According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, new workers are significantly more likely to be injured compared to their more experienced colleagues. In fact, 40% of all workplace injuries involve employees who have been on the job for less than one year, and one in eight injuries occur on an employee's first day. New workers are five times more likely to be injured on the job than more experienced workers.

Research shows that temp workers are especially likely to get injured in their early days on the job. This typically happens because temp workers want to prove their productivity early on, so they can roll over to a full-time employee. As a result, they may take shortcuts on safety protocols to hit their productivity numbers. It’s best to discourage this behavior by creating a probationary period for new workers: tell new hires that their job is to “get good, and then get fast.”

Get the most senior members of your staff to buy into a positive safety culture. Bring new hires in and introduce them to the senior team members so they can learn the culture and set proper expectations early on. Don’t leave new employees on an island: lack of communication leads to misunderstandings, gaps in knowledge, and higher probability of a serious accident. 

Require new hires to attend every safety meeting until they’re off their probationary status. At each safety meeting, help junior members identify which senior team members they should go to when they’re having issues. 

You can use Voxel’s Bookmark feature to store important videos of critical safety incidents. If new hires see videos of what “not to do” in their new work environment, they’ll learn fast that there are real consequences to taking shortcuts. Think of Voxel as a video training and safety onboarding tool for all new hires: keep a short list of the “top priority” safety behaviors you want all new hires to be aware of, and incorporate these videos into your training process.

Major 🔑s to Success:

• Give new hires a probationary period: instruct them to “get good, then get fast.” Make sure new hires understand best safety practices before asking them to hit productivity numbers
  
  
• Introduce new hires to senior team members: if your senior associates are focused on safety, it’ll trickle down to their juniors. Create an environment that encourages learning and communication.
  
  
• Bookmark key videos: keep a library of high-priority incidents to show during every new hire training. Make sure everyone understands there are life & death consequences to taking shortcuts with safety.