Site inductions: what has to be covered

A site induction is how someone arriving on a site learns what that place will do to them. No New Zealand regulation sets a syllabus, but the duties behind it are specific, and what main contractors and prequalification schemes expect has converged on a recognisable list.

The duty behind it

Section 36 requires a PCBU to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the provision of any information, training, instruction or supervision necessary to protect people from risks arising from the work. The induction is the first and often the only moment where that happens for a visitor or a newly arrived crew.

Regulation 9 of the 2016 regulations is more pointed: the PCBU must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that every worker either has the knowledge and experience for the work or is adequately supervised, and is trained in the plant, substances and PPE they will use. An induction that names the site hazards and the controls is how that is delivered at the gate.

Who needs one

• Every worker before they start, including subcontractors and labour hire.
• Anyone returning after a long absence, or after the site has changed materially.
• Visitors, at a level matched to where they are going and how long for.
• Delivery drivers entering the working area, which is the group most often missed.

The definition of worker in section 19 is wide enough that "they are not my employee" is not a reason to skip it. If their work is influenced or directed by the business, the duty reaches them.

What it has to cover

The site

Layout, access and egress, parking, exclusion zones, where work is happening now, and what is overhead. Hazards specific to this place: services, traffic, neighbours, ground conditions, contamination, asbestos where the building predates 2000.

The rules

PPE required and where, speed limits, permit requirements for hot work, confined spaces and high-risk tasks, smoking and drug and alcohol expectations, housekeeping.

The people

Who is in control of the site, who the supervisor is, who the first aiders are, who the health and safety representative is where there is one, and how to contact them.

Emergencies

Alarm, assembly point, the street address to give to 111, where first aid is, the nearest medical facility, and the rescue arrangements where work at height or in a confined space is happening.

Reporting

How to report a hazard, an incident or a near miss, and the expectation that work stops if something is unsafe. Naming the person who receives a report is what turns this from a slogan into a process.

Their own work

Where their task documents sit, who briefs them and when, and the coordination arrangements with the other businesses on site.

What the record is for

Date, name, business, who delivered it, what was covered, and the person's signature. Keep it with the site plan. The record answers a single question after an incident: was this person told about the thing that hurt them. A tick against "inducted" with no content list does not answer it.

An induction and a toolbox talk are different things. An induction is about the place and happens once on arrival. A toolbox talk is about a topic and happens repeatedly. One does not substitute for the other.

How long, and how often

Fifteen to thirty minutes covers most sites. Re-induct when the site changes materially, when someone has been away long enough to be out of date, and at intervals on a long job. A general construction passport or scheme card is evidence of general training; it is not a site induction, because by definition it does not cover this site.

Sources

• Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, s19 (meaning of worker), s34, s36 and s37 (duty of PCBU who manages or controls a workplace)
• Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016, regs 5 to 8 and reg 14 (emergency plans)
• WorkSafe New Zealand, Introduction to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, special guide
• Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016

This guide is general information about New Zealand health and safety law as at the review date. It is not legal advice and it does not describe your site. Confirm what applies to you with WorkSafe New Zealand or your adviser.