New Staff Safety Training: What to Cover in Week One

Before the first task

Prepare a short induction from the safety statement and task assessments. Identify the emergency plan, first-aid arrangements, reporting route and equipment the person will use. Decide what must be completed before the employee can do each task. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires adequate instruction, training and supervision. Section 10 specifically calls for training on recruitment, in a form and language reasonably likely to be understood, and for task-specific risks and emergency measures.

On day one, show the worker the exits, alarm, assembly point and how to report an injury, near miss or defect. Explain who supervises them and which tasks they must not undertake alone. Walk the actual workplace, including stores and delivery areas if relevant. Ask the new starter to locate key items and repeat the emergency steps. A signed form is useful, but it does not prove that a rushed explanation was understood.

Teach the job in the place it happens

During the first few days, demonstrate the safe system for each routine task. For a stock role, include load storage and handling aids. For cleaning, include chemicals, labels and disposal. For an office role, cover workstation setup and any local hazards. Show the task, let the worker practise under supervision and give feedback. Record restrictions where more practice is needed. Do not assume that a course completion screen replaces observation with the actual equipment.

Introduce personal protective equipment only where the assessment calls for it. Explain its purpose, fit, limitations, storage and replacement. The worker also needs to understand the controls that come before PPE: safe layout, guards, handling aids and planned procedures. If a job involves work at height, machinery or other higher-risk activity, check the relevant competence and method before assignment.

Make the week a sequence

A workable pattern is day one for essential emergency and site rules; days two and three for supervised task practice; and the end of the week for a check of understanding and remaining training needs. The sequence is an example, not a legal timetable. High-risk tasks may need training before any attempt; some roles need longer supervised practice. Keep the employee out of tasks they have not yet been prepared to perform safely.

Ask simple scenario questions rather than only “Do you understand?” What would you do if the usual trolley were missing, an alarm sounded or a chemical label were unreadable? Let the employee show the answer. Where English is not the worker’s strongest language, use instruction in a form and language they can understand and verify the result. A translated handout alone does not show comprehension.

Record and follow up

Keep an induction record with date, topics, trainer, worker, task demonstrations, assessment and outstanding actions. Link it to the current risk assessment rather than filing it as an isolated checklist. The HSA lists training records among useful safety-statement review materials. Set a date to check the worker after they have done the job in normal conditions. Ask whether the written procedure matches what experienced colleagues actually do.

Training continues after week one. Section 10 also identifies transfer, task changes, new equipment, new work systems and new technology as points when instruction may be needed. Review the programme after a near miss or change in risk, and repeat training where appropriate. A short, well-supervised induction followed by correction is more useful than a long first-day presentation nobody can remember.

What a manager should hear by Friday

The new worker should be able to explain the main hazards of their tasks, demonstrate key controls, find help and describe how to report a problem. If any answer is uncertain, keep supervision in place and close the gap. That is a stronger week-one outcome than a completed attendance sheet.

Three mistakes to avoid in the first week

First, delivering every module on the first morning and assuming it has been retained. Break instruction into pieces close to the task and revisit the key steps after the worker has tried them. Second, assigning a supervisor without allowing time to supervise. Give the named person a manageable workload and a clear decision about when the newcomer may work independently. Third, treating a signed form as the end of the process. Ask for a demonstration and invite questions after a normal shift.

If a new starter discloses a concern about a task, review it promptly and discreetly. The answer may be a different aid, more practice or a change to the method. An induction should help the employer learn about the work as well as instruct the employee.