Monday, January 21, 2008
Safety Compliance
New Employee Safety Orientation
What Your Training Should Include
To train new employees in safety, your orientation presentation should lay out their role in creating a safe workplace, as well as safety steps to take.
span>
Safety “Pop Quiz”
Here’s a “pop quiz” to give you an idea of how important safety training is for new employees.
How likely is it that new hires will be injured on the job, as compared to experienced workers?
a) twice as likely
b) four times as likely
c) five times as likely
d) no more likely
If you answered c), you're correct. The main reason for this startling statistic is a dangerous combination of supervisors thinking “newbies” know more than they really do, and newcomers are often afraid to ask questions, thinking that someone else will think them less than capable. As common sense would dictate, if one doesn't explain the hazards, and the other doesn't ask about them, then that's a recipe for trouble.
Safety Training Suggestions
What's the remedy?
Safety experts recommend making safety training part of every worker's orientation by, for example, including a copy of your safety policy in the new hire document pack and by stressing safety features at your facility while doing the usual new hire walk-through.
Here are some suggestions (keeping in mind that trainees learn more when you use both sight and sound to teach them). These are provided by BLR (Business and Legal Reports) who offer the most comprehensive safety information and training available in our industry.
* Lay out the objectives. Your presentation should make the point that every worker can make (and is expected to make) an important contribution to organizational safety by identifying and fixing or reporting hazards and near-misses and by responding appropriately to emergencies and evacuations.
* Note specific learning. Tell workers that they'll be learning the basics of several different areas of safety.
* Warn against horseplay. Those new to the job may be tempted to "fool around" with equipment they've never used before. Such antics can be deadly.
* Explain the worker's role in security. Newcomers may take a narrow view of safety as primarily accident prevention, but they need to understand that keeping unauthorized persons out of the workplace is also a safety measure and that it's done through vigilance and careful handling of identification systems such as badges and codes.
* List safety information sources. It's vital that workers know where to find the knowledge they need to be safe, including the location of safety bulletin boards and the names of safety supervisors or members of the facility's safety committee.
* Give detailed safety information. Include topics on (1) housekeeping, (2) fire hazards and response (including extinguisher use and technique), (3) ergonomic cautions, (4) safe lifting and materials handling, (5) PPE types and use, (6) electrical hazards and protective measures and (7) hazardous chemicals.
* Provide information specific to your facility. Include (1) a map of your facility, (2) hazards to avoid and (3) location of MSDSs.
* Ask for questions.
Sources for Training
Go to Duraclean’s Franchise website in the “Downloads” section for Safety Compliance files. There are numerous quizzes, checklists and forms for your immediate use.
What Your Training Should Include
To train new employees in safety, your orientation presentation should lay out their role in creating a safe workplace, as well as safety steps to take.
span>
Safety “Pop Quiz”
Here’s a “pop quiz” to give you an idea of how important safety training is for new employees.
How likely is it that new hires will be injured on the job, as compared to experienced workers?
a) twice as likely
b) four times as likely
c) five times as likely
d) no more likely
If you answered c), you're correct. The main reason for this startling statistic is a dangerous combination of supervisors thinking “newbies” know more than they really do, and newcomers are often afraid to ask questions, thinking that someone else will think them less than capable. As common sense would dictate, if one doesn't explain the hazards, and the other doesn't ask about them, then that's a recipe for trouble.
Safety Training Suggestions
What's the remedy?
Safety experts recommend making safety training part of every worker's orientation by, for example, including a copy of your safety policy in the new hire document pack and by stressing safety features at your facility while doing the usual new hire walk-through.
Here are some suggestions (keeping in mind that trainees learn more when you use both sight and sound to teach them). These are provided by BLR (Business and Legal Reports) who offer the most comprehensive safety information and training available in our industry.
* Lay out the objectives. Your presentation should make the point that every worker can make (and is expected to make) an important contribution to organizational safety by identifying and fixing or reporting hazards and near-misses and by responding appropriately to emergencies and evacuations.
* Note specific learning. Tell workers that they'll be learning the basics of several different areas of safety.
* Warn against horseplay. Those new to the job may be tempted to "fool around" with equipment they've never used before. Such antics can be deadly.
* Explain the worker's role in security. Newcomers may take a narrow view of safety as primarily accident prevention, but they need to understand that keeping unauthorized persons out of the workplace is also a safety measure and that it's done through vigilance and careful handling of identification systems such as badges and codes.
* List safety information sources. It's vital that workers know where to find the knowledge they need to be safe, including the location of safety bulletin boards and the names of safety supervisors or members of the facility's safety committee.
* Give detailed safety information. Include topics on (1) housekeeping, (2) fire hazards and response (including extinguisher use and technique), (3) ergonomic cautions, (4) safe lifting and materials handling, (5) PPE types and use, (6) electrical hazards and protective measures and (7) hazardous chemicals.
* Provide information specific to your facility. Include (1) a map of your facility, (2) hazards to avoid and (3) location of MSDSs.
* Ask for questions.
Sources for Training
Go to Duraclean’s Franchise website in the “Downloads” section for Safety Compliance files. There are numerous quizzes, checklists and forms for your immediate use.
Labels: management, New Employee, Safety Compliance, Training
# posted by The Duraclean Team @ 10:27 AM 
Subscribe to Comments [Atom]