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Free course · 3 hours · Law 31/1995

Health and safety at work course for Spain free, with a certificate

What every worker should know: your rights and duties, when you can stop work, loads, screens, PPE and what to do if you have an accident. A 30-question test and a PDF training certificate, with no sign-up.

Is there a free health and safety course with a certificate for working in Spain? Yes, this one: 8 modules based on Law 31/1995 on the Prevention of Occupational Risks (Ley de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales) and its royal decrees, a 30-question test and, if you pass, a PDF training certificate. Note: it is not the 30- or 50-hour «basic level» course (Royal Decree 39/1997, Article 35), nor the 20- or 60-hour construction course. It is general training that helps you understand your job; training for your specific job must be given by your employer, free of charge and during working hours (Law 31/1995, Article 19).

FreeCourse, test and certificate, no sign-up
8 modulesAbout 15 minutes each
30 questionsPass with 24, with explanation and article
Instant PDFYour details never leave your phone
  1. StudyThe 8 modules, at your own pace.
  2. Take the test30 questions; you can retake it.
  3. Download the PDFWith your name, the date, the syllabus and a code to check it.

Start the course

The course: 8 modules

Read them in order. Each one ends with a practical example and the rule it comes from. Tap a module to open it.

1What prevention is and who is responsible15 min

Law 31/1995 calls prevention all the activities or measures taken to avoid or reduce risks at work, and occupational risk the possibility that you suffer harm because of your work. To judge how serious a risk is, two things are looked at together: how likely it is to happen and how severe the harm would be (Article 4).

Who is responsible

  • You have the right to effective protection of your safety and health. That right comes with an employer's duty to protect you (Article 14).
  • The right includes: information, consultation and participation, training, stopping work if there is a serious and imminent risk, and health surveillance.

The order in which risks are prevented (Article 15)

  1. Avoid risks.
  2. Assess the risks that cannot be avoided.
  3. Tackle them at source.
  4. Adapt the work to the person (job, equipment, methods) and cut down monotonous and repetitive work.
  5. Keep up with technical progress.
  6. Replace what is dangerous with what is less dangerous or not dangerous at all.
  7. Plan prevention.
  8. Put collective protection before individual protection.
  9. Give workers proper instructions.

Training is free and during working hours

Your employer must give you sufficient and suitable theoretical and practical training when you are hired (whatever the type or length of your contract), when your duties change or when new equipment or technology arrives. It is given during working hours or, if not, that time is deducted from them, and you can never be made to pay for it (Article 19).

In practiceA warehouse puts a guardrail on a mezzanine instead of just handing you a harness: that is the «collective before individual protection» principle. The harness is for whatever the guardrail cannot cover.

Source: Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; consolidated text, in Spanish), Articles 4, 14, 15 and 19

2Your rights and your duties15 min

What you must be given

  • Information on the risks in the company and in your job, the protective measures and the emergency measures (Article 18).
  • Regular health surveillance according to the risks of your work. As a rule it is voluntary: it is only compulsory in the cases set by law, for example when it is needed to know whether your health is a danger to you or to others, or when a rule for a dangerous activity requires it (Article 22).

What is up to you (Article 29)

Look after your own safety and that of anyone your work may affect, in line with your training and your employer's instructions. In particular:

  • Use machines, tools, substances and vehicles properly.
  • Use the protective equipment you are given correctly.
  • Do not disable safety devices (do not bypass a guard, do not remove a protection).
  • Report immediately to your direct supervisor and to the people in charge of prevention any situation that you reasonably believe is a risk.
  • Cooperate with your employer so that work is safe.

Who represents you

  • Prevention delegates (delegados de prevención, Article 35): up to 30 workers, it is the staff delegate; from 31 to 49 there is one, chosen from among the staff delegates; from 50 to 100, two; from 101 to 500, three; and so on up to 8 from 4,001 workers.
  • Health and Safety Committee (Article 38): in companies or workplaces with 50 or more workers. It has equal representation: prevention delegates on one side and the company on the other.
In practiceYou notice the guard on a slicer is loose. You do not take it off «to go faster» and you tell your supervisor straight away: those are two duties under Article 29.

