SHORT SERVICE EMPLOYEE

PROGRAM
XXYYZZ
SHORT SERVICE EMPLOYEE PROGRAM

PURPOSE

This program is intended to help employers keep new employees, whether experienced or
inexperienced, safe and on the job. Employers should adapt the program to fit their unique needs.

IMPORTANCE

During the past decade, newly assigned employees in the Industrial and Construction Industry
suffered the highest rates of fatalities and catastrophic injuries.

Approximately 65% of fatalities occurred within the first year of service. About 34% of fatalities
occurred within the first three months of a new assignment!

There is clearly an urgent need and opportunity for employers to address this problem and safeguard
newly hired workers. The following information will help you create a Short Service Employee
Program or improve an existing program.

SCOPE

This procedure applies to all company facilities and worksites. It is important to ensure that newly
placed employees work under the direction of experienced personnel.

Short Service Employees should make up no more than 50% of a single crew at one time.. Further, a
crew of 5 employees or less should include no more than one Short Service Employee at a time.
Subcontractors should be included in this program.

A Short Service Employee (SSE) should be under this program for at least six months and until the
SSE demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their tasks safely.

DEFINITIONS

Mentoring - a process of transferring skills and knowledge from one person to another in a work
environment.
Supervisor – The individual responsible for the direct supervision and oversight of an employee.
Short Service Employee (SSE) – A newly placed full-time or temporary employee or subcontractor
with less than six months’ experience in assigned job.
Short Service Employee Mentor-Person with at least 6 months’ employment with the company who
has demonstrated safe and efficient work habits.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of company leadership and management are to set expectations, evaluate
effectiveness and:
 Make and demonstrate a personal commitment to a strong and functional Health Safety and
Environmental work culture,
 Establish a written, signed and dated HSE policy that sets compliance expectations for
management and employees,
 Provide employees access to company policies, standards and procedures,
 Establish written HSE Orientation and Short Service Employee Programs for all employees newly
assigned to any job or task,
 Ensure that all employees new to a job assignment are identified to the responsible supervisor(s)
and placed into the HSE Orientation and Short Service Employee Programs, and
 Audit, review performance and take timely corrective actions to continually improve the
effectiveness of the orientation and Short Service Employee Programs.

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of Supervisors in the Short Service Employee Program are:

 Know which jobs and crews are using Short Service Employees,
 Ensure Short Service Employees are appropriately identified per this plan,
 Develop and communicate Job Safety Analyses (jsas) to affected personnel upon initial
assignment and when the operation changes,
 Ensure Short Service Employee Mentor possesses proper knowledge and skills in the job task
assigned,
 Ensure Short Service Employee Mentor is adequately training SSE,
 Ensure Short Service Employee is gaining the necessary knowledge and skills in the job tasks,
and
 Follow all safety rules and company policies.

MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Mentor in the Short Service Employee Program are to:
 Be an experienced and responsible person assigned by the supervisor to work with the new
employee,
 Be selected based on a history of safe work and policy/procedural knowledge,
 Be able to communicate the expectations and characteristics of work tasks and their associated
hazards,
 Have a patient disposition, as well as the desire and willingness to devote the necessary time to
succeed as a mentor,
 Possess knowledge and skills in the job tasks assigned to the sse,
 Be willing and able to effectively listen to the sse to determine if the sse is learning and retaining
the knowledge being shared,
 Be willing to watch a sse perform a job without interfering as long as the sse is not in a position to
harm themselves, others, the environment or the equipment,
 Adopt a positive safety attitude, avoid criticism, and strive to build confidence and self-esteem in
the sse,
 Be able to teach the SSE the proper way to create a quality JSA and to follow that JSA in
performing tasks,
 Keep abreast of new equipment in their field of expertise,
 Refrain from taking shortcuts and doing anything else that jeopardizes health or safety,
 Demonstrate a positive work ethic at all times, and
 Introduce the SSE Checklist (Appendix B) to the new employee. The checklist is a tool to train the
new employee and monitor progress,
 Review the checklist with the new employee periodically over a six-month period, and forward the
information for supervisor and management review, and
 Follow all company policies and procedures.

SHORT SERVICE EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Short Service Employee are to:

 Be willing to watch and listen to the Mentor,
 Establish a positive safety attitude toward assigned job tasks,
 Learn how to create and follow jsas,
 Be willing to learn how to do each task in a safe and environmentally sound manner,
 Stop and report unsafe conditions immediately,
 Participate in safety meetings, and
 Follow all safety rules and company policies.

HSE COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the HSE Coordinator in the Short Service Employee Program are to:
 Serve as subject matter resource to support the Supervisor and SSE
 Ensure the SSE gets the necessary safety training,and
 Follow all policies and procedures.

PROCEDURES - SHORT SERVICE EMPLOYEE PROGRAM.

Notification (Appendix A)

The HR department notifies worksite management/supervision and safety department of all newly
hired or reassigned employees. In turn, Management will notify the Safety Coordinator of new
employees in their region who require training.

Orientation

 Management will provide a company-approved orientation. The orientation will include a Job
Orientation Checklist (Appendix C) that the supervisor reviews with each newly hired employee.
 Each SSE will be provided orientation specifically based on job position and job-related topics
prior to performing job tasks.
 Each SSE will be taught how to access company policies, standards and procedures.
 Satisfactory completion of the orientation must be signed and dated by the employee and
supervisor.
Training

The supervisor will ensure that each SSE is properly trained per federal, state, industry,
company and operator requirements before starting work when:
 The employee is hired;
 The employee is appointed a new job assignment; and
 The employee is exposed to new substances, processes, procedures,
equipment, etc that represent a new hazard to the employee.

