Construction Online Inductions – A Beginner’s Guide

There are few things more stressful in life than the first day in a new job, and there are many legalities associated with starting work which can take up valuable time whilst you ensure your workforce are health and safety savvy. Online construction inductions can help with this.

This can be alleviated with a tailored Online Induction Course.

If you or your company are new to the idea of contracor inductions online, then this article is the perfect place to start. We’ve got a collection of frequently asked questions, culminating in some expert advice on how to get started in this unfamiliar territory.

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What is an online induction?

An Online Induction is the process and workflow for managing both the initial and the continued employment of the workforce and is a common tool used by safety, HR and facility managers. For the purposes of this article, we’re looking at Construction Online Inductions for contractors working on site and how Online Induction Systems can benefit both employer and contractor.

Online inductions can be completed on or off site, with robust security built in, to ensure there is a compliant workforce onsite at all times. In the event of an incident they are invaluable in demonstrating a company has delivered their duty of care in making sure everyone is aware of what is expected of them, the hazards they may encounter and what to do in an emergency. The inclusion of an effective ID checker will mean rapid deployment of the workforce once they arrive, rather than having to wait for security checks .. a win for both the contractor and company.

What is a contractor safety induction?

A safety induction is conducted to introduce contractors to the key hazards they might encounter and equip them with the knowledge they need to remain safe at work so they are aware of their own responsibilities and the company’s responsibilities to them.

Are online inductions and safety inductions the same thing?

Yes – online inductions, or online safety inductions, enable employers to give you all the information you need about your role and the workplace in a structured, recorded and proveable format.

Are site inductions a legal requirement?

It’s important from a legal standpoint that you have informed the people working for you about the site protocols and hazards so each person should receive a site specific induction at every new site they work on.

Site inductions are a great way to provide employees with the site-specific health and safety rules and requirements, and any particular hazards they need to be aware of.

What do site inductions include?

Any company must provide information, training and instructions to protect their workforce on site. Inductions provide people with the basic knowledge of work health and safety requirements, such as the key risks on site  and what to do in an emergency for example.

What are the benefits of online construction induction?

Benefits of a contractor inductions online include:

• Increased retention rate.
• Improve workforce morale.
• Increased productivity.
• Increased sense of acceptance into the organisation.

What makes a good online construction induction?

An effective induction process is informative using clear concise detail to help the workforce get off to the best possible start, by ensuring that they fully understand their role and the part they play in the wider team and of course the company as a whole.

Why is taking contractor inductions online so important?

An induction programme is an important process for the control of contractors. It provides an introduction to the working environment and increases hazard awareness, helping to reduce workplace accidents. A good contractor induction online programme can increase productivity, reducing short-term turnover of workforce and making them at home in the workplace.

What do you do in construction induction training?

Construction induction training is an introduction to the company and tailored to specific workforce sectors. Looking at the contractors role for example, there should be details about the control of contractors in terms of how the permit to work and RAMS affect the job, emergency procedures and details that are directly attributed to working on site such as hazard signage and moving around the site.

From an employer’s perspective, once you establish and create a great construction induction course for contractors it can be adapted for other roles – a shorter visitor version or a version for hauliers or delivery drivers for example. This creates consistency to your training and elevates your expectations of workforce performance, while allowing you to keep an electronic record of the same.   This record can prove important in the future if incidents occur.

In order for construction induction training to become effective across an entire workplace, it needs to be consistent which is clearly the case with a professionally produced system that avoids human factor variables that can be applied when the same induction is delivered by different people and creates an unambiguous work environment in which everyone understands the messages and the policies you need them to know.

Keeping people’s attention and keeping them engaged in learning has been one of the trickiest elements of a training instructors job over the years. Online construction inductions breaks through that barrier and allows for so much flexibility in keeping people engaged while training. The combined mix of videos, pictures, voice over pieces and interactive questioning through the courses are all interactive ways of keeping your online induction course fresh, lively and keeping your workforce engaged.

Is an online construction induction system important?

Standardising your training is a way of assuring quality throughout your workforce. Needless to say, depending on your company and industry, you may have multiple departments with very different day to day operations and different skill levels. This means that certain areas of your business may need more specialised training, specific to their operations and duties. Taking contractor inductions online makes that really easy to achieve, as you can tailor sections and segments to specific areas of your company. The point here is that if you standardise the foundation of your company (the initial induction training), then you are providing your workforce with the knowledge they need to go home safe at the end of each shift.