equipment. These basics can be considered
generic orientation topics. There are also site
specific topics that must be covered. These
can include: who the worker’s supervisor is;
who the first aid attendant is, and where to
find them; and hazards and controls specific
to the worksite. Orientations must also include
emergency procedures.
So now that we have an understanding of
what WorkSafeBC looks for in an orientation,
let’s try and answer that question about
how we can deliver orientations at multiple
worksites in a single day.
More often than not, it
falls on the shoulders of
our 1st AD to deliver the
site specific orientation to
workers on the shooting
crew. How can we make
this process easier and
more efficient for them?
Here are some thoughts that can help us with
compliance in this situation:
• Prepare Orientations in advance. Have
someone on your prep crew prepare
a one-sheet for each day’s location
that lists the hazards, controls, who and
where first aid is, as well as any other
pertinent information that may be
relevant for the day’s work. Distribute to
the AD department on the first day of the
schedule, if you’re on a series, or on Friday
for the next week’s work, if you’re on a
feature or MOW.
• One step further. Take the prepared
orientation and distribute with the call
sheet the night before, with instructions
for the worker to sign the orientation
and return to their department head at
call the next day. This would cover your
documentation requirement. On the day,
hold the orientation only for day calls and
others that did not receive the prepared
orientation the night before.
• Could you hold an orientation the day
before? Wrap at the end of the day can
be a crazy and chaotic time as everyone
is trying to pack into their trucks and get off
the clock as soon as possible, but maybe a
quick overview of tomorrow’s safety needs is
possible.
• Incorporate technology into your safety
culture. With platforms such as Slack you
can create teams (departments) with all the
crew from those departments on the team,
and push out safety orientations and alerts
to the entire team. Make sure you ask each
team member to acknowledge receiving
the message with a reply.
The bottom line is that as an industry, we
conduct orientations on a regular basis, but
not as often as we are required to. The biggest
stumbling block we seem to have is the multiple
worksites in the same day scenario, and simply
saying to a WorkSafeBC officer “we don’t have
time to stop and do another orientation” isn’t
going to cut it.
At the end of the day, we have to ensure
that the workers we employ and supervise at
each of our workplaces are given a proper
orientation and that it’s documented; including
those days where we have a midday move.
There’s no easy answer to the ‘how?’ question.
That’s going to take some creative thinking
on our industry’s part. Maybe some of the
suggestions above might work for you. Maybe
you’re already using a system that works
incredibly well. If you are, you’re well ahead of
the game. Maybe you could share so the rest of
us could catch up?
Actsafe has updated our New and Young
Worker Orientation Form, and you can fill it out
and file it online. Look out for the new online
form in the coming months.
Summer 2019 Edition: Orientation
Safety Scene 5