Workplace Safety Training
Basic instruction on occupational safety and health for production, workshop, warehouse and assembly — initial and annual instruction, free, with certificate, in English
- 35–55 min
- 18 modules
- Free certificate
- No account needed
- Updated November 2026
This course is also available in: Deutsch Türkçe Русский العربية Українська Polski
👥 Target group: All employees in production, workshop, warehouse, assembly and trades who work in Germany and prefer to learn in English, New employees before starting work (initial instruction under Section 12 ArbSchG)
Which legal duty or standard requirement does this training cover?
About this training
Workplace safety does not start at the machine but with what everyone in the company must know: work only where you have been instructed, keep order, report defects, never disable a safety guard, never stand under suspended loads, wear protective equipment, read the safety signs. Section 12 of the German Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) and Section 4 of DGUV Vorschrift 1 require exactly this instruction before starting work and at least once a year thereafter — documented.
This online training is the English-language edition of our German basic instruction on occupational safety and health, written for employees who work in Germany but do not read German. The law that applies is German law, explained in plain English; the German edition is the authoritative version. It covers the general part: the legal framework and the duties of employees, order and traffic routes, machines and safety guards, ladders and scaffolds, loads by hand, crane and forklift, personal protective equipment, noise and hearing protection, working substances and skin protection, safety signs, alcohol and drugs, first aid and fire protection, accidents and occupational diseases — and a case study of the first day in production. 18 modules, 23 questions, certificate of participation with a verifiable number and the complete list of topics.
Important: this online training does not replace the instruction at your workplace. Machines, locations, contact persons and company rules must be instructed on site by your company and documented with your signature — module 17 provides the template.
What this course covers — and what it does not: The course fulfils the general part of the basic instruction on occupational safety under Section 12 ArbSchG and Section 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1 — as initial instruction and as annual repetition — and documents it with a certificate. It explicitly does not replace the workplace-specific instruction in the company: which machines you may operate, where the emergency stop, first-aid kit, fire extinguishers and assembly point are, who the first aider, safety representative and accident insurance consultant (Durchgangsarzt) are and which company rules apply must be shown by your supervisor on site and documented with your signature on the instruction record; that is what the module "Procedure in our company" is for. It is not a briefing on a specific machine, not a crane or forklift driver training (DGUV Vorschrift 52 and 68), not a first-aid course and not a hazardous substances training. It does not replace a risk assessment. The course explains German law in English; it does not cover the occupational safety law of other countries. This is a translation of the German course — in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Contents at a glance
- What this course is about — and what it is notScope: general part of the basic workplace safety instruction under § 12 ArbSchG and § 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1 (initial and annual instruction) — does not replace the workplace-specific instruction in your company
- The legal framework: who must instruct, and when?Legal framework: § 12 ArbSchG and § 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1 — instruction before starting work, after changes and at least once a year, young workers every six months (§ 29 JArbSchG), during working hours and free of charge; duties of employees under §§ 15, 16 ArbSchG
- Work only where you have been instructedWork only at workplaces and machines for which you have received instruction and a hands-on briefing; work carefully, ask instead of guessing; do not follow instructions that are clearly unsafe (§ 15 DGUV Vorschrift 1)
- Order, traffic routes and trip hazardsOrder at the workplace, keeping traffic routes and escape routes clear (ASR A1.8, A2.3), slips, trips and falls as roughly one fifth of occupational accidents, spills cleaned up immediately, no cables or material on routes
- Reporting defects — and to whomReport safety defects to your supervisor without delay (§ 16 ArbSchG); contact persons: safety representative (from more than 20 employees, § 22 SGB VII), occupational safety specialist and company doctor (ASiG, DGUV Vorschrift 2), works council
- Machines, safety guards and emergency stopOperate machines only after a hands-on briefing; never remove or bypass guards and interlocks; know the emergency stop; never reach into running machines; clear faults only with the machine stopped and secured against restart; retooling, maintenance and repair only by qualified staff (BetrSichV)
- Work equipment, ladders, work platforms and scaffoldsUse work equipment only in perfect condition and for its purpose; ladders under TRBS 2121 Part 2: standing height up to 2 m, between 2 and 5 m only short tasks up to 2 hours, leaning angle 65–75°, 1 m overhang; scaffolds only after release and without own modifications
- Moving loads: by hand, with a crane and with a forkliftLifting and carrying loads with a clear field of view and in a back-friendly way; heavy loads by crane — never stand under suspended loads, never move loads over people, set down loads stably and secure them against tipping and rolling; crane and forklift only from 18 years, with proven competence and written authorisation (DGUV Vorschrift 52 and 68)
