The online training system is broken.
Lives—and reputations—are on the line.
Take the Pledge
Lead with integrity.
“I pledge to support and advocate for training that verifies the identity and the authentic participation of workers. I believe that online training must go beyond certificates and checkboxes. Because when training is real, lives are protected.”
Training should never be a checkbox.
It should be the first line of defense.
We’re calling on industry leaders, employers, and everyday advocates to demand Training that Matters: real, verifiable training that protects lives. For their safety, and yours.
Online training has made learning more accessible than ever before, but it’s also created a massive accountability gap and unmitigated risk. In high-risk industries, this gap can mean the difference between life and death.
Systems meant to protect workers are now ineffective and out-dated, with credentials issued without real oversight or verification. The result? Workers are sent into high-risk environments without the knowledge or preparation they need.
This is about systems that shifted training from in-person to online without preserving the same level of oversight. That gap doesn’t just expose organizations to risk; it puts workers’ lives on the line.
That's why multiple organizations helped develop the ANSI/ASP Z490.1 Standard. By taking the Training that Matters pledge, you're joining a movement of industry leaders committed to:
Protecting Workers
Ensuring Compliance
Upholding Reputation
Leading Industry
Why Does
Training Matter?
Because lives, and safe operations, depend on it.
In oil and gas, there’s no room for uncertainty. Every person on a site, every decision made, carries weight. When training isn’t real, risk multiplies fast.
Today, safety certificates are issued without the requirement for a worker to logging in, be present or demonstrate their knowledge. A dog earned an OSHA 10 card. A cat got an MBA. These aren’t jokes. They’re real stories showing how weak digital training oversight has become.
And the consequences? They’re not theoretical.
In New York City, Ivan Frias fell 15 stories to his death while holding fall protection credentials issued by an accredited training organization even though he never participated in the training.
In West Virginia, miners entered dangerous sites with unverified credentials, unknowingly putting their lives and their crews at risk.
Right now, almost one million workers across the U.S. are on the job with no real assurance they’ve been trained, only that someone paid for a certificate.
This isn’t about checking a box.
It’s about stopping preventable tragedies and leading the industry forward.
Forward-thinking organizations across oil and gas are raising the bar. They’re adopting verification processes that align with the verification requirements of the ANSI/ASSP Z490 standard, ensuring training is more than a formality. It’s verifiable, compliant, and legally defensible.
These industry leaders aren’t waiting for regulations citations post incident . They’re protecting their workers, reducing liability, and reinforcing a culture of safety and accountability. They know that every certificate must reflect real knowledge, real participation, and real readiness for the job ahead.
District Attorney Bragg put it simply when discussing who is impacted by unverified training:
“Not only for the individuals working on the site, but for the general public that moves around them every single day.”
This is everyone’s responsibility.
But as an industry leader,
it’s especially yours.
