Employee safety orientation
Establish an effective safety orientation program
Having effective training programs is critical for reducing injuries, especially for new employees. Not only are they learning new tasks, meeting new people and getting used to new surroundings – employees may also be exposed to hazards that are new to them. They may try to do more than they should before they have proper experience for assigned tasks. These factors combined may result in higher injury rates for new employees in any job within any industry.
For more details on ensuring safety in the workplace for new employees, see our Safety Orientation Guide and Safety Training Checklist.
What topics should you consider in safety orientation?
Risks and hazards vary widely between industries. The following topics should be considered for specific industries when planning new hire orientation:
Agriculture
- General farm safety
- Farm safety: working with livestock
- Confined space entry: Common confined space areas in agriculture include grain and feed storage facilities, silos, sumps, tunnels, pump, or dump pits, etc.
- Machine guarding: Common farm machinery that present opportunities for serious injuries include mowers, tractors, shredders, harvesters, grinders, blowers, augers, balers, etc.
- Ladder safety: Key point – three points of contact
- Fall protection – Key point – fall protection is required at heights of 4 feet and above
- Heat stress | Cold weather safety
- Chemical safety: Common chemical hazards in agriculture include pesticides, fertilizers, diesel fumes, metal fumes, solvents, etc.
Construction
- Fall protection: Key point – fall protection is required at heights of 6 feet and above
- Working around heavy equipment: Identifying procedures to eliminate employees working in heavy equipment blind spots and including pre-movement inspections of heavy equipment
- Hand and power tool safety: Identify all tools that employees will use and train them on how to use them safely. This may include electrical power tools, hand tools, pneumatic tool safety, power tools, etc.
- Posture and positioning – ergonomics for construction workers
- Housekeeping in construction
- Excavation and trenching requirements
Food service
Health care
SFM provides a list of related training topics on our website, categorized by home health, assisted living, skilled nursing and acute care. Here are some examples:
Manufacturing / warehouse
- Machine guarding: Common types of equipment requiring guards include saws, presses, drills, lathes, mills, etc.
- Forklift safety and pedestrian safety
- Lockout/Tagout: Training is required for those directly affected (those who’s machines may at times be locked out), authorized personnel (those who apply and remove LOTO), as well as all other employees (who occasionally enter the areas where they may be exposed to it)
- Hand and power tool safety: Identify all tools that employees will use and train them on how to use them safely. This may include electrical power tools, hand tools, pneumatic tool safety, power tools, etc.
- Ladder safety: Key point – three points of contact
Office
- General office safety 1 – slips and falls, ergonomics, and general hazards
- General office safety 2 – good housekeeping, fire hazards, and other general hazards
- Office ergonomics
- Ergonomic workstation education handout
- Repetitive motion injuries
Schools
Combo packs for each department are available:
Trucking
Extensive list of trucking resources can be found on our website. Here are some examples:
- Adverse weather: Identifying when not to drive in poor weather conditions
- Cargo securement
- Distracted driving: Reviewing cell phone and other fleet safety policies
- Fatigue
- Seat belts
