New Hire Orientation

All employees should complete a documented safety orientation with a supervisor/ manager, a Safety team member, or top management. The safety orientation should document all issues covered with the new hire and include a sign-off by the employee and person(s) conducting the orientation. Sign-offs verifies that important safety information, rules, procedures, protective equipment, and training were provided for the new hire. This document should become a permanent part of the employee’s file.

Ideally, the safety orientation should be completed before the new hire begins work. When this is not possible, supervisors will often conduct a safety orientation over several days, reviewing safety issues as the employee learns each task and progresses from one operation to another. This allows you to use the employee at low hazard tasks until they complete the full orientation. The checklist would include the date when each item was covered. There are certain aspects of the safety orientation you should not postpone that must be covered the first day with each new hire (such as general safety rules and emergency procedures).