You need to provide new and young workers with sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure that they are competent to work safely.
An induction into the business, including working through your current policies and procedures, is a great way to convey safety standards and expectations to new workers.
It is your responsibility, so far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure that your workers are not put at risk from the way you conduct your business or the work undertaken by your business. This duty also extends to others in their workplace, such as clients, visitors, customers and volunteers.
You are required to provide:
- a safe work environment
- safe plant and structures
- safe systems of work
- safe use and handling of plant, structures and substances
- adequate facilities to support the welfare of workers
- information, training, instruction and supervision
- monitoring of workers’ health and workplace conditions to prevent illness or injury.
Induction
You must ensure your new workers receive effective induction, training and information. An induction is where you explain how you manage work health and safety at your workplace. You should cover:
- your workplace's health and safety policies
- the hazards and risks specific to your workplace and your employees job, and how they can control these
- who your employee should speak to if they are concerned about a health & safety matter
- the safe work procedures
- your emergency procedures
- who the first aiders, fire wardens and health and safety representatives are in your workplace
- the incident or hazard reporting procedures
- other work matters such as who to tell (and how) if they’re sick, pay and time keeping, working hours, eating and parking facilities, and any social matters.
To make your induction effective:
- pace your induction over several days; as new workers they may feel overwhelmed with too much information at once
- give clear verbal and written instructions
- demonstrate and explain how to perform tasks safely; watch them do it and correct any mistakes
- encourage them to ask questions
- involve their supervisor and health and safety representative
- follow up with support visits and training sessions
- be patient.
Workplace behaviour
Workplace behaviour is a health and safety matter. Inappropriate behaviour in the workplace is not acceptable. You can eliminate or minimise the risk of inappropriate behaviours in your workplace by introducing proactive approaches and policies that create a co-operative respectful culture.
Young workers, particularly those starting a job for the first time, are usually unaware of how to deal with bullying, discrimination and other inappropriate behaviours. Be aware that some new or young workers may be afraid or reluctant to speak up about discrimination, harassment and bullying, until it’s too late. It’s vital that you create an environment where young workers feel comfortable raising these issues.
Creating a safe workplace is the responsibility of both employer and employee, and the best way to achieve this is to ensure that your workplace safety procedures and protocols are communicated effectively throughout the entire company.
Effective Ways to Communicate Workplace Safety
Here are 9 easy ways to communicate safety in your workplace.
- Send an email/newsletter. You should be communicating regularly with your employees ensuring that they are kept up to date with news and information, and changes to safety procedures or protocols. Try having a monthly safety focus, or send out a ‘safety snippet’ with every paycheck.
- Ensure you have adequate signage throughout the workplace. Have engaging posters or infographics in places where all employees go ie where they sign on/off, or the lunchroom. Make sure as well there are adequate signages in high-risk areas, or where extra PPE may be needed.
- Use pictures and videos. In both the above points, you need to be engaging your employees, and using visuals is the best way to do this. Try using images and videos to get the message across, and to demonstrate the correct procedure.
- Hold regular meetings. Make workplace safety a priority for everyone, by engaging them and asking them if they have any concerns, and to review safety procedures. Making safety meetings mandatory will also help keep safety at the top of the employee’s minds.
- Require appropriate training. Safety training should be a mandatory requirement for new employees and regular training sessions should be scheduled to refresh existing staffs skills and knowledge.
- Make it part of the employee review process. Show employees that you take workplace safety seriously, by incorporating it in their review process, and hold them responsible for unsafe activities. Don’t forget to also reward those who help create a safe workplace.
- Don’t skimp on the safety gear budget. Saving yourself a little bit of money on cheaply made PPE could cause you big money in the long run. Investing in the right gear will protect your workers, and show them that you care.
- Routine safety checks. It’s better to find a safety threat earlier, than when it’s too late and a worker has been injured. Make it part of the supervisor’s role to undertake routine safety checks, ensuring all workers are wearing correct PPE and using equipment safety.
- Share case studies and incident reports. Help workers really understand the danger and consequences of workplace injuries by showing them real-life case studies and putting real people behind the statistics and warnings. Doing so will bring the message closer to home, and will stay at the back of their minds when working.
ALSO READ: 7 Steps to create a PPE Program that Really Works
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seep Contributor
Post by seep » Sun Jul 03, 2016 6:30 am
Hi Lorina!
I am back with a break with my diploma assignments
4 Maintain WHS incident records in the work area according to workplace procedures and legislative requirements