Safety Education: Prepare Employees from Day One

Keeping your employees safe from on-the-job illness and injury will involve effort on several fronts. First, you’ll need to make sure physical hazards are under control, which will mean careful attention to handrails, pressure valve maintenance, and safe floors. Second, you’ll need to make sure you have strong protocols in place so everyone knows what to do in the moments following an accident. But just as important as both of these plans, you’ll need to cultivate and reinforce a culture of safety. This means educating your employees and making safety a priority for everyone. Here’s how to start this process the first day a new employee comes on board.

Use Visual Cues and Messages

Near every potentially dangerous workstation or piece of equipment, post warnings and safety instructions clearly. Keep the posts (plaquards, posters, or visual symbols) maintained and clearly legible. And make sure they provide enough information to be meaningful and useful. Don’t let them fade or come down simply because these warnings are not needed by senior employees.

Monitor Training and Certification

When managers look around the workplace and see various employees handling forklifts or overhead cranes, they should immediately know where these employees stand in terms of formal training and certification status. No employee with outdated training credentials should operate dangerous machinery for even one day.

Keep Detailed Records as New Employees are Trained

When new employees walk in the door, they’ll probably be paired with a trainer or mentor as they learn the ropes. So make sure these instructors are well chosen, qualified to teach, and able to monitor and accurately report on the progress of their trainees. If one trainer leaves and hands a new employee off to another, the transition should be seamless and should involve the transfer of written documents.

Offer Feedback and Coaching in Real Time

Don’t wait to correct the behavior and habits of new employees. Instead of taking notes and providing feedback at the end of the day, or the end of the week, provide it immediately. If a new employee is using poor technique or skipping part of a pre-shift inspection, intervene and find an appropriate way to alter the behavior and clarify the lesson in the moment.

Managers Should Set an Example

When it comes to safety, don’t allow managers to cut corners or give lip service to rules and policies. Rules governing hard hat zones, equipment checks, or any other aspect of safety should apply to everyone in the workplace, including managers and guests.

For more on how to cultivate and maintain a safe work environment and workplace culture, reach out to the staffing team at Lift Temp .