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STEELTOETOOLS
Free course · Beginner · 3 h 45 min · v1.0

Construction Safety Fundamentals

The OSHA Focus Four, PPE, ladders and jobsite basics — free and self-paced

Start the courseSee the outline
This course is step 1 of 2 in the New to Construction — Learning Path, which puts the free courses on this site in a reading order.
Not OSHA-authorized training. This free course is a study aid. It does not satisfy any OSHA or regulatory training requirement and no certificate or card is issued. Your employer's training program comes first.

Falls, struck-by, caught-in/between and electrocution still cause most construction deaths, and the standards that address them are the standards OSHA cites most often. This free, self-paced course walks a new worker or a crew lead through those four hazards, the personal protective equipment that backs up the other controls, ladders and scaffolds, and the everyday jobsite habits — housekeeping, tools, heat and cold, reporting — that keep a crew out of the incident log. Every requirement is quoted with the paragraph of 29 CFR it comes from, so you can check it yourself.

What you will be able to do

  • Recognize the Focus Four hazards on a jobsite and name the standard behind each one
  • Select, inspect and wear the basic PPE required in construction
  • Set up, climb and inspect a portable ladder, and use a scaffold that someone else built
  • Work safely around hand and power tools, heat, cold and poor housekeeping
  • Report a hazard, a near miss or an injury, and know what protects you when you do

Course outline

Part 1

The Focus Four

Falls, struck-by, caught-in/between and electrocution: why they dominate construction fatalities, and what each standard actually requires.

  1. 1.1 Why the Focus Four kill construction workers12 min
  2. 1.2 Falls: the number one killer15 min
  3. 1.3 Struck-by and caught-in/between14 min
  4. 1.4 Electrocution12 min
  5. Part 1 quiz5 questions
Part 2

Personal protective equipment

Where PPE sits in the hierarchy of controls, and how to select, inspect and wear hard hats, eye and face protection, gloves, boots, hi-vis and hearing protection.

  1. 2.1 PPE basics and the hierarchy of controls12 min
  2. 2.2 Head, eye and face protection12 min
  3. 2.3 Hands, feet and high visibility12 min
  4. 2.4 Hearing and respiratory protection basics12 min
  5. Part 2 quiz5 questions
Part 3

Ladders and scaffolds

The two standards behind a large share of construction falls: choosing, setting up, climbing, and inspecting ladders and scaffolds.

  1. 3.1 Choosing the right ladder12 min
  2. 3.2 Setting up and climbing12 min
  3. 3.3 Scaffold basics for users14 min
  4. 3.4 Inspection and tagging10 min
  5. Part 3 quiz5 questions
Part 4

Jobsite basics

Housekeeping, hand and power tools, heat and cold stress, and what to do when something goes wrong — reporting, near misses, and refusing dangerous work.

  1. 4.1 Housekeeping and hand/power tools12 min
  2. 4.2 Heat and cold stress12 min
  3. 4.3 Reporting hazards, near misses and injuries10 min
  4. 4.4 Stop-work authority and asking for help10 min
  5. Part 4 quiz5 questions
Final exam
20 questions · about 20 minutes
Go to the exam

Who it's for: New construction workers, laborers, apprentices, crew leads, and anyone reviewing before an OSHA 10 class.

Frequently asked questions

No. Only OSHA-authorized trainers can deliver OSHA Outreach Training and issue DOL cards. This free course is for learning and review only, and nothing is issued at the end of it — no card and no document of any kind.

No. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. We cite the public text of the standards so you can read them yourself.

No. Standards such as 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2), 1926.503 and 1926.454 place the training duty on your employer, and much of it has to be hands-on and specific to your site and equipment. Use this course to prepare and review, not to replace it.

About 3 hours 45 minutes: sixteen chapters of 10 to 15 minutes, four 5-question part quizzes, and a 20-question final exam. Your progress is stored in your own browser, so you can stop and come back.

It is written on the construction standards, 29 CFR 1926. Where the general industry rule is different and the difference matters — fall protection heights, for example — the chapter says so.

Sources & references

Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.

Not OSHA-authorized training. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. This free educational content does not satisfy any OSHA or other regulatory training requirement, and no card, certificate, or credential is issued. Only OSHA-authorized trainers can deliver OSHA Outreach Training (10-Hour and 30-Hour) and issue DOL cards. Always follow your employer's training program and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

By — Editorial team of SteelToeTools.com (published by LSEA SAS) Updated v1.0