Worker Orientation

At this time of year, many people start thinking about summer BBQ’s and vacations but you are likely ramping up for the busiest time of the year. 

In addition to logistics and pre-contract meetings, the sudden arrival of dozens - sometimes hundreds -of planters to your worksite brings with it the responsibility of worker orientations.

 An orientation is an opportunity to introduce workers to the jobsite, job tasks and associated hazards.  For many companies, an orientation is a one-time session designed to get your planters out onto the block as quickly as possible.

However, orientations are an important part of setting up your season to be both safe and highly productive.  The orientation process, if done correctly, can improve worker satisfaction and save time and money by setting clear expectations and formally following up to ensure a planter’s actions are aligned with the overall safety, production and quality goals of the company.   

According to Regulation 3.22, a young worker is defined as any worker who is under 25 years of age.

A new worker is defined by Regulation 3.23 as any worker who is:

(a) new to the workplace,

(b) returning to a workplace where the hazards in that workplace have changed during the worker's absence,

(c) affected by a change in the hazards of a workplace, or

(d) relocated to a new workplace if the hazards in that workplace are different from the hazards in the worker's previous workplace;

Due to the seasonal nature of silviculture and our workforce demographics we have a proportionately high number of new and young workers.  Young workers, particularly males, represent a high percentage of workplace incidents and more than half of these incidents happen during the first six months on the job (WSBC).  For the majority of silviculture companies, this means the entire season is considered a high risk period for incidents.   An effective orientation is a critical part of keeping your crews safe.

There are a number of ways your start up meetings on-board your workers - some which you may not have considered:

Company orientation:  The company orientation is where your new or returning workers are familiarized with your policies and procedures as they relate to safety, production, quality and general conduct.  Letting your planters know they will be left behind if they are not in the truck when the crew is ready to leave sends a message that production is an important value in your company.

Job orientation: The job or task part of the orientation gives workers specific information about the hazards, work instructions, policies and procedures related to their duties.  For example, you may discuss the company policy on wearing suitable footwear for the block because it helps to reduce slip, trip or fall injuries.

These two aspects give a worker clear information about what the rules are that should govern their actions and decisions on the job.  The third aspect, cultural orientation, is often unintentionally communicated but can attribute to misalignment between what you say you expect and what the company’s underlying values and beliefs appear to be to the worker, leading to risky behaviour and injuries.

Cultural orientation:  The cultural orientation is often an indirect or unintended introduction to “the way we do business around here”.  The language, tone, actions and behaviour of the person giving the orientation or co-workers (particularly supervisors, management and owners) of the new or young worker sends strong signals about what is acceptable and unacceptable conduct.  For instance, a supervisor may say it is company policy that all workers wear PPE on the job but then fail to put on their seatbelt.  The cultural orientation can have a significant impact on a new or young worker’s decision making and behaviour.

 Effective orientations can be difficult.  Start-up creates time pressures for supervisors, crews can be disinterested and complacency from years of covering the same material can all affect the value of doing an orientation.              

But good safety management can save you the cost of injuries, repairs on equipment or unexpected downtime.  When coupled with high quality planting and strong production you set the stage for maximizing revenue.  On-boarding your planters with good orientations is the first step to making this your best season yet.

Best practices in orientations:

• Set up the conditions for learning.  Where possible, ensure the space you are holding your orientation in is heated and comfortable with minimal distractions.  Allow yourself enough time to cover the material fully and to answer questions.
• Have a plan: While WorkSafeBC provides a template as a good starting point for orientations, include additional information as it relates to your worksite.  Review your orientation to see if you’ve provided enough information to ensure your workers are properly prepared to face the hazards of the job and understand your expectations as their employer.
• Use a variety of methods to communicate the information:  Ask the group for their answers instead of strictly lecturing.  This helps to engage your crews in the learning and often does not take much longer.  Or use a drill or scenario to have workers think about how they would respond to a given situation.  Use humour or anecdotes to reinforce concepts as appropriate.
• Make your orientation a process: The first meeting provides the information.  Tailgate meetings and worker observations give you an on-going opportunity to check for understanding. Every time you talk to your crews you have a chance to coach for the type of behaviour you would like to see – whether it’s around work ethic or risk taking. 
• Lead by example. Your planters will take their cue from you on what is important.   Failure to follow the rules your company has established or downplaying the importance of your safety meetings (I call this ‘dropping “S” bombs’ - “OK, I know it’s another boring safety meeting but Worksafe makes us do them...”) only makes it harder for you to manage employee’s behaviour.  Actions speak louder than words.

 Why are young workers

injured on the job?

• Inexperience and lack of training                             

• Lack of confidence or

understanding of their rights               

as workers

• Lack of preparation for the

workplace

• Lack of supervision

• Asked to do more dangerous

jobs

• Sense of youthful invincibility

• Unwillingness to ask questions

Learn more:

WorkSafeBC’s Young & New Worker Orientation package

Key steps for an effective orientation – article from Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety

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