My #4 son knew early on that he wanted to be a welder. Before we even started high school, I’d gathered every possible industrial arts curriculum or program I could find (spoiler: there aren’t many!), but then I stumbled upon an amazing safety training company that offers **free** courses. I lost count of how many we used in our homeschool, but it was well over 10. And yes, I’ll show you how you can award high school credit for these, too!
About Safety Training & OSHA
Many people believe that OSHA teaches courses directly to workers, but that’s not true. OSHA sets standards and authorizes companies to provide training for an official OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 card. OSHAcademy is a private training institution and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Your student WON’T get certified with an OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 card with these courses, but they can get a ton of excellent safety training that prepares them later for the classes or test if they need them for the workplace. As an example, my son started taking these courses as a rising 9th grader, and then after he had a good grasp on workplace safety, we paid for him to take an official OSHA 10 safety course in 10th grade. Later, in 11th grade, he took the OSHA 30 through dual enrollment.
So, before your 12-year-old melts steel in their home-made forge, pully-swaps your riding lawnmower, and decides your mini-van would look wayyy cooler with decat flames, a little safety training is in order. (Four sons and I made it through!)
Quick Summary & Screenshots of a Class
These courses are all free. You can register and complete the courses at your own pace, and there is no set calendar – you sign up and start the same day. There are no prerequisites, and no grade level requirements.
What they CHARGE for is if you want to verify course completion with a certificate. The certificate can be digital or printable. These are not going to carry the same weight as an OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 (which your student will probably need if they are entering a trade) so you can purchase the certificate if your teen is encouraged by that type of award, but other than that, it’s not necessary. You can see a screenshot of one course below. The fee to purchase the verification is $21.99
The courses have interactive activities, quizzes, etc. I found the class I took as background for this post to be really fun and informative. Not hard, and not stressful.
After each short module, there is a quiz. I completed the quiz and then went on to the final exam. I am sure I passed the exam, but they won’t show me the score unless I pay ((((awwwwww))))). Tempting, just because I’m a school nerd and want to know if I got 100%, but I will resist the temptation just as I’m suggesting to you!
This wouldn’t be Homeschooling for College Credit if I didn’t find a way for you to roll this into something for college credit! There are 2 partner universities that will grant college credit for specific completion of programs. Note that a program consists of MANY courses.
- use credits for an associate or bachelor’s in Fire Science, Occupational Safety, Criminal Justice, or others.
- get a 10% automatic scholarship if you pursue a degree
- get free textbooks
- get college credit on some programs – see link, most are 2-3 elective credits
- You will have to buy the verification for each course.
- Example: The 30 Hour Construction Safety and Health program takes 30 hours to complete, costs approximately $139, and is worth 2 college credits at CSU.
- use credits for an associate or bachelor’s in Occupational Safety and Health
- get a 10% tuition discount
- Contact Waldorf University directly, there is not a list on the website.
Course Catalog
Pay attention to the “hours” column. That number represents the time spent on the computer doing the class. Your student may have other opportunities to enhance the hours, but you will likely want to combine multiple “courses” to make a 1-semester course. Think of these courses as modules or chapters. (Samples below)
High School: Industrial Safety, 0.5 credits
(1 semester)
- 105 Hazard Communication: Basic
- 108 Personal Protective Equipment: Basic
- 114 Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection
- 115 Electrical Safety for Employees: Basic
- 116 Introduction to Safety Accountability
- 117 Introduction to Safety Recognition
- 121 Introduction to Safety Training
- 122 Introduction to Hazard Controls
- 123 Introduction to Job Hazard Analysis
- 144 Introduction to OSHA
- 150 Physical Health Hazards in Construction
- 153 Ergonomic Hazards in General Industry
- 154 Machine Safeguarding: Basic
- 155 Welding Safety: Basic
- 156 Forklift Safety: Basic
- 157 Excavation Safety: Basic
- 158 Crane Safety: Basic
- 160 Tool Safety: Basic
- 600 Introduction to Occupational Safety & Health
- 601 Essentials of Occupational Safety & Health
- 605 Confined Space Safety
- 615 Electrical Safety Hazards and Controls
- 619 Materials Handling Safety
- 621 Controlling Hazardous Energy
- 629 Planning for Workplace Emergencies
- 655 Bloodborne Pathogens in the Workplace
One thought on “Teen Headed into Trades? Safety Training Available Now”
Comments are closed.