Strengthen your orientation and training program to get results

Orientation and training are fundamental components of any health and safety program.

“Never underestimate the value of good training,” says Alyson Smith, Health and Safety Consultant with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). A strong orientation and training program not only helps employers meet their legal requirements for health and safety, but it can also boost employee retention and provide a competitive advantage with clients. “For employers, your orientation and training program is the first impression you will make with new hires. It’s your chance to communicate the organization’s values and priorities and set the tone for health and safety.”

She quickly points out there is a substantial difference between training and good training. “When done well, your orientation and training is setting your workers and company up for success. When done poorly, you are taking on enormous risk.”

Remember that every workplace is unique

Employers have a legal obligation to inform workers of the hazards they will encounter while performing their job and the control measures that have been implemented to prevent injury and illness. Employers must provide training to all employees and that training should be specific to the tasks they will perform and the hazards they will encounter.

“Your orientation and training program sets the stage for what the expectations are at your workplace. This is when you explain to new employees how you are going to keep them safe at this job,” says Alyson. According to her, the best way to approach it is to assume that workers have not received any training in the past.

“Assume everyone is a blank slate,” says Alyson. Do not minimize or dismiss the need for training because of past work experience, cautions Alyson. It is very difficult to demonstrate due diligence without documented workplace-specific training, even if a worker has experience from a previous employer.

“Just because someone tells you that they have done a particular task a thousand times, it does not mean they did it correctly or that they did it using the same type of equipment,” explains Alyson. Most workplaces use different equipment, run different machines, and have different procedures, which is why an effective orientation and training program must be specific to the workplace.

4 tips to prepare impactful, effective training

Be careful not to overwhelm employees, especially new hires, with too much information in one day. Start with a detailed orientation and break it up into a few different sessions or days to ensure workers feel comfortable and have time to digest the information. “Give them an overview of the whole operation and then help them understand where they fit within it,” says Alyson. Once you have completed a detailed orientation, move on to health and safety training that addresses the hazards workers will face.

Alyson offers these four recommendations so you can prepare your orientation training and make it effective.

1. Complete a hazard assessment and create a training matrix. Break down each job task and identify the potential hazards associated with it. Doing this will tell you what type of training is required for each job. Document this information by creating a training matrix.
2. Focus on a few learning outcomes. Avoid covering too many topics at one time. Determine a few key learning outcomes that you would like employees to gain from training and focus on them.
3. Acknowledge that every person learns differently. Develop training that involves a mix of formats and styles to meet the needs of all learners. “Some people are visual learners, some learn best through conversation, and others prefer hands-on activities,” says Alyson.
4. Remove language barriers. If your workers understand only limited English, providing them with an English procedural manual or employee handbook will not be very effective. Translate training material, use images where possible, and consider having a translator during training sessions.

Confirm that employees understand what they’ve learned

Once orientation is complete, the safety training should still continue. One way to do this is to reinforce what employees have learned with brief safety talks.

 “Sometimes people nod and tell you everything is clear even when it’s not,” says Alyson. Ask direct questions to confirm understanding. Have workers demonstrate what they have learned through a combination of theoretical and practical evaluations. This will help you verify that workers understand the content. And keep the momentum going by periodically reviewing specific procedures or controls with brief safety talks.

How WSPS can help

Connect with a WSPS Health and Safety Consultant for help strengthening your orientation and training program.

Training

• Worker Health and Safety in Four Steps (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development mandatory online training)
• Managing Hazards & Risks (3.5 hours, Online Instructor-Led eLearning)
• Health and Safety Awareness for Ontario Workers (1 hour, eCourse)
• Orientation on Health and Safety for New Workers (1.5 hour, eCourse)
• Supervisor Responsibilities and Due Diligence (4 hours, Online Instructor-Led eLearning)
• Health and Safety for Small Business (eCourse, 1 hour)

Resources

• Employee Orientation and Training Checklist
• Health and Safety Handbook Generator
• New multi-language resources help raise workers’ awareness of 8 significant hazards
• Protect New and Young Workers with the Orientation Tool
• New Worker Orientation Guide
• Safety in 60 Seconds: What is the best way to train new and young workers? (Video)
• When Employing New Canadians, What Should be Included in Orientation Training (video)