OSHA has announced its selection of 10 OSHA authorized training providers to deliver 25 online courses as part of its Outreach Training Program. The OSHA Outreach Training Program teaches workers how to identify, prevent, and eliminate workplace hazards. The program also informs workers of their rights, employer responsibilities, and how to file a complaint.

"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," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels.

The online courses are voluntary and are not required by OSHA, but they provide training that can help protect workers' safety and health and help employers reduce the high costs of worker injuries and illnesses. Workers must also receive additional training on hazards specific to their job.

The organizations selected by OSHA to offer the online courses will provide a variety of 10- and 30-hour classes designed for Construction, General Industry, and Maritime. Since OSHA began authorizing training providers to offer Web-based distance learning in 2001, the online Outreach Training Program has grown significantly. More than 135,000 workers were trained online in 2011 -- a five-fold increase from the number of online students trained in 2007. Access to courses and other information about the program are available at s.dol.gov/L6.

The selections are the culmination of a national competition announced last March. The newly selected OSHA-authorized Outreach Training Program online training 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 provides no funding to authorized Outreach Training Program training providers.