The Importance of a Proper Workplace Induction in the Manufacturing Industry
The finer details and nuances of a workplace induction change dramatically depending on the industry in question.
In an ideal world, you’d be able to provide each employee with an all-in-one handbook to cover your compliance bases from day one, but that’s not the reality we live in and cutting corners is only going to put your workforce at major risk.
Priority Industry for Work Health & Safety
The manufacturing industry presents a large range of very specific risks and requirements. According to Safe Work Australia, it is very much deemed a priority industry for work health & safety due to the high number and rate of work-related injuries and illnesses. Which means it is absolutely vital to make sure your workforce is properly inducted, well prepared for the work they’re going to be doing and the environment they’ll be doing it in.
A thorough induction for an employee working in the manufacturing industry needs to cover a lot of topics, including but not limited to a job/industry general induction, a specific on-the-job induction related to the working environment, a task safety induction, providing a copy of the Fair Work Statement and providing information around bullying, discrimination, and harassment.
Getting an employee inducted correctly at the beginning of their employment is a great start, but in an industry like manufacturing, new risks are often uncovered, and safety standards are being refreshed constantly. Which is why it’s important to make sure you are delivering induction and education refreshers as standards and regulations change or evolve.
Specialised Compliance for Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Adding another layer of complexity, the manufacturing industry extends to food and beverage production, demanding specialised compliance.
WorkPro, with its mission to make workforce compliance simple, offers a unified platform to screen, induct, and verify fundamental compliance components tailored not only for general manufacturing but also for the nuances of the food and beverage sector.
Adopting WorkPro streamlines manual administration, meets legislative requirements, and mitigates risks in an industry prone to injury and illness.
Simplified Compliance with WorkPro
WorkPro’s comprehensive library of eLearning modules includes specified manufacturing induction modules for General Trades & Labour Safety, Manufacturing Safety and Forklift Operator Safety. These modules were carefully created by subject matter experts and safety practitioners to ensure they are delivering practical content and providing clear information about the inherent safety risks for the manufacturing industry. Our modules are reviewed and refreshed regularly so you can keep your workforce up to date with the latest legal and legislative requirements.
Outside of inductions and continuing to educate your workforce, it’s also just as important to screen your potential employees before hiring and validate the licences and documents they require for the role. Just as requirements and standards are being updated in the Manufacturing industry, you also need to verify that your workforce’s licences are current.
You can avoid licence renewals slipping through the cracks by utilising WorkPro’s Licence, Ticket and Document Management. This function provides and easy-to-use dashboard to collect, track and manage employment-related documents in one place. When renewals are due, you’ll receive smart notifications 30, 60 and 90 days before expiry, ensuring that you’re always on the front foot with your compliance.
Ensuring Safety for Contingent Workforce
Navigating all the compliance needs of a complex and risk heavy industry like manufacturing can be a lot and as stated at the beginning, cutting corners is only going to put workers at risk. WorkPro’s mission statement is ‘Making Workforce Compliance Simple’ and we mean what we say.
WorkPro allows you to comprehensively screen, induct and very all of the fundamental compliance components that companies in the manufacturing industry need within one platform. Adopting WorkPro is the easiest way to remove a tonne of manual administration, meet your legislative requirements and mitigate risk in an industry prone to injury and illness.
If you engage a contingent workforce using a recruitment company, then you need to ensure that you’re always keeping them safe on site. Our 'On-Hire Worker Health & Safety' resource is the definitive guide to keeping your on-hire workers safe, so you have all the tools and knowledge you need at your disposal.
