This is the second article of our series on safety issues on a construction site. Today, we focus on the importance and the methods of identifying new workers, or greenhorns, on site.
As pointed out in our last post [Safety with New People in Construction], there is an increased risk of injury for all new workers on a site. The Institute for Work and Health in Toronto reports that employees in their first month on the job have more than three times the risk of a lost-time injury.
Our co-founder Daniel Greenhalgh, believes that extra precautions must be taken to ensure that greenhorns are clearly identified and that all workers know to help them through the learning process.
“We keep it simple and have every greenhorn wear a green sticker so that everyone on the job site is aware they are new. This is a necessary precaution because greenhorns are much more likely to be injured on the job. It may lead to a bit of tasteful hazing, but everyone knows the reason behind it and respects the fact that they need an extra set of eyes until they’re familiar with the site.”
ENM’s safety coordinator, Brodie Parsons, also supports the clear identification of greenhorns.
“Greenhorns are a hazard in and of themselves on constructions sites. They are inexperienced and often complacent, and the mixture has the potential to result in hazardous scenarios caused by the mere fact that they “didn’t know any better”. Informing everyone of who is new helps reduce the risks. New workers learn by watching more experienced team members, and identifying the new worker lets everyone else know who might need a hint or a tip here and there.”
There are definitely more challenges for a new worker on a construction site than in almost all other fields. Along with adjusting to the challenges of a new job and a new work culture, the greenhorn may, at any moment, be seriously injured or cause injury to others. So while it may seem absurd for a new worker to wear a sticker in most other job situations, it is a necessity for construction.
New workers may be reluctant to ask for help for fear of being deemed too inexperienced or even losing their job. The stickers relieve them of the task of asking for help, and lets everyone know to watch their back.
The construction industry is also more likely than most fields to have new workers to the site. The industry is cyclical with lots of contract workers who frequently change job sites, so the need for stringent and frequent training and site orientations is high.
But perhaps the most efficient precaution is increased awareness of the new worker, and that’s why the clear identification of greenhorns is essential.
