Tom is a new employee at XYZ Company Ltd which just started operating 3 months ago. The company provides administrative support to several construction contractors. On his first day Tom inquired about when he would receive his New Employee Orientation and OHS Training. His supervisor chuckled and explained to Tom that there was no need since he would be working in an office environment and was coming in with over 15 years’ experience as an Administrative Assistant. Tom was surprised at first but thought it was for the best since there was already a stack of documents for him to process waiting for him at his new desk.
Having a safety orientation and training program will ensure that any new employee joining the company is trained on how to be safe while working before they even start working. Many organizations might avoid having such a program, primarily due to the cost implications of doing so (Robson et al., 2016). Even though the costs associated with inducting and training new hires might be high, the benefits that accrue to an organization and its employees when this happens will, in the long run, make this financial investment a worthwhile one (Robson et al., 2016). Although undertaking safety and health orientation and training for new hires might be a time-consuming and complex process, especially for supervisors such as Tom’s, doing this is still important. In line with this, Tom’s supervisor should endeavor to stay updated on industry best practice safety and training policies. Doing this will ensure that all new employees such as Tom receive the best possible and accurate information that will help them acquire pertinent knowledge and skills to enhance their workplace safety and health (Robson et al., 2016). Having a safety orientation training program is not enough to guarantee such outcomes, especially when it is not implemented by supervisors. In line with this, Tom’s supervisor should ensure that once the company comes up with a new employee safety orientation training program, it is comprehensively implemented on every occasion the company brings onboard new employees (Robson et al., 2016). Furthermore, doing this will ensure that new employees are familiar with the company’s
