One of the first questions to address is how to assure that each visitor’s experience is memorable and meaningful.  Everyone needs to have an on-boarding process and/or orientation for contractors and visitors.

Create an information guide and delivery system.  Utilize a quiet area with no distractions for delivery and include a tour or walk through if appropriate.  When contractors and visitors come ensure they are protected.

There are three general areas that you can start with to educate your contractors and visitors, general safety requirements, site/job specific requirements and emergency actions.

First:  Most of your contractors will have had some type of safety training prior to entering your site.  The first area to address with the contractors is a review of general safety requirements.  Most of these requirements are regulatory in nature.  Review your program requirements such as lockout/tagout, confined space and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Second:  Review any site/job specific information.  For example, if vehicles are allowed, tell your contractors and visitors what the speed limit is for vehicles traveling on site.  Most sites require safety glasses, safety shoes and hard hats and you’ll need to let contractors and visitors know if there are any other (PPE) requirements such as hearing protection or heat protection.  Let people know if there are certain areas where no PPE is required, such as break rooms, rest rooms or dedicated smoking areas.  Provide details for programs such as Hazard Communication, chemical hazards and chemical restrictions.  Review the chemicals that they may come in contact with as part of your processes.  Explain required permits such as confined space, hot work, excavations and line breaks.

Third:  Every contractor and visitor should know what to do in the event of an emergency.  Review emergency procedures.  Go over your emergency alarm and if you have more than one type of alarm, explain what each of the different alarms mean.  Remember alarms can be sound, site or other indicators.  Explain and if possible show them where they are to go and what they are to do in the event of an emergency or alarm.  Explain your accountability process.  Provide contractors and visitors with the requirements for reporting near misses and injuries.  If you have a response team, let your contractors and visitors know who the response team is and how to engage your response team.  If you have emergency facilities on site, include the facilities on your tour.

Be sure this information is presented in a classroom type setting as free from distraction as possible. No matter how the training is delivered, it is best practice to require completion of a quiz where the answers reviewed would satisfy an evaluation of the passing of knowledge.

CHECKLIST TO KEEP VISITORS SAFE

Site Control

• Do visitors enter your site in a controlled fashion, through designated entry points?
• Do you know how many visitors are on your site at any given time?
• Do you know where the visitors are? In an emergency, you will need to contact them quickly.
• Do you have measures in place to keep visitors from wandering into dangerous or restricted areas by mistake?
• Do your employees know how to identify unauthorized visitors to your site, and what to do?
• Do you know when all visitors have left your site?

Emergency Planning

• Does your emergency action plan address visitor safety?
• Are visitors informed when they come on-site of the emergency notifications and procedures?
• Do workers know how to ensure visitor safety in the event of an emergency?

General Safety Considerations

• If visitors create hazards, identify those hazards and take precautions to protect workers.
• If visitors may be exposed to hazards, have you informed them of those hazards?
• If visitors must wear protective equipment, is this equipment readily available and provided to visitors on entry?

RESPONSIBILITY

When a visitor comes onto your facility, they have a reasonable expectation of not getting injured. You are responsible for maintaining a safe environment for them. Setting up a comprehensive visitor orientation which is automated so that no-one slips through the net can offer real peace of mind. It gives your company transparency if an accident does occur at your facility, and you need to be able to show that orientation training was given.

FINAL WORD

Visitors have a wide range of motivation, needs and expectations. Their basic level needs for security and orientation must be met before higher level needs such as understanding can be addressed successfully.