ARE YOU HIRING? BY BRIAN DUPLESSIS LOSS PREVENTION SUPERVISOR, NHADA When hiring new employees, the first thing to consider is if you are hiring the right person for the job. National studies have found that 30-40% of workers sustaining on-the-job injuries have been on the job for less than a year. For that reason, it is critical that NHADA WCT members take the time to hire the right person for the job. The NHADA Strategic Hiring Guidelines were created, with the assistance of Employment Law Professionals, to help members with this challenging process. Scan the QR code to view the Strategic Hiring Guidelines, available on the NHADA website for all NHADA members. https://www.nhada.com/our-solutions/strategic-hiring-guidelines Some of the key points in the hiring process are: • Reviewing applications. • Conducting a thorough interview. • Checking references. • Making a conditional offer. • Performing background checks. • Performing the pre-placement drug test. • Completing the Second Injury Fund Form. The studies have identified several reasons beyond hiring the wrong person for the job that cause new employees to sustain injuries: • Employers assume that new employees know more than they do. • New employees are afraid to ask questions. • The environment is new, and the employee is not familiar with the hazards. • Task-specific training focuses on what to do rather than what to avoid. • Employees lack knowledge about hazardous substances. • New employees do not understand the purpose/ importance of personal protective equipment and how to properly use it. • Employers fail to convey the safety message. The NHADA Loss Prevention has developed an online learning management system that addresses many of these issues. One of the modules is specific to new hires who can complete all OSHA required and best practices safety orientation training quickly and conveniently prior to their commencement of actual work. Providing new hires with employment-specific training helps to set the tone of a safety culture in the workplace. Taking steps to help employees understand the risks they face and providing them with the tools and training they need to avoid injuries is a huge step toward managing the risk created by new employees. The other important practice in the onboarding process is to make sure that the new hires understand to whom to 17
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