The ultimate guide to effective safety inductions

Safety inductions are conducted by safety and human resource teams to support the incorporation of new workers or external contractors. By having a proper, thorough safety induction process for new employees, your company can make sure that all new hires have all the information they need to start in their new position, including safety and quality standards and the organization’s culture.

Read on to find out how to create or improve your company’s safety inductions, from what topics to cover to a step-by-step breakdown that you can easily follow.

What is safety induction?

When your company takes in new employees, contractors, or visitors, it’s standard practice to give them a safety induction to introduce them to your workplace safety protocols before they can begin any work. This usually covers risks and hazards in the job site that they should know about, how to use equipment safely, emergency procedures, and who to contact in case of an emergency.

The goal is to make sure that everyone understands how to work safely, minimizing any possibility of accidents. Safety inductions are especially critical in high-risk industries like manufacturing, construction, mining, logistics, and healthcare, but in other settings–such as offices–you can also hold quick, basic safety inductions.

Topics to include in safety inductions

Your safety induction process should be thorough, but the information should also be presented in an interesting, relevant way so new employees and contractors can take it all in. You can run through this list when designing your safety inductions:

• Workplace hazards – The safety induction would ideally focus on top hazards, depending on your industry and the worksite. For example, in manufacturing, that would be avoiding accidents when working with equipment, while in construction, that might be working at height.
• Site-specific safety rules – Each workplace has its own safety requirements.
• Safety responsibilities and practices – Every team member has their own role in upholding safety. New hires should be aware right away of how to perform their tasks correctly, with step-by-step instructions and precautions for each task. You might use demonstrations or detailed written guides for these.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) – Show employees if they need any types of PPEs during certain tasks and how to use them properly. You can also show them how to maintain these PPE over time.
• Emergency procedures – Consider the most likely emergencies in the worksite, like fires, chemical spills, or earthquakes. employees should be aware of how to handle these, from knowing where the fire exits are to first aid protocols.
• Accident reporting – Employees should know the proper steps for reporting accidents and near-misses that they notice, including who to notify.
• Compliance and future training – Don’t forget to also describe the most relevant health and safety policies, along with any scheduled trainings for the future and how your company handles compliance requirements.

Nine basic components of the safety induction process

The safety induction process is a major part of onboarding. Every organization, large or small, should design its induction process in such a way that new staff feel as comfortable as possible from the start and supported as they settle into their new role.

The following nine components are typical for a safety induction: 

1. Pre-start email – It is advisable to send an email with relevant information days before the start. For example, with information about what you need to bring on the first day of work, required safety gear, and on-site protocols.
2. Walk through the facilities – Guide new hires around the workspace so they know where the emergency exits, first-aid stations, and hazard-prone areas are. You can also take the opportunity to give them a brief informal introduction to the rest of the workers.
3. Access card – If employees need to have some kind of ID or access card to gain access to the building, make sure they are available for their first day.
4. Credentials for access to the platforms – Organizes all users and accesses of new employees, such as access to their work mail or any other digital tool that is used. These might include safety training modules or safety reporting apps.
5. Regulatory documents – On the first day during the induction, it will also be necessary to complete some formalities such as signing the contract, a copy of your identity card, or health insurance. Make sure that you reserve at least one hour to complete the paperwork.
6. Basic information – Provide a presentation or a brochure so that the new employee has a good idea of the company’s safety policies, especially the most important protocols and common risks.
7. Safety mentor – Before the start of the first day of work, assign a responsible person that the new employee can approach with questions during his or her induction period.
8. Task description – Make a detailed description of each and every task the new hire will perform in the position, complete with any extra safety protocols they need to follow.
9. Informal meetings with colleagues – Organize informal meetings with coworkers or the safety team so that new hires can introduce themselves and share observations or ask questions. A good idea is to plan 10-15 minute breaks so that you can introduce yourselves over coffee. 

A good safety induction process is not universal–its nature and length depend on both the complexity and risk level of the job and the background of the new employee. In large companies, it is worth having different induction checklists for different divisions, departments and job levels.

It also depends on the type of contract. There should be a suitable induction checklist for employees on fixed-term and short-term contracts.

Pros and cons: Group vs. individual safety inductions

Ideally, all new employees should receive an individual safety induction program, but if you have recruited a group of employees, a group induction is more comfortable. A group process in the company can consist of individual meetings and joint presentations conducted as part of a safety induction course for a group of new employees.

The advantages of a group safety induction course are obvious: it saves time for managers and new employees. It also gives them clear, consistent information about the company’s safety protocols and values. Presentations, visits, and tours, as well as off-site training and introductions to suppliers, customers, and contractors, can all be done in one go. In addition, the new employees can make their first contacts beyond their work area.

However, a group induction also has its disadvantages. One in particular, stands out: In a mixed group of new employees working in different areas, a number of topics may be uninteresting to each other. In addition, too much information can be included in a group induction, which can overwhelm a new employee in a short time.

Companies might also delay induction training for weeks after a new employee joins the company in order to include him or her in a group induction. This can disrupt his integration into the work team.

Best practices for conducting safety inductions

There are several ways to hold a safety induction, but here are some tips for maximizing their impact and keeping people prepared from day one.

Make safety inductions an interactive, two-way process. Don’t only give lectures–vary up the format a bit too. Aside from hands-on demonstrations where new workers can practice using the techniques directly, add in a lot of visuals to any presentations, including videos and animations as needed. You can also end sessions with small quizzes (whether on-site or through an app) to check if there are any gaps in what you presented.

Give real-life examples and case studies. Safety rules can seem abstract at first, but when employees see how they work in practical, everyday contexts, they can better visualize how to apply them. For example, if you’re explaining about slips and fall hazards, you can describe a scenario where an employee is rushing to complete a task and doesn’t notice a wet floor sign.

Use a safety induction checklist that covers the whole process, complete with all safety topics that should be covered. As you go through each step of the safety induction, check off the corresponding items. You can even come up with quick induction checklists for each new worker that they should submit back to you once they’ve completed all the steps.

A digital tool to create your own safety induction checklist

With a digital app, you can easily create an induction checklist for new workers. The digital tool completes the induction process, prevents skipped steps, and records all important data. It guarantees that the employee receives training according to internal standards.

Induction processes are often time-consuming. The Lumiform app ensures that the schedule is adhered to. All employees receive notifications about the process and due dates. Benefit from further advantages of a digital tool for your induction checklist:

• The flexible checklist builder from Lumiform helps you to convert any individual paper list into a digital induction checklist without much effort.
• Monitor your team’s employee induction conformance and identify opportunities to improve the process and efficiency of your operation.
• All results are automatically bundled in a digital induction report.
• Add detailed notes and images as additional guidance to your induction checklist.
• Access your induction checklists from anywhere at any time. Work together as a team to progress towards a successful induction.
• Let the new employees confirm their participation in the introduction with an electronic signature