New and young employees are usually eager to get to work and show their value to their boss and co-workers. While they may have previous experience and are quick to learn, ensuring they are familiar with on-site safety procedures and work practices is an investment in their success and overall health and safety.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, a young worker is any worker who is under 25 years of age while a new worker can be any age, and includes those who are:
- New to the workplace
- Facing hazards that have changed or developed while they were at work or absent from work
- In a new workplace or location that has different hazards than the old one
The orientation and training of new and young workers is required by the Regulation and is a part of UBC’s overall Health and Safety Program.
Providing effective orientation and training is the best way to prevent workplace incidents that can cause injuries or damage to property and equipment. As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring that your workers are prepared for the job before they start working. This includes training workers on their specific tasks, and providing supervision and ongoing training so that they continue to work safely. Even experienced workers will require re-orientation if their work circumstances change or new hazards develop (i.e. new work process, new equipment, or new work location).
Safety and Risk Services provides online mandatory new employee training and a monthly Facilities-specific orientation to new Facilities employees.
To learn more about training and orienting new and young workers and providing the foundational knowledge for a healthy, safe and productive career at UBC, check out the links below or contact Lori Takenaka (lori.takenaka@ubc.ca):