By Ethan Davis
As an Owner or Manager you must ensure that all employees know about the material and equipment they work with, what known hazards are in the operation, and how you are controlling the hazards?
Each employee needs to know the following:
No employee is expected to undertake a job until he or she has received job instructions on how to do it properly and has been authorized to perform that job.
No employee should undertake a job that appears unsafe.
Combine safety training with other training, the result you want is everyone knowing what they need to know to keep themselves and fellow workers safe and healthy.
During employee orientation, they should be given a copy of the company's Safety Policy Statement, and the company's Safety Program should be discussed with them.
After the initial employee orientation, and for existing employees, your safety program can be communicated by a variety of techniques and methods. Regular meetings could be scheduled during which safety is openly discussed. Attendance should be required for all employees. If properly planned, effective safety meetings can be held in a 15-20 minute time frame. Other methods could be posters on bulletin boards, safety and health booklets, safety signs, newsletters, safety banners, safety films/videos, etc.
As changes are made to your safety program, keep your employees informed. The more you do to keep them informed of the changes and improvements you are making, the greater are the chances for your success.
All safety training meetings should be documented. The date of the meeting, name of the instructor, subject discussed, and the names of the employees attending the meeting should be documented on an attendance form.