Are You Giving New Hires Enough Safety Training?

Here are some examples that illustrate the problem of new hire accidents:

• A laborer on the job less than a month is injured when he slips off a ladder.
• A young worker makes unauthorized use of a forklift his first day on the job and is badly injured when the forklift tips over.
• A new employee gets too close to a power press and suffers a serious hand injury.

Chief causes of new hire accidents include the following:

1. Employers assume that new employees know more than they really do and that common sense will keep them safe. Even though workers may be skilled, they don’t necessarily know how to stay safe in a new environment. Similarly, new employees may have little or no knowledge of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. New workers may also lack knowledge (or understanding) about the need to report incidents or near misses. They may be concerned about being blamed for reporting. Orientation is an opportunity to find out how much employees really know, and don’t know,  about safety, as well as to supplement common sense with specific do’s and don’ts.
2. New employees are often afraid to ask questions. An employee who is afraid to ask questions because he may sound stupid runs the risk of serious injury. Supervisors need to remind new workers that they are happy to answer questions at any time and that there are no “stupid” questions about safety. Many workplaces assign an experienced employee to act as a guide and mentor for each new hire, answer questions, and check for understanding.

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3. The environment is unfamiliar and people don’t know what to do in an emergency. It’s essential for new employees to become quickly familiar with the facility and emergency procedures. In fact, OSHA requires that when workers are given their initial assignments, they must be trained in the parts of your emergency plan necessary to protect them in case of an emergency. Decide how you want new workers to respond to emergencies, and train them in those behaviors during orientation.
4. Employee training focuses on the tasks, not the hazards. The step-by-step instructions for any job should also address the task’s hazards and how to avoid them. Take time to explain the hazards. Don’t just recite them. New employees are much more likely to follow your safety rules if they understand the reasons behind them.
5. Employees lack knowledge about hazardous substances in use. Hazard communication training should be given at the time of a new worker’s initial assignment to a job that could expose the worker to hazardous chemicals. Orientation training should cover the hazard communication standard, any operations where hazardous chemicals are present, and the location of safety data sheets (SDSs).
6. New workers do not thoroughly understand the importance of using personal protective equipment (PPE) or how to use it properly. Injury statistics show that an alarming number of new workers were not wearing PPE that could have prevented or reduced the severity of injuries. Make sure your orientation includes information about selection, use, and care of PPE required in the new employee’s job.
7. The worksite does not convey the message. New workers need to be told convincingly that safety is a priority at your facility. But words aren’t enough. New workers also need to see actions that reinforce the message. Examples include:
1. A clean and orderly workplace
2. Drills to practice emergency procedures
3. Supervisors who promptly and politely answer safety questions
4. Properly labeled hazardous substances and readily accessible SDSs
5. People wearing required PPE
6. General compliance with company safety rules and OSHA standards
7. Employees who are concerned about workplace safety and show it

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That kind of impression on a new employee’s first few days on the job while he or she is going through safety orientation can make a huge difference in the new worker’s attitude toward safety and the actions the worker subsequently takes to keep safe and help protect coworkers.

In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll explain how safety orientation training can reduce the number of injuries—plus, we’ll explore a comprehensive online training resource of ready-to-use courses on dozens of key safety topics.