Fall Protection Awareness

For workers and supervisors in construction and general industry who work at height: know when OSHA requires fall protection, choose the right system, use it correctly and respond if someone falls.

For: Workers and supervisors in construction and general industry who work at height, including roofers, carpenters, masons, maintenance and facilities technicians, installers, painters and aerial lift users

  • 2 contact hours
  • 7 modules
  • 8 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 7, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Determine whether fall protection is required for a task by applying OSHA trigger heights and identifying whether 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M, 1910 Subpart D or the scaffold rules apply.
  • Select fall controls for a task using the fall protection hierarchy, from elimination and passive guarding to restraint, arrest and permitted administrative controls.
  • Inspect, fit and use a personal fall arrest system correctly, including anchorage strength, harness attachment, locking connectors and fall clearance.
  • Identify and control hazards from holes, skylights, leading edges, roof edges, scaffolds, aerial lifts and falling objects.
  • Respond to a fall emergency by starting a prompt rescue, reducing suspension risk, calling 911 and removing equipment from service.
  • Report fall hazards, near misses and injuries, explain the employer's training and certification duties, and describe protections against retaliation.

Learn how to recognize fall hazards and decide when OSHA requires protection: 4 feet in general industry, 6 feet in construction, more than 10 feet on scaffolds, and at any height over dangerous equipment. You will apply the fall protection hierarchy, check guardrails and hole covers against OSHA's numbers, and work out whether a harness, lanyard and anchorage will stop a fall before you hit the ground.

This course is for workers and supervisors on construction sites, rooftops, mezzanines, scaffolds and aerial lifts. Seven short modules follow real crews in Iowa, Texas, Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina through reroofs, renovations, maintenance and installations, with a decision tool, two spot-the-hazard exercises, a rescue scenario and four job aids you can use on site.

Falls to a lower level killed 725 US workers in 2024, and fall protection in construction is OSHA's most frequently cited standard. This is awareness training built on 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M and 1910 Subpart D. It is honest about what online training can and cannot do: OSHA requires your employer to add site-specific, often hands-on training by a competent or qualified person, and our training sign-off record helps you document it.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Measure the edges, holes and platforms at your job and know whether the 4-foot, 6-foot or 10-foot trigger applies.
  2. Ask whether a task can be done from the ground or guarded before anyone reaches for a harness.
  3. Inspect and put on your harness correctly, connect only to a rated anchorage, and check your fall clearance.
  4. Spot loose or unmarked hole covers, unguarded skylights, missing scaffold rails and open lift gates, and get them fixed.
  5. Know the rescue plan for today's work and what to do in the first minutes after a coworker's fall is arrested.
  6. Report hazards and near misses with specifics, knowing that retaliation for reporting is illegal.

Curriculum

7 modules · 27 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01Why do falls kill so many workers, and which OSHA rule covers your job?Free preview14 min
  1. How big is the problem?
  2. At what height does OSHA require fall protection?
  3. Who is responsible, and what does this course cover?
  • Decision tree: Is fall protection required here?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

02How do you choose the right fall protection for a task?14 min
  1. What is the fall protection hierarchy?
  2. How do passive systems work, and what makes them compliant?
  3. When are personal systems and administrative controls the answer?
  4. How do you build fall protection into the job plan?
  • Sort activity: Sort the controls into the fall protection hierarchy

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

03How does a personal fall arrest system actually stop a fall?15 min
  1. What are the ABCs of fall arrest?
  2. Why a full-body harness, and where do you connect?
  3. Lanyard or self-retracting lifeline: which fits the job?
  4. How much clearance do you need below you?
  • Matching activity: Match the component to its requirement

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

04How do you inspect your fall gear, and when is it out of service?13 min
  1. What does OSHA require for inspection?
  2. What should you check, part by part?
  3. How do you put on a harness and check a partner?
  4. What happens after a fall, and how should gear be stored?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the out-of-service gear

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

05How do you control holes, skylights, leading edges and roof edges?15 min
  1. What counts as a hole, and what makes a cover safe?
  2. Why are skylights so dangerous?
  3. How are leading edges and roof edges protected?
  4. What mistakes put workers over edges and through holes?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the fall hazards on the site walk

