How to Put Together Safety Orientation Training for New Employees

To some extent, creating a safe work environment for your employees is making it clear from the start that the company values workplace health and safety. Without that strong foundation, your business is destined to fight a constant uphill battle when it comes to workplace safety.

One big step in preventing his is setting up safety orientation training for all new employees. But what should be included in safety orientation training for new employees? Let’s look at some of the best ways to put together an effective safety orientation program for onboarding workers.

Worker Rights

According to OSHA, all workers have rights. More importantly, they should be made aware of those rights. Transparency is a critical part of workplace safety, which is why every business needs to be transparent with workers from the very beginning. The first part of orientation training should be telling employees the list of OSHA’s workers’ rights and letting them know that the company is committed to upholding those rights.

Company Policies

Beyond OSHA’s regulations, it’s equally important to share the company’s specific policies when it comes to health and safety. Every company is different and has a right to approach workplace safety a little differently. The key is to be clear with employees about the expectations for upholding the company’s specific health rules and practices. 

Workplace Safety Hygiene

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, every workplace needs to be more cognizant of simple hygiene practices. Employee orientation should include instructions on when and how frequently employees should be washing their hands. Orientation is also a good place to share tips that apply to that specific workplace on how to prevent the spread of germs and disease among employees.

Common Workplace Hazards

An important part of meeting OSHA requirements is sharing with employees all of the known hazards that exist in the workplace. This should be one of the focal points of safety training orientation since workers shouldn’t be asked to perform any work until they know about all of the possible hazards they might encounter. Likewise, employees should be instructed on how to mitigate these hazards and report new hazards. Even if you can only cover the basics, it’s important to do this right off the bat at orientation.

Proper Use of PPE

Along with workplace hazards, it’s important to discuss personal protective equipment (PPE) during employee orientation because this will be the first line of defense against workplace injuries. Employees should be immediately introduced to the type of PPE they’ll be using on the job. It’s particularly important to go over the type of PPE they will need for each particular task. Otherwise, they risk being unprepared to start their new job.

Emergency Preparedness

Safety orientation training should also include an introduction to emergency preparedness. After all, there’s no such thing as being too prepared and workers need to be ready for the worst-case scenario, even if they never end up using the training. This means going over how to evacuate the building in case of an emergency. It also means telling them where they can locate fire extinguishers, eyewash stations, and other types of emergency equipment. Even if it’s their first day on the job, workers still need to know how to respond in an emergency.

How to Utilize the Company’s Workplace Safety System

Another part of safety orientation should be getting new workers up to speed on a company’s workplace safety program. If your company doesn’t have one, EHS Insight offers workplace monitoring software that helps to manage all aspects of workplaces safety. Our system is designed to simplify the process of workplace safety management so that nothing gets overlooked or forgotten.

If you want to make workplace safety and health easier to manage, let us know because we’ll be happy to become your safety partner.