The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies fire as a prevailing cause of workplace fatalities. Fire safety courses are essential for industrial safety students because they teach students about fire prevention tactics, how to detect fire hazards, how to use fire safety equipment -- such as portable extinguishers -- and how to respond the moment a fire breaks out in an office building or on a construction site.
Certain industries -- such as manufacturing, production and construction -- use light and heavy equipment that can be dangerous if they are used improperly, if the machinery malfunctions or if the appropriate safeguards are not applied. Industrial safety courses in equipment and machinery safety teach students how to identify safety hazards that pertain to the tools their workers use to carry out their jobs, from bulldozers to power saws to hammers. California State University at Dominguez Hills offers an industrial machine guarding course that teaches students about performing equipment inspections and about taking proper safeguarding measures once the equipment is turned off.
Chemical safety is critical because chemical hazards are often inconspicuous. Certain gasses, for example, can be undetectable yet poisonous if released into the atmosphere. Other types of chemicals can cause burns or blindness upon contact. Accordingly, industrial safety specialists or officers must go through coursework that prepares them to learn about what types of chemicals cause safety threats to the public, and which ones are non-threatening. Courses go over safe ways to transport chemicals, how to store them and how to label them.
Electricity is all around and, therefore, is a constant safety threat. One wrong move in the workplace can cause an electrical fire or explosion, which can result in severe injuries and damage to the work environment. Industrial safety courses are available for students on the topic of electricity. Students learn how to work safely around electricity, which precautions to take when proximal to active wires and cables, how to measure voltage and what the national electrical code is used for.