The Importance of Safety Orientations in Onboarding

Minimizing workplace injuries is vital for businesses across industry lines. Especially as it pertains to new employees, 在入职过程中实施安全导向可以在预防伤害方面发挥重要作用. In fact, 最近的研究发现，40%的职业伤害发生在工作不到一年的工人身上.

With this in mind, businesses can’t afford to ignore the importance of safety orientations in onboarding. 这篇文章提供了更多美高美集团4688为什么新工人更容易受到工伤的信息, 概述了在入职过程中纳入安全导向的主要好处，并提供了实施这些导向的最佳实践.

Why New Employees Are More Susceptible to Workplace Injuries

新员工更有可能在工作中受伤有几个原因, including the following:

• Negative past experiences-新员工可能有在缺乏强大安全文化或未能提供充足资源的公司工作的经验, making them less knowledgeable on occupational hazards and mitigation strategies. 
• Incorrect assumptions and poor training—In addition to having negative experiences with previous employers, 新员工的现任雇主可能会错误地认为这些员工已经接受了充分的安全培训，或者错误地认为那些有“常识”的人 should be able to avoid occupational injuries without any training. Thus, 雇主可能会把所有的入职流程都集中在任务完成和工作表现上，而不是安全上. As a result, these employees may receive little or no safety education, making it increasingly difficult for them to combat potential hazards.
• Decreased familiarity and comfortability—New employees are often less familiar with their work environment, job responsibilities and related hazards. For instance, 这些工人可能不知道在某些任务中何时使用个人防护装备, how to handle dangerous materials or substances, whom to report safety concerns to, or how to respond amid workplace incidents and emergencies. 这种不熟悉反过来又会使新员工更容易受到职业伤害. Making matters worse, 希望留下良好第一印象的新员工可能不太愿意主动询问有关工作场所安全的问题, thus remaining uninformed on critical topics.

Key Benefits of Safety Orientations in Onboarding

将安全导向纳入其入职流程的企业可能会获得广泛的好处, such as the following:

• Bolstered safety awareness—First and foremost, 在入职过程中加入安全导向可以帮助企业提高新员工对周围环境和相关危险的认识, 为他们提供必要的资源，以便在他们开始新的角色时适当地保护自己. From there, 这些员工可能会觉得自己更有权力优先考虑安全问题，如果他们对工作场所的危险有疑问，也不会害怕向同事或主管咨询. Altogether, such heightened safety awareness can lead to fewer occupational incidents and injuries, ultimately fostering a happier and healthier workforce.

• Reduced costs—Some businesses may believe that the costs of implementing safety orientations in their onboarding processes outweigh the benefits; however, these orientations are well worth the investment. After all, the initial expenses of developing and presenting these orientations carry a small price tag compared to the costs of occupational injuries; according to the latest data from the National Safety Council, companies pay an average of $42,000 per medically consulted workplace injury. By helping minimize employee injuries, these orientations can also reduce related workers’ compensation claims and expenses, thus posing even greater cost savings.

• Increased compliance—Various state, local and federal agencies (e.g., 职业安全与健康管理局(OSHA)和行业组织制定了相关法规，要求企业为员工提供针对特定工作和危险的安全培训. As such, 在入职过程中包括安全导向可以帮助公司遵守适用的标准. 
• Improved morale and retention—By providing staff with safety education amid the onboarding process, 企业可以有效地建立坚实的职场文化，并明确表示他们重视员工的健康和福祉. This can help workers feel supported and boost their overall morale, 从而提高生产力水平，同时将职业事故和伤害降至最低. Furthermore, 这种安全教育可以帮助企业展示保护员工的承诺, encouraging these workers to stay loyal to their employers and limiting turnover rates

Tips for Conducting Safety Orientations

在安全培训期间提供的信息可能会根据公司的工作环境和上岗员工的工作职责而有所不同. Yet, 这里有一些建议，供各种规模和行业的企业在提供这些培训时考虑:

• Ensure relevant information. 企业应制定涉及其设施特有的危害和减灾战略的安全方针, workplace equipment and employees’ roles.
• Provide helpful resources. It’s best for businesses to include a range of workplace resources (e.g., safety manuals, injury reporting protocols, incident response measures and return-to-work processes) and third-party content (e.g., OSHA or industry-specific programs) in safety orientations.
• Make it interesting. 企业应该考虑使用可视化演示和动手模块，让员工在安全培训期间保持参与. 对企业来说，利用定期讨论和测验来衡量员工对所提供信息的理解也很重要.
• Follow up. Even after employees have been fully onboarded, 企业应该不断跟进这些工人，以确保他们拥有在工作中保持安全所需的一切. Over time, 企业应继续通过日常培训对员工进行工作场所安全教育.

Conclusion

Although new employees are often more susceptible to occupational injuries, 在入职过程中纳入安全导向可以帮助企业适当地保护这些工人并减少此类事件. Contact us today for more risk management solutions.

本风险洞察并非详尽无遗，任何讨论或意见也不应被视为法律建议. Readers should contact legal counsel or an insurance professional for appropriate advice. © 2023 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.