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06What changes on scaffolds, aerial lifts and when objects can fall?14 min
  1. What are the fall protection basics for scaffolds?
  2. What should a scaffold user check before climbing?
  3. How should you be protected on an aerial lift?
  4. How do you protect people from falling objects?
  • Sort activity: Proceed or fix first?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

07What happens after a fall, and how do you speak up before one?15 min
  1. Why must rescue be planned before work begins?
  2. What is suspension intolerance, and what should you watch for?
  3. What must be reported and documented after a fall or near miss?
  4. What are your rights if you raise a fall hazard?
  • Branching scenario: Left hanging: lead the response
  • Self-assessment: How fall-ready are your habits?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 23 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

Left hanging: lead the response

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

Left hanging: lead the response

You are the crew lead on a warehouse roof replacement in another city. A coworker, Tavita, slips at the roof edge and is caught by her SRL. She is hanging about 22 feet above a gravel lot, conscious and scared. You have a boom lift on site, a rescue kit in the gang box, and two other crew members. What do you do?

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Decision tree1
  • Sort activity2
  • Matching activity1
  • Spot the issue2
  • Branching scenario1
  • Self-assessment1

Job aids you keep

  • Fall Hazard Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) TemplateWorksheet
  • Fall Hazard Walk-Through ChecklistChecklist
  • Fall Incident and Near-Miss Report FormTemplate
  • Fall Protection Training Sign-Off RecordLog

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It has not been approved or accredited by OSHA, any State Plan, IACET, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) or any licensing board, and it is not OSHA Outreach Training Program (10- or 30-hour) training. It is awareness training on the general requirements of 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M and 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D. OSHA requires your employer to provide fall protection training by a competent person (construction, 29 CFR 1926.503) or a qualified person (general industry, 29 CFR 1910.30) on the hazards, equipment and procedures at your site, including hands-on practice where relevant. Check with your employer, board or safety program whether this course can count toward your training records or continuing education.

Pathways we are pursuing or may pursue include IACET accreditation of our course development process and, where eligible, recognition toward BCSP recertification points. No approval exists today; we will show any approval on this page only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

Questions about this course

Is this course OSHA-required fall protection training?

OSHA requires employers to train workers exposed to fall hazards before exposure. This course covers the general requirements of 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M and 1910 Subpart D that apply everywhere. It cannot replace the part OSHA requires on site: training by a competent person (construction) or qualified person (general industry) on your actual hazards and equipment, often hands-on. Your employer must add that, and our training sign-off record helps document it.

Is this an OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 course?

No. Only authorized trainers in OSHA's Outreach Training Program can issue 10- and 30-hour cards. This is a 2-hour awareness course from CE Courses Hub that ends in a certificate of completion. It focuses on fall protection only and is designed to be used alongside your employer's site-specific training, not instead of it.

Does this course earn CE or BCSP points?

Not at this time. You receive a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. The course has not been approved by IACET, BCSP, OSHA or any board. Some employers, unions and safety programs accept certificates like this for internal training records, so check with them before you enroll if you need a specific credit.

Does it cover my state?

Fall protection rules come mainly from federal OSHA standards, which apply in every state. States with State Plans approved by OSHA enforce rules that must be at least as effective and can differ in detail, such as for roofing or residential work. The course points out where to check, but it is not a state edition, so confirm your State Plan's rules with your employer.

Who should take this course?

Anyone who works at height or supervises people who do: roofers, carpenters, masons, painters, sign and solar installers, maintenance and facilities technicians, warehouse staff on mezzanines, and aerial lift users. It also helps safety coordinators and new supervisors who build job hazard analyses and rescue plans. Ladder safety is covered in our separate ladder course.

How long does it take, and how do I get my certificate?

Plan on about 2 hours: seven modules of 13 to 15 minutes with interactive exercises and short knowledge checks, plus a 23-question final assessment. You need 80 percent to pass, and you can retake it with a fresh set of questions. Your certificate of completion shows your name, the course title, 2 contact hours and the completion date.

This course is general education and fall protection awareness training from CE Courses Hub. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, site-specific fall protection training required by OSHA, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified professional. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.