Source: Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; consolidated text, in Spanish), Articles 18, 22, 29, 35 and 38

3Serious and imminent risk, emergencies and signs15 min

A serious and imminent risk is one that can reasonably be expected to happen in the immediate future and can cause serious harm to health (Article 4).

You can stop and leave

  • If you believe your work involves a serious and imminent risk to your life or health, you have the right to stop and leave the workplace if necessary (Article 21.2).
  • While the danger lasts you cannot be required to go back, except for safety exceptions laid down in regulations (Article 21.1.b).
  • You cannot be penalised for doing so, unless you acted in bad faith or with gross negligence (Article 21.4).

Emergencies (Article 20)

Your employer must analyse possible emergencies and organise first aid, firefighting and evacuation, with enough designated and trained staff and the right equipment. Ask who they are at your workplace and where the assembly point is.

The colours of safety signs (Royal Decree 485/1997)

  • Red: prohibition, danger/alarm, emergency stop and firefighting equipment.
  • Yellow or amber: warning, attention, caution.
  • Blue: mandatory action (for example, wearing PPE).
  • Green: rescue or first aid: exits, doors, first-aid kit, safe condition.
In practiceThe kitchen smells of gas and nobody answers the supervisor's phone. You get out and raise the alarm: Article 21 protects you, and your employer should already have told you whom to call and which way to go out.

Source: Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; consolidated text, in Spanish), Articles 4(4), 20 and 21 · Real Decreto 485/1997, health and safety signs at work (in Spanish), Annex II

4The workplace: tidiness, temperature and light15 min

Tidiness and cleaning (Annex II)

Walkways, exits and above all escape routes must be kept clear of obstacles at all times. Premises are cleaned regularly and whenever needed.

Temperature and air (Annex III)

  • Sedentary office work or similar: between 17 and 27 °C.
  • Light work: between 14 and 25 °C.
  • Relative humidity: 30 to 70% (from 50% if there is a risk of static electricity).
  • Frequent draughts: up to 0.25 m/s in environments that are not hot.

Lighting (Annex IV): minimum levels

  • Tasks with low visual demands: 100 lux; moderate: 200; high: 500; very high: 1,000.
  • Routes in regular use: 50 lux.

First aid (Annex VI)

Every workplace must have first-aid equipment suited to the number of workers, the risks and how far away the nearest medical centre is, clearly signposted and easy to reach.

In practiceAn office at 29 °C in July breaches Annex III. Tell the prevention delegate or the company, which must fix it (ventilation, air conditioning, working hours).

Source: Real Decreto 486/1997, workplaces (in Spanish), Annexes II, III, IV and VI

5Loads and posture15 min

Handling loads means lifting, placing, pushing, pulling or moving an object by hand. Royal Decree 487/1997 requires employers to avoid it with technical or organisational means and, if they cannot, to assess the risk, especially to the lower back.

How heavy is «too heavy»?

The royal decree does not set a weight. The INSST technical guide (2024) gives these reference values:

  • From 3 kg, a load may be a risk and must be assessed if it is handled in poor conditions.
  • In ideal conditions, 25 kg (men aged 20 to 45) or 20 kg (women of the same age) should not be exceeded.
  • Above 25 kg, handling is probably an intolerable risk in itself.

How to lift better

  • Ask for help or use a mechanical aid (trolley, pallet truck) if the load is heavy or bulky.
  • Get close to the load and keep it close to your body.
  • Bend your knees and keep your back straight; do not twist your trunk with the load: turn with your feet.
  • Lift smoothly, without jerking.
In practice18 kg boxes that have to go on a shelf above shoulder height: even though they weigh less than 25 kg, the posture makes the risk much worse. The right thing is for the company to assess it (lower the shelf, use a platform, lift in pairs).

