34 Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
Closing the Loop: Setting Up a Health & Safety System in Your Small Business
Orientation: Young workers
Young workers are eager to please. They
bring energy and enthusiasm into your
workplace. In some cases, you may be their
very first employer. The way you bring
them on board, the information that you
give them matters a lot: this experience will
shape their understanding of what it means
to work in a healthy and safe workplace
and how they contribute to that — not just
at your workplace, but the places they will
work in the future. The first few months
are critical. There are far too many young
workers who are injured in the first days or
weeks on the job. Show them the ropes:
Don't take for granted that they will always
know the right questions to ask — help
them out
Have them shadow someone who sets a
positive example
Praise them when you observe them
following safe work procedures; correct
them when they're not
Orientation: contractors,
Visitors and suppliers
Contractors, visitors and suppliers to
your location should be held to the same
standard as your employees. If personal
protective equipment is required for a
particular task, then they should be wearing
it, too. If they are performing maintenance
or repair work that poses a potential risk,
then they should tell you how they're
going to control that risk. Make it a point
to ask contractors, visitors and suppliers
to "sign in" — that way, in the event of an
emergency, you'll be able to include them in
your evacuation procedure. And make sure
that your employees are able to deliver the
same message.
