Essential Safety Training for New Employees

By Tyler Doupe'

Safety training is important at every stage of employment, but it is especially crucial when an employee begins with a new company or transitions to a different role within their current organization.  Properly trained employees are better equipped to identify workplace hazards and avoid on-the-job accidents. Taking the time to proactively educate new employees about workplace safety ensures that they have the tools they need in the event something unexpected happens. Neglecting to provide essential safety training for new employees at the start of their tenure leaves workers especially vulnerable at a time when they are already at increased risk of on-the-job injury.

In fact, Travelers.com reports that more than one-third of workplace accidents happen within the first year of employment, underscoring the profound importance of safety training during the orientation phase. 

The type of training an employee requires when commencing new employment will vary from one field to the next, but learning the fundamentals is the universal first step toward a safe and productive tenure. While there is always nuance between industries, some fundamentals apply universally across a large number of fields. 

The core tenants that should be imposed upon new employees in nearly any industry include but are not limited to:

• What to do in an emergency
• The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as it pertains to their specific role
• An overview of hazardous chemicals that the employee is expected to encounter during the course of their job duties
• Where to find Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
• And the organization’s Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

The person delivering safety training to new employees should ensure that the material is presented in language that the employee can understand, and it should contain a hands-on component whenever possible.

During the orientation phase, employees should be encouraged to take an active role in maintaining a safe workplace, and they should be empowered to report any issues or concerns to their supervisor.

On the whole, thorough safety training during the orientation phase is crucial. An employee armed with the fundamentals at the onset of employment has the tools they need to stay safer in the workplace. Ineffective or incomplete training can lead to dire consequences.

For a more in-depth look at workplace safety, you can check out OSHAcademy Course 601: Essentials of Occupational Safety and Health.