Found in: Safety Management

Site Safety Inductions

Why give a site safety induction?

It is important to brief people intending to start work or be present on your site to:

  • Ensure they understand the site specific hazards (i.e uneven ground, out-of-bounds areas etc)
  • Provide general guidance and expectations for some of the activities they will be undertaking (such as manual handling, using ladders etc.)
  • Clarify PPE requirements and the site rules
  • Communicate fist aid, evacuation and crew welfare facilities (including evacuation routes and assembly points, locations of drinking water and locations of toilets)

When and how to give a site safety induction?

The site safety induction should take place before a worker commences their activities. As contractors are often scheduled to arrive at different times it may not be possible to have one briefing, so you should ensure someone from your team is available to induct people as and when they arrive on site.

This should take place away from the work area, in a safe environment free of hazards and distractions – i.e at an entrance location that means that the induction can take place before any workers access the work site.

The key to a good induction is to be confident, keep it simple, factual and not confrontational or patronising.

Give some background or context to the project so that people feel that they are part of the team, this will make them more receptive to the site rules and requirements.

Safety inductions can take the form of a written pack of information, a toolbox talk or a more formal presentation with slides printed out or shown on a screen.

We find that using visual aids like presentation slides is the most effective way of keeping people’s attention and illustrating the points we are trying to communicate. Try and keep the the induction quick & concise and when inducting foreign workers, consider creating an induction pack in the native language or have translators available.

What should be included in the induction?

  • The project name, dates and hours of work
  • The site rules and consequences of non-compliance (e.g verbal and written warnings followed by dismissal from site)
  • Details of how to report incidents, accidents and near misses
  • Crew welfare facilities including toilets, first aid, drinking water
  • Details of the evacuation procedure and assembly point
  • Site PPE requirements
  • Key hazards that are likely to be on site (e.g. working at height, moving plant and vehicles, slips, trips and falls, members of the public)
  • More detailed guidance for higher risk hazards (e.g. proper ladder usage, manual handling)

Keep a record

Finally, ensure you get everyone to sign a register declaring that they have attended the induction, understood the content and their responsibilities.

This can be used as evidence if non-compliance or an accident occurs on site.