If you think about this, it is also true for new employees. If you set the rules early, they will know where they stand, what is acceptable and what is not, and what the potential consequences could be. In this way you allow your employees to become independent, effective and efficient!

In terms of safety, completing the same regime will keep your organization safe and healthy, both in terms of the employees but also your operations. An immediate Health Safety and Environmental Orientation delivered to new employees on their first day will set the bar and tone for safety and demonstrate a caring and concerned culture to your people.

WorkSafeBC legislation requires that all new employees receive an Health Safety and Environmental Orientation prior to beginning their first day on the job and that certain topics be covered, including:

(a) the name and contact information for the young or new worker's supervisor;

(b) the employer's and young or new worker's rights and responsibilities under the Workers Compensation Act and this Regulation including the reporting of unsafe conditions and the right to refuse to perform unsafe work;

(c) workplace health and safety rules;

(d) hazards to which the young or new worker may be exposed, including risks from robbery, assault or confrontation;

(e) working alone or in isolation;

(f) violence in the workplace;

(g) personal protective equipment;

(h) location of first aid facilities and means of summoning first aid and reporting illnesses and injuries;

(i) emergency procedures;

(j) instruction and demonstration of the young or new worker's work task or work process;

(k) the employer's health and safety program, if required under section 3.1 of this Regulation;

(l) WHMIS information requirements set out in Part 5, as applicable to the young or new worker's workplace;

(m) contact information for the occupational health and safety committee or the worker health and safety representative, as applicable to the workplace.