What’s the greatest challenge of starting a new job? For many new workers, it’s figuring out how to get up to speed as quickly as possible. Increasingly, employers want employees to “hit the ground running,” but that can be difficult when new workers face a daunting series of orientations designed to instill critical operations protocols and safety guidelines.
Even if you’re a seasoned worker who hasn’t started a new job in years, you’ve seen your share of new workers who you must help onboard. Helping new workers learn the ropes is the responsibility of many seasoned workers, so it should be easy for them to empathize with those just starting their career journey.
Every workplace has its own unique set of operational guidelines and safety protocols. Some industries, such as manufacturing, have more of such rules and regulations because of the dangers inherent in the workplace.
For example, when your workplace consists of hundreds of workers interacting with complex machinery powered by electricity, hydraulics, and pneumatics, the potential for serious injury or even death dictates that a variety of policies and procedures must be followed to ensure the safety of the workforce, as well as the quality of the finished product.
Despite the obvious need for safety standards and procedures designed to minimize workplace injuries, at the end of the day we’re all human. Very real pressures exist to maximize productivity and efficiency while maintaining an acceptable level of quality. Unfortunately, those pressures sometimes lead to decisions that can have dangerous—or even deadly—consequences.
For example, a recent EHS Today article cites a SafetyCulture report titled “Feedback from the Field” that concluded that “growing expectations on frontline workers to prioritize speed over standards…resulted in 27% of workers saying they are pressured to cut corners to save time or reduce costs.”
According to the article, “the findings paint a picture of workers feeling increasingly unsupported while being expected to maintain productivity and performance.” The result? “This behavior can risk inconsistent standards, repeated mistakes, and lower quality outcomes.”
When these pressures mount in settings with dangerous machinery, the results can be devastating. How can an employer ensure that workers are equipped to deal with pressure while maintaining compliance with applicable safety rules and regulations?
A high quality, hands-on safety training program that instills in workers the basics of safety protocols can go a long way to ensuring that temporary pressures never override the protocols that keep workers safe.
For example, establishing ongoing safety education and proper lockout/tagout procedures can go a long way to creating a culture of safety that permeates the workplace and minimizes workplace injuries. Indeed, employers looking to improve safety training should partner with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time.
For example, DAC Worldwide offers two safety training systems specifically designed to give employees the hands-on experience they need to master lock-out/tag-out skills:
- DAC Worldwide Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
- DAC Worldwide Electrical Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
Be sure to check out these training systems and contact a DAC Worldwide representative to learn how you can improve your training today!