- Personal protective equipment: wear it, check it, look after itUse personal protective equipment under § 30 DGUV Vorschrift 1 — safety shoes (toe cap 200 joules), safety goggles, gloves, helmet, hearing protection; the employer provides PPE free of charge; PPE is the last step after technical and organisational measures; check before use, report defects
- Noise and hearing protectionNoise under the LärmVibrationsArbSchV: from 80 dB(A) hearing protection must be provided and check-ups offered, from 85 dB(A) wearing is mandatory, the area is marked as a noise area and check-ups are compulsory; noise-induced hearing loss as the most frequently recognised occupational disease; rule of thumb 1 m speaking distance
- Working substances and skin protectionProper handling of working substances: observe labelling and operating instructions (GefStoffV), never decant into food containers, do not mix; skin protection plan under TRGS 401 — protection before work, cleaning, care afterwards; skin diseases as a frequent occupational disease
- Safety signs: reading colours and shapesSafety and health signs under ASR A1.3 and DIN EN ISO 7010: prohibition signs (round, red-white), mandatory signs (round, blue), warning signs (triangle, yellow), emergency signs (rectangular, green), fire safety signs (rectangular, red), GHS hazard pictograms (diamond, red-white); behave according to the sign in marked areas
- Alcohol, drugs, smoking, eating and drinkingNo work under the influence of alcohol, drugs or impairing medication (§ 15(2) and (3) DGUV Vorschrift 1); company alcohol rule; smoking ban (§ 5 ArbStättV, fire and explosion protection); eating and drinking only in the designated places; consequences under employment law
- First aid, fire protection, escape and rescue routesKnow the first aiders and the location of the first-aid kit, emergency call 112 with the five W questions, first-aid logbook; know the location and use of fire extinguishers; behaviour in case of fire: alert, warn, rescue, extinguish only an incipient fire; escape and rescue routes and emergency exits clear and unlocked at all times (ASR A2.3); go to the assembly point
- Occupational accident, commuting accident, occupational disease — and what to do thenStatutory accident insurance with the Berufsgenossenschaft (SGB VII): occupational and commuting accident, occupational disease; inform your supervisor immediately, entry in the first-aid logbook, accident insurance consultant (Durchgangsarzt) if unfit for work beyond the day of the accident, accident report by the employer if unfit for work for more than 3 days; report suspected occupational disease; observe the notices
- Case study: the first day in productionCase study first working day in production — decision path: insist on the walk-through, no machine without a briefing, report the tied-up guard, refuse an unsafe instruction, clear the escape route, secure the oil spill, hearing protection in the noise area, report the accident immediately
- Procedure in our company: walk-through and contact personsProcedure in our company: walk-through with the supervisor (emergency exits, first-aid notice, emergency telephone, first-aid kit, fire extinguishers, assembly point, PPE issue, changing rooms, break room), contact persons by name (owner, supervisors, safety representatives, first aiders, company doctor, occupational safety specialist, works council, D-Arzt), company rules — to be completed by the company; the workplace-specific instruction on site is not replaced by this course
- Keeping records and repetitionRecords: documentation of the instruction (date, participants, content, proof of participation), certificate as proof of the general part, signed instruction record for the workplace-specific part, repetition at least once a year (young workers every six months) and when there is cause, all employees including temporary agency workers, kept by the employer
Frequently asked questions
Does the course fulfil the instruction duty under Section 12 ArbSchG?
It fulfils the general part of the basic instruction — as initial instruction and as annual repetition — and documents it with a certificate. The workplace-specific part (machines, locations, contact persons, company rules) must be instructed on site by your company and documented with a signature; module 17 is the template for it. Only both together make the complete instruction.
Does the course replace the instruction at the workplace?
No. No online course can show where your emergency stop is, who your first aider is and which machine you may operate. This training does not replace the workplace-specific instruction — it prepares it and takes over the general part.
Which law does the course explain?
German law — the Arbeitsschutzgesetz, DGUV Vorschrift 1 and the related ordinances and technical rules. The course is for employees who work in Germany but do not read German. It is a translation of our German course "Arbeitssicherheit Mitarbeiter-Unterweisung" with the same content and the same certificate; in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Is the course free?
Yes. No registration, no payment details. You only enter your e-mail address so that the certificate can be delivered.
How often must the instruction be repeated?
At least once a year (Section 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1), young workers at least every six months (Section 29 JArbSchG), and in addition when hired, transferred, when new work equipment or procedures are introduced and after accidents.
What is on the certificate?
Name, course, date, result, the complete list of the 18 training contents, the legal bases with the note on the company-specific part, and a certificate number that can be verified on the Academy's verification page.
Can the course be adapted to our company?
Yes. Module 17 "Procedure in our company" is filled with your contact persons, locations, machines and rules as a fixed-price customisation; the course page then carries your company name, and every certificate shows for which company it was issued.