As employers across Ontario prepare for a busy summer season, hiring new and young workers brings added health and safety responsibilities. These workers face a significantly higher risk of injury, often due to gaps in communication between new workers and their supervisors.

Young workers may feel hesitant to ask supervisors about hazards or raise safety concerns. Without the knowledge or vocabulary to describe what feels unsafe, they may overlook hazards, attempt to resolve issues on their own, or seek advice from someone who may not understand proper safety procedures.

A well-structured onboarding program that addresses hazards, communication, and legal requirements can dramatically reduce these risks. A hazard-focused health and safety orientation, paired with a general orientation, helps your team build the confidence they need to stay safe. 

What employers should cover during new worker training

1. Rights and responsibilities

Make sure workers understand the roles of employees, supervisors, and employers under Ontario law. This helps new hires know who to turn to, what’s expected of them, and how the Internal Responsibility System (IRS) works.

2. Workplace hazards and safe work procedures

Discuss all physical and psychological hazards the worker may encounter. Walk through safe work procedures and explain how hazards are controlled. For new workers with no experience, describe job tasks in detail—including how equipment works and why specific steps matter.

3. The RACE process: Recognize, Assess, Control, Evaluate

Teach workers how to identify hazards, understand risks, and apply the hierarchy of controls. This gives them practical tools to spot missing guards, improper personal protective equipment use, or unsafe actions before incidents occur.

4. Meeting the supervisor

Make sure new workers know exactly who their supervisor is and how to reach them. A strong early connection increases communication and builds trust.

5. Incident and hazard reporting

Review how to report concerns, including violence and harassment, and make it clear they will never be penalized for speaking up. Reinforce this with statements like “you will never get in trouble for reporting a hazard.”

6. Emergency preparedness.

Cover procedures for fire, evacuations, chemical spills, and first aid. Explain what to expect and what steps to take.

7. Reinforcement through engagement.

Use activities to engage staff. For example, ask your team to:

• complete a written safety pledge to follow the law and workplace practices and procedures to prevent injury. Engage workers in the process by posing questions that get them thinking about the consequences of an injury.
• identify how they can get hurt at work and if there are safer ways to do a task.
  reflective questions about why safety matters to them personally.

Need help getting started?

WSPS consultants can help you develop an effective training program. Contact us today.

Safety Resources

• Employee Orientation and Training Checklist – Use this checklist template for managing the orientation and training of workers.
• 15 tips for getting safety messages across to young workers - Stats show that young workers are more likely to get injured or killed at work compared to their more experienced coworkers. Here are 15 things to consider when training young workers.
• Quick safety tip videos: What new and young workers need to know about their safety rights and responsibilities - Watch this video to learn what new and young workers need to know about health and safety on the job, including their rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The information in this article is accurate as of its publication date.