First Rule of Safety: Know Your Job Mining Safety and New Employees First Rule of Safety: Knowing how to perform a job properly includes knowing how to do it safely. To protect themselves and their co-workers, new employees have to get to know their jobs inside out.
In fact, MHSA/OHSA requires it. The General Duty Clause says that employees must” comply with the MHSA/OHSA and standards” and all MHSA/OHSA rules and regulations that apply to their “own actions and conduct.” In order to meet MHSA/OHSA’s mandate, new employees have to learn the rules and the specific requirements for doing a good, safe job.
Even if they have experience doing a certain kind of job somewhere else, they may not know how to do the job your way. Orientation begins the training process that eventually creates safe, competent workers. But orientation is only the first step. Ongoing safety training has to do the rest.
- Effective, consistent training develops good safety attitudes, builds expert knowledge about the job and its hazards, and teaches the precautions that must be taken to prevent accidents and injuries.
- Lots to Know, Lots to Learn Developing safe workers is all about knowledge.
- And knowledge begins with learning the basics.
To know their jobs and work safely, new employees must learn essentials such as:
How to operate machines and equipment correctly and safely How to select and use materials, including chemicals, correctly and safely How to use protective devices, equipment, and controls such as machine guards, personal protective equipment (PPE), and ventilation How to perform routine work area safety inspections How to perform each step in a task in the proper order How to report safety problems and hazards What to do if something goes wrong
Of course, your new workers must also be made aware of all the possible dangers, including:
Types of accidents that could occur on the job Hazards present in the work area, especially hidden hazards Hazardous materials in the workplace Health risks Consequences of inattention, fooling around, and careless acts
New employees also have to be warned to be on the lookout for potential risks, such as:
Slip, trip, and fall hazards Electrical problems Chemical leaks or spills Ergonomic hazards Machine and equipment malfunctions Fire hazards Anything that just doesn’t “seem right”
: First Rule of Safety: Know Your Job
Why safety is the first priority?
Safety has a direct correlation to employee care and the quality of the employee experience. –
While this may seem obvious, it is worth mentioning that injuries in the workplace are horrible for the employee, no matter how small. Injuries or deaths don’t just affect the one employee, though. They are a huge blow to morale of the entire staff. Employees are less likely to enjoy their experience with a company if they feel their safety is being disregarded.
Safety has a direct correlation to employee retention,
Similarly to the point above, employees are more likely to stay with a company longer if they are valued. Training makes workers smarter and more capable of keeping themselves safe. With safety measures in place and training provided, the burden of worrying about safety and health is minimized for the employees.
What are the two golden rules?
Treat others as you would like others to treat you (positive or directive form) Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated (negative or prohibitive form)
What is safety practice?
Definition. Safe work practices are generally written methods outlining how to perform a task with minimum risk to people, equipment, materials, environment, and processes. Safe job procedures are a series of specific steps that guide a worker through a task from start to finish in a chronological order.
