FAQ’s About Our Training Courses

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Generally speaking, each course covers an overview of the topic, detailed explanation of relevant equipment, safe operating practices, common hazards to avoid, and hazard control measures.

Trainees go at their own pace, but in general each class (including the exam) takes anywhere from 2 to 2.5 hours. We recommend planning for two or more so you don’t end up rushing through the exam.

All Hard Hat Training online courses were designed to adhere to OSHA and ANSI training requirements. But it is important to understand that by OSHA-aligned, we mean it follows best practices and safety principles put forth by OSHA. In an online format, it is not possible to cover every code for every situation or hazard across every industry. For this reason, our safety training solutions are tools to further knowledge and help employers train and/or certify their crew.

However, just because a course or program is OSHA-aligned does not necessarily mean a company will be aligned or avoid citations if OSHA were to audit them. There is much more that goes into collective company alignment with OSHA. For example, workers need to be observed applying what they learned in the classroom in the field. This observation/practical exam should be done by trainers, supervisors, or other designated competent persons. Whether you use our training kits or online courses, we provide guides to help employers do this.

Other steps for ultimate alignment may include but are not limited to addressing with your crew any gaps in the training or additional hazards specific to your work situation; creating, training on, and enforcing written safety programs (also known as plans or procedures); and performing regular inspections and risk assessments.

Yes, Hard Hat Training online courses incorporate the latest OSHA standards. As standards change, we make changes to the courses.

There is a lot of confusion among operators and even companies about what it means to be certified or qualified. Simply put, no, a course does not certify anyone. It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure an employee is properly trained, and it is also his or her responsibility to say when the employee is “qualified” or “competent.” Our online courses and training kits are just a tool to help them in doing so.

According to OSHA, proper training must include a classroom portion, including a written exam, as well as a practical hands-on portion/exam wherein the operator is observed operating the machine. Our courses provide the classroom portion of the training. The safety administrator of the company will have access to a checklist which can be used to observe the trainee on the machine. When done successfully, the administrator signs the bottom of the form. At this point, unless further training is required by your employer, you have done everything required by OSHA to be considered by your employer as “qualified” or “competent.”

See “Does this course certify or qualify me?” This will depend on your employer. Remember, it is their responsibility to see that you are trained and if there is ever an accident, it is they who will have to prove to OSHA that they trained you sufficiently. Because of this, while some smaller businesses may simply accept your certificate and a copy of your test, they will often require you to go through their own training program. This is their right to do so. It is their further responsibility to train you in accordance with the job, site, equipment, etc.

The timeframe for how long training remains valid depends on the specific topic and OSHA training guidelines. Heavy machinery operators, for instance, need to recertify every three years, while other training courses may have different renewal periods. The expiration date for each training course will be printed on your certificate of completion for reference so you know when to take the training again.

Yes, upon successful completion of the course and exam, you will have immediate online access to your certificate of completion. You have the option to download the practical evaluations for your specific course. Although the practical evaluation is not required for you to earn online course completion credit, we strongly recommend completing it under the supervision of your employer to ensure your mastery of the safety training topics.

Only one employee can take the course. There are many reasons for this, but most importantly, the course is designed to train one employee per OSHA regulations. Also, there is an online final exam at the end that will be linked to the trainee assigned. OSHA requires proof of training, and if multiple people were to sit in on that one course, they would not get credit for taking it.

All our online courses are SCORM-compatible and can be easily uploaded to your company’s current SCORM-compliant LMS using our SCORM Cloud dispatch service. We do not offer direct SCORM file access to our courses. If you would like more information about how SCORM dispatch works and whether it would be a good fit for your business needs, please contact our sales team at (888) 360-8764.

We do have reseller options available. Visit Become a Hard Hat Safety Affiliate Partner to learn more.

So, you have already purchased a course from us, taken the online training, and passed the certification exam with flying colors. Now what?

Simply print a copy of your course completion certificate for your employer and keep a copy for your records. You can log in to your LMS account anytime to print your certificate after you have completed the training.

Each safety training kit differs slightly. Generally speaking, they consist of (but are not limited to) the following materials:

• The main PowerPoint presentation
• A quick-reference guide
• Pertinent requirements and regulations
• Written exams with answer keys
• A Practical evaluation checklist
• Pre-shift inspection booklets
• Classroom forms for proper recordkeeping
• Safe operation posters
• Full-sized certificates and wallet card templates

All our courses are built and updated by our experts using OSHA and ANSI guidelines. This means they follow the best practices and safety principles put forth by OSHA and other regulatory or safety bodies.

Take note that it is not possible to cover every code for every situation or hazard across every industry. Our online courses are merely tools trainers and employers can use to increase their knowledge and more effectively train and/or certify their crew.

Remember, just because a course or program is OSHA-aligned does not necessarily mean a company as a whole will be aligned or avoid citation if they were to be audited by OSHA. There is so much more that goes into collective company alignment with OSHA. For example, employees must be observed applying in the field what they learned in the classroom. This observation or evaluation should be done by trainers, supervisors, or other designated competent persons. For ultimate alignment, trainers or employers should be completing tasks such as:

• Addressing any gaps in the training with your crew
• Discussing work-specific hazards
• Addressing safety principles specific to your work situation
• Creating and enforcing written safety programs
• Providing training
• Performing regular inspections and risk assessments.

A full-sized certificate and wallet card template are included in your kit. Simply fill out your employees’ names and print for your record-keeping needs. These can be customized with your company name, logo, etc. That being said, you cannot alter the certificate to reflect a course topic other than the one covered in the kit and accordingly noted on the certificate.