Source: Real Decreto 487/1997, manual handling of loads (in Spanish), Article 2 · INSST, Guía técnica de manipulación manual de cargas (technical guide on manual handling, 2024 edition, in Spanish), section on Article 2 and Table 1

6Display screens (office and remote work)15 min

Royal Decree 488/1997 protects people who use a screen habitually and for a significant part of their work (Article 2).

What the employer must do

  • Assess the risk, especially to eyesight, posture and mental workload (Article 3).
  • If there is a risk, reduce continuous screen work: alternate it with other tasks or, if that is not possible, set the necessary breaks.
  • Offer you health surveillance before you start working with a screen and then as often as the doctor says (Article 4).

The workstation (Annex)

  • Screen that swivels and tilts, with adjustable brightness and contrast, without flicker.
  • Keyboard that tilts and is separate from the screen, with room in front to rest your hands and arms.
  • Chair that is stable, height-adjustable, with a reclining backrest adjustable in height; a footrest if you ask for one.
In practiceYou work from home with your laptop on the dining table for eight hours. Risk assessment also covers remote work: ask for a separate keyboard and mouse and an adjustable chair, and alternate tasks or take breaks.

Source: Real Decreto 488/1997, display screen equipment (in Spanish), Articles 2, 3 and 4 and Annex

7Personal protective equipment (PPE) and machines15 min

PPE (in Spanish, EPI) is any equipment you wear or hold to protect yourself from a risk: helmet, gloves, goggles, safety footwear, hearing protection, harness… Ordinary work clothes and uniforms that do not protect against a risk are not PPE (Royal Decree 773/1997, Article 2).

Rules

  • PPE is used when the risk cannot be avoided or sufficiently limited by collective protection or work organisation (Law 31/1995, Article 17.2).
  • Your employer must give it to you free of charge, replace it when needed and explain what it protects you from (Royal Decree 773/1997, Article 3).
  • It is used, stored, cleaned and repaired according to the manufacturer's instructions, and only for its intended purpose (Article 7).
  • Your duty is to use it properly and report it if it is damaged (Law 31/1995, Article 29).

Machines and work equipment

Your employer must give you training and information, preferably in writing, on how to use each piece of equipment, the foreseeable dangerous uses and the protective measures (Royal Decree 1215/1997, Article 5). If equipment carries a specific risk, only the people assigned to it may use it (Law 31/1995, Article 17.1).

In practiceTorn nitrile gloves do not protect you from the cleaning product. You ask for another pair: paying for them is not your job.

Source: Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; consolidated text, in Spanish), Article 17 · Real Decreto 773/1997, personal protective equipment (in Spanish), Articles 2, 3 and 7 · Real Decreto 1215/1997, work equipment (in Spanish), Article 5

8Accidents at work: what they are and what to do15 min

An accident at work is any bodily injury you suffer in the course of or as a result of the work you do as an employee (General Social Security Act, Article 156). It also includes, among others:

  • Accidents on the way to or from work (in itinere).
  • Accidents while doing tasks other than your own on the company's orders or in its interest.
  • Accidents during rescue actions connected with work.

What to do

  1. If anyone is injured, call 112 and the workplace first-aid staff.
  2. Tell your supervisor immediately (Law 31/1995, Article 29), even if it seems minor.
  3. Ask for a written record of what happened, where, at what time and who saw it.
  4. For medical care, your employer will tell you which mutua (the mutual insurer working with Social Security) to go to.

Special protection

  • Particularly sensitive workers (because of their personal characteristics, health or a disability): the employer must protect them specifically (Article 25).
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the risk assessment must consider the risks to the worker and the foetus and, if necessary, adapt the job (Article 26).
In practiceYou twist your ankle on the stairs as you leave work. It is an accident at work in itinere if you were on your usual route: report it the same day.

Source: Ley General de la Seguridad Social (Real Decreto Legislativo 8/2015; General Social Security Act, in Spanish), Article 156 · Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; consolidated text, in Spanish), Articles 25, 26 and 29

Final test: 30 questions

Answer all 30 questions. You pass with 24 or more correct (80%). When it is marked you will see the explanation and the rule behind each answer. You can retake it as many times as you like.

