Some of the most crucial safety tools you can give your workers are education and employee training. A worker who truly understands the hazards and controls they are working with is much more capable of and likely to avoid injuries at work. By providing these same workers with in depth knowledge of your environmental, health, and safety (EHS) program, you also empower them to help you develop and implement changes that will keep them safer and save your company resources. On top of that, many OSHA standards have explicit training requirements that maritime, construction, agriculture, and general industries must include in their workplace safety training program.

Regardless of how your company views safety (investment or expense) the post should have some great information for you!

Training is one of the most critical components of any safety program, and employees new and old need consistent education and reinforcement to stay compliant and avoid incidents. However, creating and executing a viable training program is easier said than done.

You probably take plenty of steps to ensure the safety of most of your employees – the ones who encounter routine hazards in their day-to-day jobs. But what about the workers with the most dangerous jobs? From powerline climbers to excavators to workers who brave hazards by themselves, there are quite a few jobs subject to disproportionate dangers.

Temporary jobs are among the fastest-growing employment opportunities, and that growth doesn’t seem set to slow anytime soon. With the economy still in repair—and with healthcare costs climbing— companies across all industries are hesitant to take on the responsibilities of providing for full-time permanent employees. Plus, many workers themselves enjoy the freedom that comes with temporary work and contract jobs.

As a safety manager, you know that it’s not a question of if, but when, a disaster will occur—and how large its impact will be. Depending on your location, you may be susceptible to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters, as well as frequent power outages and fires. You can’t control these events, but you can control how you and your employees react. It’s not just a smart move to put a disaster prevention plan in place; it’s essential to morale, employee safety and harm reduction.

In a perfect world, no one would ever become injured, sick or even risk their life for their job. But there are dangerous jobs out there, and somebody has to do them. For those positions, it is crucial to train all employees—particularly new employees—on the measures they must take to maintain their safety. Safety should be the No. 1 priority in these cases and employee training should reflect that.

So what can your company do to be sure all new employees are properly trained on safety policies and procedures? Here are four best practices to help you get started.

Summer’s in full swing, and that means many companies are bringing on temporary workers to fill the gaps while their full-time employees take vacations. This can be a great opportunity for those temporary workers and the companies who hire them, but it’s also one of the most dangerous times of the year.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, temporary workers are twice as likely to suffer injuries as full-time employees doing the same jobs. What’s more, the injured temps averaged 40 missed workdays, compared to just 27 among full-timers.

What’s the cause of all these accidents?

Between vacation time, summer shutdowns and increased workloads, you’re probably relying more on temporary workers than at any other time of year. 

It may not always be ideal, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. 

Even if your regular crews are well-trained and up to speed on your company's safety policies, the new workers may be accustomed to more lax enforcement. You might not have time to train them from the beginning, but you’ll need to make sure they're familiar with your company's policies and the dangers of the specifics jobs they take on.

Here are some tips for effectively and efficiently training temporary workers.