Have you ever been somewhere new and all of sudden realized that you don't know where to go or who to talk to? Maybe you've tried to look for something important and had no idea of where it is? or had something explode near you and had to run for life not knowing where the exit is? Well maybe not that last one, however these are problems which can face many new contractors, employees etcetera when coming onto a new site. It is important then that they are orientated/inducted to the specifics of your site. This provides people with an idea of what to expect and the potential dangers that they will face. However, in many cases the passing of this information is known to vary from something as simple as a handshake to a 5-6-hour presentation offsite. Due to these discrepancies, site inductions can sometimes miss the important details.
Important details such as what to do in an emergency (which isn’t as obvious as you might think, and no-one wants to learn during the event). This means covering the location of the emergency shut off switches, first aid kits, fire extinguishers other emergency equipment and what to do with them.
What should you include?
Informing new employees about site relvant first aid is of high importance. Your contractors may likely already know some basic first aid; however, it won’t hurt to remind people what to do, particularly on points specific to the work site this could include anything from flora and fauna such as bees (if there is a hive nearby or it is a particularly active area for them) and harmful plants through to dangerous chemicals whether they are flammable or have toxic properties that are best avoided.
So, let’s say someone notices something unsafe on the site, are they going to know how to report it? It is pretty safe to assume that most places will have differences in their reporting. Is it a simple process that won’t cause more issues? Is it quick and easy to access? The inclusion of a mobile app for reporting in your site induction can cut down greatly on misinformation in reporting incidents and response time.
It's not just what you include
Another important factor to take into account when developing your site inductions is the language barrier. Not addressing this correctly can lead to misinterpretations or incomplete instructions, potentially causing serious issues. This can be as simple as using jargon or slang in your induction through to not catering for hearing impairments or using an unfamiliar language. It is important to take these into account when creating your induction.
Other things of importance to include are an introduction video (or videos for specific areas), a step by step checklist, who to report to and who’s in charge of what. The other important factor is maintaining the line between the information they need and time. Making it too long can lead to a lack of interest and frustration, make it too short and you risk skipping important information.
