In the first blog post of this series, we discussed how management, leadership, and employee involvement contribute to workplace safety. In our second blog post, we reviewed how to analyze your workplace facility. In our third blog post, we reviewed hazard prevention and control. Now that we have gone over the first three elements of a workplace safety program, it is time to review the fourth: Safety and Health Training Education.
Implementing a safety orientation program for new employees is imperative when creating and executing safety procedures. Below is a list of some of the key topics you should include in your new employee orientation.
Safety Topics to present during General New Employee Orientation:
(NEW EMPLOYEE SAFETY ORIENTATION CHECKLIST )
Sometimes, when working with government agencies, a company will be required to “comply with all pertinent provisions of the latest version U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Safety and Health Requirements Manual EM 385-1-1 in effect on the date of solicitation” (Safety & Health Management Systems eTool).
There are many similar requirements between EM 385 and OSHA; however, there are two distinct differences:
A written accident prevention plan is not vague under the EM 385. It must be much more specific and include management processes that will be used to prevent potential accidents from occurring.
Under the EM 385, it is very important for your written accident prevention plan to include accountability. For instance, when reporting an accident, the information must include “who, how, and when the information will be provided” (Safety & Health Management Systems eTool).
It is very important for companies to draft an activity hazard analysis because it creates a system for contractors to control hazards proactively rather than having to deal with them reactively.
There are four aspects of an activity hazard analysis: job/activity, hazard, exposure, and analysis. 50% of disabling claims are filed by workers in their first year with their employer. Lack of knowledge, lack of physical ability, perception of what is acceptable behavior and what is not, and prior training and/or unsafe habits are all aspects that could contribute to this (Safety & Health Management Systems eTool).
Creating a Hazard Analysis can be broken down into 5 steps:
By following these guidelines as well as the guidelines and tips from the previous three blog posts in this series, your company will be able to reevaluate your workplace safety program and rebuild it if necessary. Don’t forget how important safety is to all aspects of your business, from basic employee comfort to employee retention.
Works Cited
NEW EMPLOYEE SAFETY ORIENTATION CHECKLIST . (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Workforce Safety: http://www.workforcesafety.com/safety/sops/NewEmployeeOrientationSample2.pdf
Safety & Health Management Systems eTool. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2014, from United States Department of Labor: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEIQFjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.osha.gov%2Fdte%2Fgrant_materials%2Ffy10%2Fsh-20993-10%2Fcreating_a_safety_program.ppt&ei=UlBVU-_zJOPMsQTM64GIDA&usg=AFQjCNEm08Mp79A3SkcEMD5O