Last reviewed 13 November 2026 against the sources linked in this post.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 369 fatal pedestrian incidents involving motorised land vehicles in 2024, up 19.0 percent from 310 in 2023, across all US workplaces, and a newcomer may not know where vehicles run. Contractor safety training closes that gap: it shows a subcontractor or visitor the rules, the permits and the way out before the first task starts.
This is a list of 6 ready-made courses for host site managers, procurement teams and contractor safety coordinators. It runs from the day-one induction and permits to hazards, emergencies and safety law, and each group ends with an Our pick. None replaces your site's own induction or a client's accredited requirement. They give you free, editable sessions to run before work starts.
All 6 courses at a glance
| Course | What it covers | Length | US rule behind the topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety induction and annual refresher for employees, contractors and visitors | Site rules, hazards, emergencies, contractor and visitor rules | 40 min | 29 CFR 1926.21 (construction) |
| Permit to work, hot work and confined space entry | Permits, isolation, hot work, confined space | 40 min | 29 CFR 1910.146 (general industry) |
| Hazard communication & GHS | Labels and safety data sheets | 40 min | 29 CFR 1910.1200 |
| Emergency action & fire prevention plans | Alarms, evacuation, shelter, fire prevention | 30 min | 29 CFR 1910.38 |
| Fire safety, fire wardens and emergency evacuation | Extinguishers, routes, sweeps and head counts | 40 min | None cited here |
| Safety law, committees, management systems and audits | Duties, committees, audits, the regulator | 40 min | None cited here |
Induction and permits
Two courses for before anyone picks up a tool.
Safety induction and annual refresher for employees, contractors and visitors
OSHA's construction rule says the employer must instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions, and a site induction is where that starts. This 40-minute course has six lessons: rights and duties, site rules on access, speed limits, permits and restricted areas, the hazards you will meet, emergency arrangements, reporting hazards and near misses, and a final lesson on rules for contractors and visitors. It opens on a first morning at a depot, so swap in your own gate. Ask each newcomer to answer "which sign is that?" before they enter.
Permit to work, hot work and confined space entry
Contractors may be the ones doing hot work or entering tanks. When a host arranges for a contractor to enter a permit space, OSHA's confined space rule says the host employer must inform the contractor that the workplace contains permit spaces and apprise the contractor of the hazards identified that make a space a permit space. This 40-minute course has six lessons on when a permit is needed and who issues it, isolating energy, hot work with fire watch and gas testing, confined space roles and rescue, closing out a permit and handing back, and what goes wrong. Its "four roles" activity is a good one to run with the contractor's supervisor in the room. The rule covers general industry; check which one applies to your site.
Our pick: Safety induction and annual refresher. It is the only course here written for contractors and visitors by name, so it is the one to run on day one.
Hazards and emergencies
Three courses for the hazards a visitor cannot see and the alarm they have not heard.
Hazard communication & GHS
Chemicals are on most sites, and contractors can be exposed to them. OSHA's rule says an employer whose chemicals may expose other employers' workers, for example employees of a construction contractor working on-site, must set out in its written programme how it will give those employers access to safety data sheets and tell them about precautions. This 40-minute course has eight lessons, from reading a GHS label with its six elements to finding facts in a 16-section safety data sheet, and ends with a 12-question final check. Hand out one real label from your store and ask what it means.
Emergency action & fire prevention plans
OSHA's rule says an employer must review the emergency action plan with each employee covered by the plan when the plan is developed or the employee is first assigned to a job. This 30-minute course has seven lessons on raising the alarm, getting out, shelter in place, preventing fires and the role of evacuation wardens, with a 10-question final check. Run it before work starts and ask where the assembly point is. The rule applies only where an OSHA standard requires a plan, so check with your safety lead.
Fire safety, fire wardens and emergency evacuation
In an evacuation, visitors follow the person in the vest. This 40-minute course has six lessons on the fire triangle, prevention rules, choosing an extinguisher, routes and assembly points, the warden's sweeps and head counts, and drills. Its scenario about a colleague in the toilet when the alarm sounds is a good prompt for a host to ask a contractor crew: who would you tell?
Our pick: Emergency action & fire prevention plans. It is the shortest course on the list, and an alarm is the one moment every newcomer needs to get right.
Safety law
One course to show where the host's duties end and the contractor's begin.
Safety law, committees, management systems and audits
This 40-minute course has six lessons on why the law requires a safety system, employer, manager and worker duties, how a joint committee runs, a management system in five steps, inspections and audits, and what to do when the regulator calls. Its "whose duty is it?" activity suits a joint host and contractor meeting. It is global, so add the law for your site.
Our pick: Safety law, committees, management systems and audits. Its "whose duty is it?" question is the one a host and a contractor should answer together before the contract starts.
How to roll the plan out
Start with the courses tied to a duty: the induction and emergency plan on day one, the permit course before any hot work or confined space entry, and hazard communication where chemicals are in use. Then schedule annual refreshers and add the safety law course for contractor coordinators. Add any state or country rule for your location, and any accredited qualification your client asks for. For crews who also work on building sites, our construction site safety training list goes deeper, and our workplace safety topics cover ideas for talks.
Anchor each session to the same fact: 369 fatal pedestrian incidents involving motorised land vehicles in 2024, and a newcomer may not know where vehicles run.
Ways to run these courses on AhaSlides
You can offer all 6 as self-paced courses and live decks, and each comes with two surveys. Here is how:
- Self-paced courses. Use the AhaSlides course creator to send each contractor a course before their first day.
- A live Q&A deck. Collect questions ahead of the briefing, then answer them at the gate or online. For running it well, see our 9 tips for a successful Q&A session.
- Surveys. Each template comes with a post-course survey and a 30-day check-in, and you can see how to track employee training completion.
Four slide types do most of the work:
- Pick Answer. Ask: "If the alarm sounds, what is the first thing you do?" Show the split before you reveal the answer.
- Word Cloud. Ask: "What is the one hazard on this site that worries you most?" The biggest words show where to walk first.
- Rating Scale. Ask, before and after: "How confident are you that you know where to go if the alarm sounds?" Rate from 1 to 5 and compare the averages.
- Open Ended. Ask: "What would have helped you on your first morning here?" Answers can be anonymous, so people say what they think.
FAQ
What training do contractors need on site?
Typically a site induction, permits for high-risk work and emergency plan awareness. Check what your client and local law require. In US construction, OSHA's rule says the employer must instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions. In US general industry, the emergency action plan must be reviewed with each covered employee when the employee is assigned initially to a job.
Do visitors need a safety induction?
Visitors should get a short briefing on alarms, exits and site rules before they go beyond reception. OSHA's rules above name employees, so check what your client or site requires. The induction course includes a lesson on rules for contractors and visitors.
Who is responsible for contractor safety?
Both host and contractor have duties, and the contract and local law decide the split. In the US, for example, a host whose chemicals may expose a contractor's workers must set out in its written programme how it will give the contractor access to safety data sheets, and a general-industry host that arranges for a contractor to enter a permit space must inform the contractor about it.
What is a site induction?
A briefing on site hazards, rules, emergency arrangements and contacts before work begins.
This post is general information, not legal advice. For a decision about your own workplace, speak to a qualified lawyer or the regulator.
