How To Correctly Undertake Site Induction Training

Before any work can begin on a construction worksite, all personnel must undergo site induction training. This includes staff, subcontractors, suppliers and even visitors who may turn up on your site at some given time.

As an employer you have legal responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of everyone that is going to work in a construction worksite is not compromised, you need to provide awareness of site-specific hazards and risks that could harm them and inform safety rules that need to be obeyed so work related injuries and illnesses is eliminated or minimised. The importance and need for site training to take place is detailed in Chapter 8 of the NSW Occupational Health & Safety Regulations 2001 and you can find a similar thing being stated in other state regulations.

While there are 3 types of OHS training required in the construction industry, site induction training is probably the one training that is still open to interpretation as to what it should include.

The site induction training would vary in content from site to site, from audience to audience ie own work force, truck delivery, subcontractor, visitors, auditors, etc and the level of risks that each activity posses to the workforce.

For a typical worksite the site induction training for all personnel working on site would include briefing on:

* the scope of works and works in progress to date ? access and egress to the site, parking areas and traffic routes inside the works compound and worksite
* amenities for the site such as toilets, drinking water,etc
* safety rules for the site
* hazards identified and control measures (for the site) in place eliminate or minimise the risks
* high risk construction activities where safe work procedures apply ie. Excavation, scaffolding, confined spaces, blasting, crane operations, etc.
* first aid arrangements and emergency contact details * emergency procedures including location of the assembly area, emergency exits, fire extinguishers and emergency contact numbers
* personal Protective Equipment required to be worn at the worksite
*site representative on site if any
* employee responsibilities to follow the safety rules and report potential hazards, incidents including near misses

For truck delivery drivers and visitors for example the site inductions would include only some relevant items from the above and visitors generally are not allow walking alone on the worksite, but must be accompanied all the time by someone that has been inducted on the site.

The site safety management plan prepared for your project must include the necessary arrangements for site induction training to take place.