Online Induction >> Contractor Orientation
Published 20/08/2022

Contractor Safety Orientation - What to include and why it's important

Safety starts with you, and it's up to every employee and contractor to ensure that they have every piece of information regarding safety in the workplace. Working and staying safe throughout the project time is a duty that needs to be played by the employer. So, how does the employer ensure safety in the workplace?

It is through implementing contractor safety orientation. Safety orientation ensures contractors and their employees are safe while in their respective areas of work. Contractor safety orientation eliminates workplace hazards and saves time that could be used for treatment.

Benefits of contractor safety orientation

- Prevent incidents

As they say, information is power, and staying informed about what may happen while on duty helps employees evade some processes that can harm them. The employer creates awareness during orientation of the possible accidents and introduces them to the workplace. By so doing, the contractor and employees are familiar with the environment.

- Sets the mentality of a safe working environment

Once the contractor and employees are informed about the safety matters, they become psychologically prepared about what may befall them while on duty. They acknowledge and understand the need for safety measures while on site from the first to the last day.

- Resource-saving

Employers who do not value contractor safety orientation suffer financial losses from repeated hospital bills and compensating employees who suffer serious injuries. An orientation on the first day of work provides general information about the client's safety protocols.

Components of contractor safety orientation

1. Critical safety information

It's the most significant component to include in a contractor safety orientation. The goal of orientation is to ensure the contractor and employees are informed about safety and be included in the workforce. Safety information includes; slippery floors, steep staircases, tall buildings that require strong ladders, hazardous substances, speed limit, etc.

2. Company culture

Initially, orientation dealt with safety information only, but companies realized the importance of culture. Companies are setting a culture of safety where employees are educated on how to observe safety rules. When new employees join the company, they imitate what has been established by the workers. A strong company culture empowers workers to participate.

3. Reporting procedure

OSHA dictates that all employers have reporting procedures in their contractor safety orientation. Workers should have a chain of command for reporting injuries, near misses, illness, hazards, and how to respond promptly. Workers should be free from the fear of reprisal when reporting such incidences. A good workplace should have a team for handling complaints from employees.

4. Health and Safety

The health and safety of workers matter because a company's productivity depends on the workforce. Health and safety issues within the company and its environment should be discussed in the orientation document for the employees to understand and find means of avoiding them.

5. Equipment safety

Executing duties involves using manufactured equipment, which poses health and safety issues to the contractor and the employees. The orientation document should contain all the equipment used throughout the project. The equipment list should not include faulty equipment that can injure employees.

6. Emergency response

Contractors and employees need to know what measures the employer has put in place to respond to emergencies in the workplace. The contractor needs to know the response time after notifying the employer.

7. Social well-being

Before joining the employer, the contractor should know the existing behavior in the company. Employee harassment and bullying have become rampant in the modern work environment, thus limiting affected employees from executing their duties as expected.

8. Personal protective equipment

Having the required personal protective equipment for every contractor and employee is essential. Personal protective equipment lowers the chances of getting injured if a misfortune happens. According to OSHA, all employees should be provided with the proper protective equipment before commencing work.

The contractor's health and safety should come first before every other activity. It's employers' mandate to ensure employees' safety by providing orientation and creating awareness about the importance of observing safety measures.

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