PDH Safety

PDH Safety is an online safety training catalog run by NYC Construction Safety Training, LLC, the name in the site's footer, with an office address in Yonkers, New York. It sells self-paced courses to construction and general industry workers, supervisors and safety professionals, and also to employers through a business account. Its headline claim is "Accredited by IACET. Trusted for Quality Continuing Education," and the home page describes the company as "your all-in-one safety solution for construction and general industry businesses," there to help "minimize risk, safeguard assets, and establish a secure, compliant work environment." Many courses carry IACET continuing education units, and the catalog includes categories called PDH Credits (17 courses) and PDH Safety Credits (13 courses) for professionals who have to keep up their hours.

What the catalog covers

The course catalog is organized into categories, and the category filter shows how wide it runs. On the construction side there are fall protection, competent person training, scaffold training (supported, suspended and swing staging), aerial lift, scissor lift, telehandler, forklift and powered industrial truck, bucket truck, trenching and excavation, confined space, ladder safety, lockout tagout, silica, fire watch and fire extinguisher courses. The home page lists USACE EM 385-1-1 courses at 24 and 40 hours among its most popular, alongside suspended scaffold and competent person training. Industrial and general topics include HAZWOPER, HAZCOM, NFPA 70E, OSHA electrical safety, H2S, bloodborne pathogens, biological and infection safety, first aid and CPR, and personal protective equipment. The category counts give a sense of depth: EM 385 training lists 8 courses, OSHA HAZWOPER certification 6, powered industrial truck training 4, OSHA scaffold training 4, and bloodborne pathogens, first aid and CPR, H2S, fire safety and lockout tagout 3 each.

Two industry lines stand out on the home page. Maritime workers get OSHA maritime training and OSHA Shipyard Industry Standard courses at 10 and 30 hours. Oil and gas workers get OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour courses in oil and gas extraction safety and health, filed under a category the site labels "Oil and Gas Industry Safety (IACET-PNG)."

For safety professionals working toward a credential, the catalog has exam prep categories for ASP (11 courses), CSP (8), CHST (5), STSC (7) and a free CIH exam prep category (13). Beyond safety, there are categories of CEUs for architects (14 courses) and professional development for architects (13), plus HIPAA healthcare compliance, food handler safety certificate training and occupational therapy CEUs.

The free courses

A notable share of the catalog is free. The Free OSHA 30 Training & Certification page lists a free OSHA 30 Hour in Construction Safety and Health course (30 hours, 270 modules), a free 30 Hour OSHA General Industry Safety and Health course (30 hours, 19 modules), a free Healthcare Personal Protective Equipment course worth 1 IACET CEU, and a free OSHA 30 Healthcare Worker Safety Training course worth 3 IACET CEUs across 31 modules. The page says OSHA 30 "specifically meets the requirements for safety directors, forepersons, and field supervisors," and covers "hazard recognition and avoidance, workers' rights, employer responsibilities, how to file a complaint." The same description says the program "promotes safety culture through peer training." On completion, the page promises, the learner is awarded a certificate instantly.

Other free categories target professionals outside construction: free professional development for nurses and for Michigan teachers, free CEUs for nurses, free asbestos and lead awareness training, free OSHA 10 and OSHA healthcare certification courses, and a general free safety training category with ten courses. Each course card carries a level label (beginner, proficient or expert) and a star rating; the free courses shown are all rated 5.00.

Prices and formats

The paid courses shown on the home page are low-priced and listed openly:

• Fall Protection Competent Person (10 hours): $39.99.
• Swing Stage Awareness and Suspended Scaffold Awareness (1 IACET CEU each): $19.99.
• OSHA 10 Hour in Oil and Gas Extraction Safety and Health: $19.99; the 30-hour version: $39.99.
• OSHA 10 Hour Maritime Industry Safety and Health and OSHA 10-Hour Maritime Industry: $19.99 each.
• 30-Hour OSHA Maritime Industry Safety and Health and OSHA 30-Hour Maritime Industry: $39.99 each.
• OSHA Shipyard Employment Standard: $39.99.

Each course card shows the course length in hours or its IACET CEU value next to the price, and learners buy through a cart after a student registration. The home page also advertises "Bulk Discounts Available!" without giving the rates, and links to a business account and a business features page for companies training several people.

Everything runs online. The site's list of benefits explains the format: learners "learn at your own pace, anytime, anywhere with an internet connection," can "complete modules during breaks, evenings, or weekends," avoid "travel and classroom expenses," and work through "multimedia content, quizzes, and real-world scenarios." The home page promises "Life Time Support" with access "24/7 on all devices." The menu includes a Training Verification page, and the footer links to a student manual, FAQs, terms and a refund policy. Contact runs by email and the Yonkers office address.

How the company describes itself

The About section says NYC Construction Safety Training "aims to offer quality training that is relevant and useful for the construction industry," that it conducts "perpetual reviews of training materials to maintain accuracy and relevance," and that it is "committed to developing a team of high-quality staff and instructors." The home page calls the company the "#1 Trusted Training Provider" and pitches certification as a career move, saying safety certifications "can lead to higher wages and better job opportunities in the construction industry" and "open doors to supervisory or management positions." Those are the company's own claims.

Who it suits

PDH Safety suits a construction or industrial worker who needs an awareness or competent person course quickly and cheaply, a maritime or oil and gas worker looking for 10-hour and 30-hour safety training in that industry, and a safety professional preparing for the ASP, CSP, CHST, STSC or CIH exams. Architects, nurses and teachers who need continuing education hours will find free and paid IACET CEU courses. Employers can open a business account and request bulk pricing. The main caveat concerns the free OSHA 30 courses: they are described with an instant certificate of completion, so a worker whose job calls for the official DOL Outreach card should make sure the course they pick provides one.