Duraclean Journal of Marketing, Management and Technical Topics

• Statistically workers are the most susceptible to injuries during their first month on the job. Basic safety training needs to be given to new hires as soon as they come under your supervision.
• Before assigning tasks to your new employees make sure that you take the time to welcome them into your organization. A facility walk-through and introduction to their co-workers is a good idea.
• Encourage veteran employees to help newer workers feel at ease. Both new and veteran workers will feel that they are contributing to the success of your company.
• New hires need to be made aware of how serious safety training is right from the start. In your first meetings with your new employees, reinforce the need for caution and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for each task. (Too many employees feel that PPE is an unnecessary nuisance.)
• Emphasize that all unsafe conditions, accidents, and "near misses" must be reported immediately.
• Show them what equipment they can and cannot operate without your authorization.
  

Covering the Basics
Make sure to cover these basics:

• Proper safety practices to use and hazards to be aware of within your company.
• Proper accident or injury procedures to follow in the event of an accident or injury.
• Emergency report procedures.
• Reporting procedures for accidents and near-misses.
• Reporting protocol for a workers' comp injury and how to file a claim.
• Location of material safety data sheets (MSDS).
• Proper care and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• How to use tools, machinery, or hazardous processes.
• What housekeeping and personal clean-up rules must be followed.
• The location of emergency equipment, first-aid supplies, and designated smoking areas.

Other Practices to Teach New Employees

These include:

• Inspect tools and protective equipment before use.
• Report any defective, malfunctioning, or "just not right" tool, machine, or protective equipment item immediately.
• Wear personal protective equipment.
• Follow instructions on using tools and machines safely.
• Walk, don't run.
• Don't fool around or ignore safety rules.
• Keep the work area neat and the aisles clear.
• Ask questions about anything you don't understand.
• Always be alert to possible risks or anything that just "doesn't seem right."

BLR stated that "The value of a strong new-hire training program cannot be stressed enough. Research conducted jointly by Silk Road Technologies and the Aberdeen Group showed that employers rated as best-in-class typically had onboarding processes that lasted six months. That doesn't mean six months of constant new-hire training, but rather ongoing strategies that keep management in touch with new people."

Other data indicates that employees decide within the first six months whether they will stay with an employer. The net result is that it only strengthens the argument for reaching out early and often to the new hires.

Labels: Personnel, Safety Compliance, Safety Management, Training

# posted by The Duraclean Team @ 9:41 AM