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Labour and productivity

A new worker's first day on site: an orientation that sticks

By Review.LivePublished 3 min readHow we write

A labourer hired on Friday arrives at 6:45 on Monday. The forming foreman needs hands on level 5 and says the new man can "pick it up as he goes". The labourer has never worked near a material hoist, and the level 5 edge guardrail was moved on Friday for a crane lift.

A worker wearing a hard hat and hearing protection stands inside an industrial workspace.
Photo: Cemrecan Yurtman on Unsplash

Before a new worker does any task, give a site-specific orientation: this site's hazards, rules, emergency procedures and people to ask, then a walk to where the hazards are, a demonstration of the first task and a signed record. Use the first morning to explain unfamiliar hazards before the worker encounters them. A talk in the trailer fades; a hazard shown on the spot and explained back stays.

The first morning

  1. Know who is starting: have foremen and subcontractors tell you the day before, and have the checklist, site plan and a buddy ready.
  2. Cover the essentials in the trailer: who supervises and how to reach them, site rules and hazards, protective equipment, reporting, first aid, emergencies, the muster point, and rights such as refusing unsafe work where the law provides it.
  3. Walk the site: the hoist, edges and openings and their protection, crane and traffic zones, first aid and the muster point.
  4. Show the first task, then watch the new worker do it.
  5. Check by asking them to show you, and rely on demonstration if the site's language is not their first.
  6. Record it, signed, and mark the worker as oriented on the sign-in record.
  7. Follow up: a buddy for the first week, and a new briefing whenever the hazards change.

Common mistakes

  • Handing over a binder or a video and calling it an orientation.
  • Letting the worker start "just for the morning".
  • Skipping a subcontractor's worker because their employer "did one".

Checklist

Before the first task

  • Supervisor, rules, hazards and protective equipment
  • Emergency procedures and the muster point
  • A walk to the hazards
  • The first task shown, then watched
  • Understanding checked by showing
  • A signed record and the sign-in updated
  • A buddy for the first week

Check your understanding

A subcontractor's new worker arrives at noon, already oriented at the company's shop, says their foreman. Does that replace your site orientation?

Show the answer
No. A company orientation covers the employer's rules, but not this site's hazards, emergency procedures, muster point or people. Give the site-specific part, with the walk, before the worker starts, and record it.

Sources

  1. OHS Regulation Part 3: Rights and Responsibilities (sections 3.22 to 3.25, young or new worker orientation and training)WorkSafeBC · British Columbia, Canada · accessed
  2. 29 CFR 1926.21 Safety training and education (paragraph (b)(2))Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor · United States (federal OSHA; state plans may differ) · accessed

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