1. Who pays for the health and safety training your employer gives you?
2. When must your employer give you health and safety training?
3. When does health and safety training take place?
4. To judge how serious a risk is, what is looked at?
5. Under the principles of prevention, what comes first?
6. What is the first principle of prevention?
7. You see a safety risk at your workstation. What must you do?
8. Can you disable a safety device to work faster?
9. Health surveillance (the medical check-up) is, as a rule…
10. In a company with 25 workers, who is the prevention delegate?
11. From how many workers must there be a Health and Safety Committee?
12. A company has 120 workers. How many prevention delegates does it have?
13. What is a serious and imminent risk?
14. Faced with a serious and imminent risk to your life or health, what can you do?
15. If you stopped because of a serious and imminent risk, can you be made to return while the danger lasts?
16. What emergency measures must the employer organise?
17. A blue sign indicates…
18. Exits, doors and the first-aid kit are signposted in…
19. What temperature range must an office have (sedentary work)?
20. And for light work?
21. What is the minimum lighting level for tasks with high visual demands?
22. How must escape routes be kept?
23. What maximum weight for lifting by hand does Royal Decree 487/1997 set?
24. According to the INSST guide (2024), in ideal conditions, what weight should not be exceeded (men aged 20 to 45)?
25. When lifting a box from the floor, what is the right way?
26. If you work with a screen and the assessment finds a risk, what must the employer do?
27. When must health surveillance be offered to people who work with screens?
28. Is a waiter's ordinary uniform PPE?
29. Who pays for PPE?
30. You fall down the stairs at home as you leave for work on your usual route. Under the law, an accident on the way to or from work…

Your PDF training certificate

Unlocked when you pass the test (24 out of 30).

Your name and ID number never leave this device: the PDF is created in your browser and LaborIA does not receive or store them.

This is a training certificate in free format. It is not the 30- or 50-hour «basic level» of Royal Decree 39/1997, it does not count towards the Construction Professional Card (TPC) and it does not replace the training for your job, which your employer must give you (Law 31/1995, Article 19).

Next step: first aid

Module 3 explains that your employer must organise first aid. This course covers what you do in the first minutes: protect, call 112, check breathing, CPR, the defibrillator and the first-aid kit.

Free course: First aid at work8 modules · 30 questions
Asked for the 20- or 60-hour PRL course?Which is which, who can teach it and what it costs (in Spanish)

Frequently asked questions

Are the course and certificate really free?
Yes. The 8 modules, the test and the PDF certificate are free and you don't need to sign up. LaborIA is funded by advertising.
Is this the 60-hour or 20-hour PRL course?
No. The 60-hour course (basic level in construction) and the 20-hour courses per trade come from the construction collective agreement and are run by bodies recognised for the Construction Professional Card. The general «basic level» lasts 30 or 50 hours (Royal Decree 39/1997, Article 35). This course is about 3 hours of general training: it explains your rights and duties, but it does not replace those courses.
Will it help me get hired?
It helps you show that you know the basics of health and safety. Training for your specific job must be given by your employer when you are hired, free of charge and during working hours (Law 31/1995, Article 19). The employer decides whether this certificate is useful to them.
Is it an official or approved certificate?
No. It is a training certificate in free format: it lists the content, the legal framework, the date and your score, with a code to check it has not been altered. No authority approves it.
How long does it take? Does it expire?
About 3 hours, at your own pace. The certificate does not expire, but the law requires training to be repeated when needed and adapted to new risks (Article 19.1).
Do you keep my name or ID number?
No. The PDF is created in your browser: your name and ID number are not sent to LaborIA or anyone else.

Check a certificate

For employers: type the details exactly as they appear on the certificate. Your browser checks that the code matches that name, ID number and date. LaborIA stores no data, so this confirms the certificate has not been altered, not who took the test.

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Rules and official sources

Texts read on 20 October 2026. General information: your employer must also give you the training for your specific job.