Asking new workers about their previous safety education and work experience helps businesses ensure the workers know the basics of workplace safety. It is unfortunate that many businesses experience accidents that are a result of their hasty generalization that everybody is grounded in the basics. By the time the business realizes the worker was unaware of safety basics, the damage has already been done. Everybody has a right to know and learn the tenets of workplace safety.
Everybody in the workforce has a legally mandated right to participate in company-sponsored health and safety programs or seminars. It is also their right to justly know about any occupational hazards they may encounter in their place of work. Once employed, workers have the legal right to refuse work they may deem to be unsafe, and should they accept the job, are culpable for wearing any protective equipment or clothing that is required by both the business and local laws and ordinances.
New employees will always have a greater chance of being involved in accidents than more experienced or tenured workers. There are many types of new workers. The most obvious is any new hire; this can be permanent or temporary personnel and can include supervisors, with or without experience in the business or even the industry. This also would cover student employees, co-op hires or job apprentices who are new to the working environment. Current workers assigned to a new job description could also be considered new. Non-employees like contractors or general visitors must be made fully aware of a company’s safety rules and regulations.
Orientation is more than just a tour of the workplace. Here are just a few of the many things these events should include – workplace safety rules that employees and visitors must follow, emergency protocol, employee and visitor requirements for safety equipment, first aid measures, location of and importance of having a safety board and other miscellaneous factoids about safety rights and responsibilities. If at all possible, a company can also invite over the local safety inspector or the company’s safety representative and include their contact information on the safety board for easy reference.
There must be an open flow of communication between supervisors and employees. With new personnel additional contact will be required. Communication must be a two-way street seamlessly navigated by both worker and supervisor. Transparency matters most definitely if questions arise regarding possible safety concerns. Supervisors must make sure that everybody under their watch follows safety procedures meticulously.
Providing a safe working environment and ensuring a safe start when new personnel come to work will ensure the workers are fully capable of performing work and in a safe manner. Federal law mandates that every company has the legal responsibility to instruct, inform and supervise each and every employee about the things they need to do to help in making the business a safe and healthy workplace. Every new worker must be legally protected upon beginning a new job. Laurence L. Sharp, ESQ, has been practicing business and corporate law since passing the bar in 1978, and lives in Greenwich, CT with his wife Jane and his children Keith and John Henry.
Learn about employee training and development methods that can help your staff clearly understand your expectations and develop skills. Choose human resources certification that will help you secure a steady job with companies that require the services of professionals knowledgeable in employee relations.