Partnership between SafeLand USA, OSU to benefit the next generation of Oklahoma's workforce
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | tanner.holubar@okstate.edu
The College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University has earned a strong reputation for its commitment to the next generation of workers in Oklahoma and the United States.
From ensuring tomorrow’s engineers have the skills and knowledge to succeed, to providing training for those already in the workforce, CEAT's leadership in training and outreach helps transform the world.
A new collaboration will expand that reputation as OSU Fire Service Training has partnered with SafeLand USA to offer courses on work site safety, chiefly in the oil and gas industry.
SafeLand is a standardized safety orientation program developed so new workers at different job sites receive the same training on key practices and procedures. SafeLand offers portable, industry-recognized training with an emphasis on comprehensive safety training. As part of the collaboration, OSU will become an accrediting body for SafeLand, capable of training industry members who then are able to train workers at their respective companies.
“What’s attractive about OSU is its experience and record around training and around the administration of training,” said SafeLand President Bill Walker. “But also, the reach it has with its reputation and brand that brings a level of credibility we’re really looking for.”
Beginning this semester, three courses will be available through SafeLand that will be housed at FST.
Safety Fundamentals Orientation: Building the Foundation, H2S Safety: Understanding a Potent Threat and a defensive driving course will be offered, with the first courses this semester.
The Fundamental Safety Training program serves as an orientation for new workers.
These workers, whether in the oil and gas industry or another industry, receive a
standard orientation on safety protocols, many of which are translatable across different
industries.
“We bring the training to them. That’s our motto and always has been our motto, and
it will continue to be that way. We have to support industry that supports Oklahoma.”
This course would cover training for different positions on a job site, from pipeline welders, truck drivers hauling water, drilling rig completions workers, production lease operators and everything in between. While these jobs differ in duties, there are still hazards to each that can be covered with SafeLand’s training curriculum.
“It’s a big, wide stream and we go an inch deep on everything and try to educate them a bit on everything,” Walker said. “It’s a very comprehensive type of training on anything that they need to know for a job site. This includes many different types of jobs on the same job site.”
The second course is a safety course about working around hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas that forms as hydrocarbons degrade in the presence of sulfur becoming deadly at even small amounts of exposure. H2S is commonly found in many different job sites, ranging from agriculture to oil and gas and even being a byproduct of companies that make hair removers.
This course would provide workers with a base level of knowledge before ever setting foot on a job site.
“People need to know when to expect it and what to do when they find themselves in its presence, so they know how to control it and protect themselves,” Walker said.
The third course, defensive driving, would provide trainees with jobsite specific driving training to enhance safety while working in the oil and gas industry. It would incorporate hazard awareness on a job site as well as driving of specific vehicles.
Walker said OSU FST will be the only accrediting body in Oklahoma for this type of training, with the ability to impact surrounding states in the region.
There is a goal to eventually serve 1,000 students a year through the program, with the first train-the-trainer course having a waiting list. These would be trainers who would then be certified to teach the training at their respective companies.
OSU FST Director Carol Reed said this is a tremendous opportunity for growth for OSU. The alumni network will foster partnerships within multiple industries, creating a pipeline of trainees. It is also an area for OSU to grow even more in an area it has proven to be exceptional at.
Reed also said there will be numerous CEAT degree programs that will benefit from additional certifications provided through this course.
“We bring the training to them,” Reed said. “That’s our motto and always has been our motto, and it will continue to be that way. We have to support industry that supports Oklahoma.”