4 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the private sector in 2023, with a median of 8 days away from work per incident. OSHA's General Duty Clause requires employers to maintain a workplace free from recognized hazards, and the agency issued more than 33,000 federal inspections in recent years. Serious violations carry fines up to $16,550 each, and willful violations can reach $165,514 - costs that do not account for lost productivity, workers' compensation claims, and employee morale damage.

This course gives your employees a clear understanding of how workplace safety programs function and what role each person plays in preventing injuries. Your team will learn how to identify common workplace hazards, understand their rights and responsibilities under OSHA, and develop the awareness needed to prevent injuries before they happen. The course uses real workplace scenarios to demonstrate how a single moment of inattention can transform a productive worker into one unable to do their job.

What You'll Learn

  • Overview of workplace safety programs and why they matter
  • Employee rights under OSHA, including the right to a safe workplace and the right to report hazards without retaliation
  • Individual employee responsibilities for maintaining a safe work environment
  • Common workplace hazards and how to recognize them before incidents occur
  • Proper reporting procedures for unsafe conditions and near-miss incidents
  • The role of personal protective equipment in injury prevention
  • How safety culture reduces injuries and benefits the entire organization

Who Needs This Training

  • All new hires as part of their initial safety orientation
  • General industry workers in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution facilities
  • Office and administrative staff who need baseline safety awareness
  • Supervisors and team leads responsible for enforcing safety practices on the floor
  • Temporary and contract workers assigned to unfamiliar work environments
  • Employees returning to work after extended leave who need a safety refresher

Regulatory Background

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 established OSHA and gave every worker the right to a safe workplace. Under Section 5(a)(1) - the General Duty Clause - employers must provide employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA standards under 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry) and 29 CFR 1926 (Construction) set specific requirements for hazard control across industries. In fiscal year 2024, OSHA conducted thousands of workplace inspections that resulted in citations across its top 10 most-cited standards. Serious violations carry penalties up to $16,550 per violation, while willful or repeated violations can reach $165,514. Employers are required to inform employees of their OSHA rights, maintain injury and illness records under 29 CFR 1904, and provide training on the specific hazards present in their workplace.

Frequently Asked Questions

While OSHA does not mandate a single universal safety orientation course, multiple individual OSHA standards require training on specific hazards employees will encounter. The practical effect is that most employers need to provide general safety awareness training to meet overlapping requirements across standards like Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200), Personal Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.132), and Fire Prevention (29 CFR 1910.39). A general safety overview course helps establish the foundation for these topic-specific requirements.
OSHA's FY 2025 Top 10 Most-Cited list for general industry includes Hazard Communication (2,546 violations), Lockout/Tagout (2,177 violations), Respiratory Protection (1,953 violations), Powered Industrial Trucks (1,826 violations), and Machine Guarding (1,239 violations). Understanding these common violation areas helps employees and employers prioritize their safety programs.
Under OSHA regulations, employees may refuse to perform a task if they have a reasonable belief that the task poses an imminent danger of death or serious injury, they have asked the employer to correct the hazard, and there is no time to address the situation through normal OSHA channels. Section 11(c) of the OSH Act protects employees from retaliation for reporting safety concerns or exercising their rights.
Both the host employer and the staffing agency share responsibility for temporary worker safety under OSHA's guidelines. The host employer typically controls the work environment and must provide site-specific safety training, while the staffing agency is responsible for general safety training and hazard communication. Both entities can be cited for safety violations involving temporary workers.
Organizations with documented safety programs, regular training, active hazard reporting systems, and demonstrated management commitment to safety are better positioned during OSHA inspections. OSHA inspectors consider the employer's good faith effort to comply when determining penalty amounts. Employers who can demonstrate a systematic approach to safety training and hazard correction may receive reduced penalties and are less likely to receive willful violation citations.

Related Courses

This general safety overview pairs well with Safety and The Supervisor for organizations that want to extend safety accountability to their leadership team. Employers building a complete new hire orientation program should also consider the New Hire Safety Orientation bundle, which combines seven foundational safety courses at a reduced per-employee price.

Safety Training

A Few More Back Injury Techniques (short refresher)

6 min - EN

$24.95View Course
Safety Training

Abrasive Wheels Grinder Safety (Gory) Interactive Training

7 min - EN

$24.95View Course
Safety Training

Absenteeism and Tardiness

16 min - EN

$24.95View Course
$24.95
per person
Volume Pricing
Team Size Price per Person
1 - 9$24.95
10 - 24$19.95
25 - 49$17.95
50 - 99$17.50
Subtotal $24.95
Language

This course is available in English and Spanish at no additional charge.

Certificate of completion included. Downloadable upon passing the final assessment.

Need Help?
1-800-287-5942 Request a Custom Quote
$24.95
per person