The risk of an accident happening at work is much higher within the first 6 months of a new employee starting their job.
In fact, the reportable injury statistics show that there were 3,316 injuries reported for employees within the first 6 months of them commencing employment compared to just 1084 for workers with 1 – 5 years in the job.
Keeping everyone safe in the workplace is important however special circumstances should be given to new starters. In this week’s blog, we are going to look at the various measures that are required to ensure that new starters not only keep themselves safe but everyone else in the workplace too.
Assess Capability and Provide an Induction
Before a new start even gets onto a construction site or any workplace where risks are present, you should assess their capability to do the job. Do they have relevant work experience and the physical capability to cope with that is expected of them? What about their familiarity with the work that their role entails?
Many accidents happen because a proper induction has not taken place. If you carry out a capability and risk assessment on the employee and provide a suitable induction then the chances of an accident occurring are significantly reduced.
You may also have to take other steps when providing information especially if new starts are migrant workers who don’t possess sufficient language or safety skills. The HSE has useful information for protecting migrant workers.
Controlling Risks For New Starts
There are certain steps you can take to control risks and the chances of an accident happening when it comes to new starters.
For example, emphasising the importance of reporting not just accidents but near misses, making existing employees aware that an employee is new and also involving health and safety representatives in the discussions are all good methods to control the risk of an accident happening.
These risk control measures should be updated and maintained on an ongoing basis.
Supervision Is Vital
It goes without saying that extra supervision should be given to new starts on their first days, weeks and even months on the job. This applies especially to young workers and there is specific advice for this.
Providing a mentor for new starts is a good idea if possible and it can work really well to reduce the chances of an accident occurring. Ensure that the information that you have provided around health and safety is understood as well and follow up on this rather than simply assuming that it has been digested properly.
Keeping New Start Safe At Work
Having a new employee start can be a stressful time even on a busy construction site where often workers come and go on a regular basis.
These steps don’t take a lot of time or effort to implement and they should be part of your standard policy of integrating new employees into your workforce. Following these guidelines can help significantly reduce the chances of an accident happening while also ensuring that the new start and everyone else is kept safe.