Our kits are completely reusable for as long as you wish to use them, unless there is a change in the requirements. In general, certificates have an expiration date set for two years from the date training is completed. There are some exceptions to this (e.g., blood-borne pathogens, among others). Keep track of these expiration dates and retrain as needed.

Again, it is your responsibility as an employer to ensure your workforce is aligned with all federal, state or provincial, and local laws and regulations. If requirements do change in the future—as they most certainly will—it is your responsibility as an employer to update your existing kit. If the changes are substantial, we would be happy to offer a discount for existing customers who simply want to re-purchase the kit.

Our kits are completely customizable, so you can change them to meet your company’s needs. For example, you may add your company logo to the PowerPoint and other documents or add information to the course itself. You can even change the colors and layout; it is yours to use as needed. You may also use the training presentation and printed materials as often as needed, for as long as you own the kit.

Because the training materials are created in editable documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), customization is as easy as highlighting the area of desired change and deleting, re-wording, or adding content. If you need help customizing the materials, simply reach out to our Customer Success team; they will be happy to guide you through the process.

We encourage our customers to keep a backup copy of the kit on a CD or USB to protect their investment in their employees’ safety. That being said, our end user license agreement, which automatically goes into effect upon the purchase of any kit, prohibits in any form, the sharing or reproduction of the kit or any of its components.

Per this same agreement, we require one kit per trainer or training location. For example, if you are a trainer employed to travel from location to location, there is no need to purchase additional kits for those locations at which you will train. Likewise, if your company buys the kit to be used exclusively at a certain location, then as long as the kit stays there for training purposes, multiple in-house trainers can use it.

If, however, you purchase a kit to train at your corporate headquarters and then want to make a copy or send the files (or any parts of them) to a trainer at a different location, this would be in breach of the agreement; additional kits would need to be purchased. In the event you do need to purchase additional kits, we would be happy to offer tiered pricing to make it more cost-effective.

We recognize that every situation varies slightly, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Again, purchased kits are only meant to be used in-house in a physical classroom setting. If your company needs to train multiple employees located in various locations, you may want to consider using our online training classes as an easy and cost-effective way to train them all.

The training presentation and supporting materials can be posted online, but only with a special broadcast license and for the purpose of training employees scattered across various locations. If you are interested in licensing the course for broadcast use, contact us for a quote.

Learners go at their own pace, but the online trainer training courses typically take about three hours to complete. Quiz questions along the way prepare learners for the written exam at the end.

Once you have completed the course and passed the exam, you will have immediate electronic access to your test, a full-sized certificate, and a checklist you can use for the practical hands-on portion of the training. Simply print the certificate off for your recordkeeping needs.

You also get access to our training kit, which gives you everything you need to put training classes on as often as needed. These materials are reusable and customizable.

Every course varies slightly, but generally speaking, each heavy machinery course covers the following:

• Overview of the course/introduction to the equipment
• Anatomy, including pre-shift inspections
• Stability principles
• Common hazards and how to eliminate or mitigate them
• Accident profiles
• Safe operations
• Rigging and hand signals (for crane courses only)

Our awareness courses generally cover these topics:

Remember, just because a course or program is OSHA-aligned does not necessarily mean a company as a whole will be aligned or avoid citation if they were to be audited by OSHA. There is so much more that goes into collective company alignment with OSHA. For example, employees must be observed applying in the field what they learned in the classroom. This observation or evaluation should be done by trainers, supervisors, or other designated competent persons. For ultimate alignment, trainers or employers should be completing tasks such as:

• Addressing any gaps in the training with your crew
• Discussing work–specific hazards
• Addressing safety principles specific to your work situation
• Creating and enforcing written safety programs
• Providing training
• Performing regular inspections and risk assessments.

There is a lot of confusion among operators and even employers about what it means to be certified or qualified. Simply put: no, a course does not certify anyone, only an employer does. It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure an employee is properly trained. That means it is also their responsibility to say when the employee is “certified,” “qualified,” or “competent.” Our eLearning courses are just tools that help them in doing so.

This will depend on the employer (see “Does this course certify me?”). Remember, it is the employer’s responsibility to see that you are trained; if there is ever an accident, it is they who will have to prove to OSHA that they trained you sufficiently. While some smaller businesses may simply accept your certificate and a copy of your test, more often than you will be required to go through their own training program. It is their right to have you do so. It is their further responsibility to train you in accordance with the job, site, equipment, etc.

That being said, we have fielded many calls from potential employers who wanted to learn more about the classroom portion of the training we offer. After hearing our explanation, they accepted the online class as satisfying the classroom portion of the required training and proceeded to perform their own practical evaluations.

Our online courses are regularly audited and updated to ensure they remain aligned with the latest requirements and regulations. However, if you purchase any of our online courses outright, it is your responsibility to update the courses in accordance with the new/updated requirement.

When a course is assigned to an employee, only that employee can take the course. There are many reasons for this, but most importantly, the course is designed to train that one employee, in accordance with OSHA regulations. Also, there is a final written exam at the end that will be linked to the trainee assigned. OSHA requires proof of training, and if multiple people were to sit in on that one course, they would not get credit for taking it.

Again, having a group of employees taking the same course and exam does not give them the proof of training OSHA requires (a certificate). That being said, we do offer a group training option with our eLearning courses. Please contact us for more information on how to set that up.

All our online courses are designed to be SCORM-compatible and can be easily uploaded to your company’s current SCORM-friendly LMS. We use SCORM Cloud by Rustici to deliver SCORM files to third party LMS platforms. We also offer AICC, XAPI, and SSO integration options.