Safety Training for New Hires

One of the most crucial times for business owners, especially in the lumber and wood industry, to train their employees is during the first six months on the job when they are at higher risk of injuries. In order to protect and retain quality employees, it is key for your clients to effectively train their new employees on best safety practices. Here are some tips you can share with your wood clients on training for new hires. 

Planning your safety training 

One of the first steps to take is determining what topics need to be covered. The safety topics should encompass both general hazards, which are applicable to all employees, and job-specific hazards. To identify these risks, conduct general hazard assessments and job-specific assessment. This can be conducted by someone familiar with the department and the tasks to be performed. 

Additional topics that should be included in your new hire safety training: 

• Regulatory required training 
• General (non-regulatory) training 
• Local policies 
• Incident reporting/return to work 
• Emergency response 
• Safety committee 
• Safety awareness methods 
• Right to refuse work or stop job if unsafe or not trained 

Shadow/Mentor Training 

Job shadowing an experienced employee provides your new hires an opportunity to learn job expectations, observe safe work practices, and ask questions to safely become familiar with their new position. It allows them to thoroughly understand how to work safely after going through their initial and job-specific training. 

Ongoing Training 

Safety training should not only be during the onboarding period, but there should be ongoing, periodic training for all your employees. 

Some topics to consider in your ongoing training: 

• Potential hazards 
• Injury trends 
• Near-miss reports 
• Company safety and claims policy reviews 

Safety Training Checklist 

Having a safety training checklist can help employers identify potential risks for newly hired employees and determine solutions for eliminating those risks.  

A basic safety training checklist should include topics such as: 

• Company safety philosophy 
• Emergency response – alarms, exits, etc. 
• Return-to-work 
• PPE requirements 
• Compliance-related training 
• Procedures that address workplace hazards 
• Tools and equipment that support safety 
• Behaviors and/or techniques to work safely 
• Policies that relate to safety 
• Reporting unsafe condition or behavior 
• Safety committee members and meetings (if applicable) 
• Mentorship program/buddy system 

New hire safety training is most effective when paired with periodic safety observations by an experienced mentor or supervisor. Leaders should set the expectations with their employees and hold them accountable. Consider check-ins at various intervals to assess whether the new employee can work independently to reassure them that the company truly cares about their safety and elevate safety culture within the organization. 

Appropriate safety training methods are not only necessary to meet regulatory requirements but are the key to long-term success in reducing potential employee risk. By investing in a high-quality new hire safety training program, your clients are taking care of their employees, controlling their workers’ compensation premiums, and avoiding potential OSHA penalties.