How OSCA Essentials Elevates Safety Training: An Interview with Lisa Fade
Join Lisa Fade as she discusses OSCA Essentials, a core safety training program designed to provide engaging, OSHA-compliant courses that enhance compliance.
October 13, 2025
Safety training is the backbone of every safety program, but for many organizations, finding training that’s both engaging and helps build a strong safety culture is easier said than done. Too often, safety professionals are left piecing together outdated content or relying on generic courses that don’t reflect real-world hazards. That’s where OSCA Essentials comes in – bringing clarity and effectiveness to safety training. Backed by a team with both industry experience and instructional design expertise, the program delivers practical, OSHA-aligned courses designed to connect with workers and strengthen compliance.
In this interview, we sat down with Lisa Fade, Curriculum Program Manager at OSCAsafe, to learn how OSCA Essentials is helping safety teams raise the bar on core safety training.
Question 1: Tell us about yourself and how you are involved with OSCA Essentials.
I’m Lisa Fade, the Curriculum Program Manager for the OSCAsafe Development Team. I develop content and lead our writing team in creating voiceover scripts, knowledge checks, and final exams for our OSCA Essentials courses.
Before joining OSCAsafe, I obtained a degree in English and spent 12 years as a unit operator in a refinery. As such, I’m a key Subject Matter Expert for training content such as OSCA Essentials. I help ensure that all regulatory information is accurate and clearly presented, and I work closely with our developers to ensure that every element – including images, interactivity, and exams – effectively supports the training topic.
Question 2: In a nutshell, what is the OSCA Essentials library, and how does it support safety professionals?
OSCA Essentials is a library of digital safety and compliance training that delivers practical, easy-to-understand courses aligned with federal OSHA regulations. Each training is designed to enhance workplace safety and awareness across high-hazard industries. They cover a wide range of fundamental safety topics to help learners build the knowledge and skills needed to keep themselves and teams safe.
OSCAsafe’s expert team of trainers actively updates the courses with the latest best practices and industry regulations. This ensures that the training provides actionable guidance that can be applied to real-life jobs immediately.
Question 3: What industry needs or challenges do OSCA Essentials aim to solve?
OSCA Essentials addresses the need for reliable, engaging, and up-to-date core safety training that is available online anywhere an organization needs it. It helps cut through the difficulty of piecing together a training program from multiple sources by replacing outdated, inconsistent content with a streamlined solution that saves time, ensures compliance, and keeps workers safer on the job.
OSCA Essentials also makes it easy for employers to track employee training progress and manage training records 24/7, for compliance and site entry.
Question 4: What sets OSCA Essentials apart from other core safety training programs on the market?
OSCA Essentials stands out because it blends practical, real-world safety expertise with user-friendly training and management tools that help organizations drive lasting safety results.
Courses are designed by our in-house development team, who combine decades of high-hazard industry experience with the latest adult learning techniques and instructional design. We realize safety doesn’t happen in a bubble and are committed to working with you to provide workers with the knowledge they need to stay safe.
Question 5: Explain more about the people who developed OSCA Essentials. What do they bring to the table that helps elevate the courses?
The OSCAsafe Development Team brings a unique mix of real-world experience and creative skill. Some members worked in the oil and gas industry, in both maintenance and operations, so we understand the content—and the risks—firsthand. We’ve also sat through more than our share of dull, check-the-box training, so we’re committed to creating something better.
Others have backgrounds in gaming and film and stay current with new technology, which helps us build interactive, visually engaging training. Our writers bring a range of educational backgrounds and experience across different types of writing.
Most importantly, we care. We care about the people taking our courses, and we care about getting it right. Our goal is to support a safer industry by offering high-quality training that connects with workers and helps keep them safe.
Question 6: Many organizations need the flexibility to adapt courses to their safety program. How does OSCA Essentials help with that?
We pride ourselves on being an adaptable partner that works with clients to ensure their input is heard and their training needs are met.
We help our clients understand how to mix and match OSCA Essential courses to build a program that fits their requirements. Additionally, we offer premium add-ons such as OSCA Design that let clients fully customize training to their needs, including adding their branding and site-specific content.
Question 7: Why is it important for businesses to have a training partner that understands their needs, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all solution?
No two worksites are the same. Generic training might check a box, but it doesn’t always reflect the actual hazards, procedures, or expectations workers deal with on a day-to-day basis. Working with a team that listens, communicates clearly, and adjusts to the company’s needs saves time, avoids confusion, and helps ensure the training supports the people doing the work.
Question 8: What are some best practices for integrating or adding OSCA Essentials into an existing safety program?
Integrating OSCA Essentials works best when it’s treated as a collaborative process, aligning our tools and content with your safety goals to strengthen and streamline your overall program.
When evaluating your current program, we suggest you:
1-Identify any training gaps or pain points. These might show up in incident reports, audit findings, low retention, or procedures where workers know the rules but don’t follow them. Training-wise, the common culprits are outdated content, inconsistent delivery, or training that doesn’t connect with workers.
2-Define your immediate needs. Some companies start small – adding a few courses to supplement existing training – while others use our full library to replace outdated CBTs company-wide.
Question 9: If an organization is interested in OSCA Essentials, what are the next steps they can take?
1-Learn more about how OSCA Essentials can help your business by visiting the OSCA Essentials page.
2-Contact The OSCA Essentials Team at
osca-essentials@oscasafe.com.
From there, our team will schedule an initial meeting to discuss your needs and how OSCA Essentials can support them.
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