The supervisor will ensure that each SSE is properly trained in:
 The hazard(s) present in the workplace;
 The policies, procedures, processes and ppe utilized to control these hazards
and prevent illnesses, injuries, property damage and/or environmental incidents;
and
 The skills necessary to conduct their assigned jobs safely and efficiently while
providing quality and economy.

Identification System

It is important for supervisors, co-workers and project managers to recognize a Short

Service Employee; therefore, an identification system is developed for this purpose.
The identification system is a means of communicating to the workforce that the Short
Service Employee is in a transitional period. It will not be a designation of in-experience
or used to mark an employee as having lower skill sets.

The SSE will be identified by a vest, colored hardhat, decal or other clothing or PPE that
prominently identifies the employee as a SSE employee. For example, if a hardhat
decal is used, it should be placed on each side of the hardhat with a label under the
decal indicating the date when the employee is no longer considered to be a Short
Service Employee. The Supervisor and the SSE Mentor will provide supervision and not
allow the SSE to perform any task in which they have not been properly trained. The
Supervisor and the SSE Mentor will ensure that the SSE understands the task to be
performed and the associated hazards.

The Supervisor removes the decals and other identifiers upon expiration of the SSE
term, and after verifying that the SSE exhibits a knowledge and skill level to perform the
job tasks assigned.

Documentation

The HR Specialist completes the SSE Notification form for new employees (Appendix
A) and forwards to the Supervisor.

Upon completion of training, supervisor signs off and forwards notification form to HR.
All records for the SSE Orientation and Training should be maintained at the
employee’s location by the Supervisor.
SSE Quality Assessment and Control

 Management should review the effectiveness and quality of the Short Service
Employee Program at least annually.
 SSE Orientation and Training documentation should be audited for accuracy,
timeliness and completeness.
 Onsite inspections should be conducted to ensure that supervisors, mentors and
Short Service Employees are adhering to the SSE Program.
 The number of incidents involving new employees should be measured, compared
to the general workforce and evaluated for trends or performance variations.
 Management should ensure that all program deficiencies are promptly corrected and
documented.
 Appendix A

COMPANY SHORT SERVICE EMPLOYEE NOTIFICATION FORM

 Short Service Employee Information (completed by HR Specialist)

Employee Name (Print)
 Employee Hire Date Change Date:
 Current Job Title
 Time in Present Position
 Years of Experience
 Types of Experience

SSE Mentor Information (completed by Supervisor)

Employee Name (Print)
Employee Hire Date
Current Job Title
Time in Present Position
Years of Experience
Types of Experience

Supervisor Sign-Off (Send to Project Manager)

Print Name: Print Job Title: Signature:

Send to Safety and HR Directors and retain in employee’s files.

Employee has received the required
Safety Orientation Yes No
Employee has received all required
Safety Training * Yes No
Employee has received the required safety training
except (Attach list of any exceptions) Yes No

* Safety training shall be determined and conducted by individual company policies and
procedures, in compliance with all regulatory requirements.
  Appendix B
 Short Service Employee Check List

Mentor’s SSE Short Service Employee sets clear expectations and consequences for
Initials as Initials as safe behaviors.
Completed Completed
Does not take unnecessary risks.
Asks for help when needed.
Does not try to lift or handle too heavy of a load. Gets mechanical help
when needed.
Raises awareness of possible hazards.
Intervenes with unsafe behaviors.
Understands his/her “stop work” authority and responsibility
Short Service Employee demonstrates ability to do job required:
Works in a craftsman-like manner.
Has clear understanding of job to be done.
The new employee can use tools safely by:
Communicating
Demonstrating
Observing
New Employee is able to identify the following at the work site:
Struck by hazards
Crushed by hazards
Burns and scalds
Sharp objects and precautions
Trip hazards and precautions
Electrical hazards and precautions
Fall hazards and precautions
Hot and / or cold surfaces, piping and equipment
Chemical hazards and precautions
Emergency procedures
Emergency communications
Respiratory hazards and precautions
Toxic substance hazards and precautions
Any additional hazards specific to the job site
Short Service Employee exhibits compliance to:
General safety rules and policies
Safety rules and policies specific to the job being performed
Housekeeping policies
PPE requirements
Short Service Employee shows competency on following equipment:
a. Equipment Name:
b. Equipment Name:
c. Equipment Name:
 Other:

_____________________________________________________
Mentor New Employee

________________________ ____________________________
Today’s Date New Hire Date

Review Dates:30 day review__________ 60 day review_________ 90 day

review_________

120 day review__________ 150 day review__________ 180 day review___________

DIST: Site Supervision - original Project File – copy Safety Dept. - copy
 Appendix C
Job Orientation Guide

Company: (Enter your Company Name) Employee: (Enter Employee Name

Trainer: (Enter Name of Trainer) Hire Date: (Enter Employee's Hire Date)
Date (Enter Date of Orientation) Position: (Enter Employee's Job Title)

This checklist is a guideline for conducting employee safety orientations for employees
new to (Customize by adding the name of your company). Once completed and signed
by the supervisor and employee, it serves as documentation that orientation has taken
place.
Date Initials
1. Explain the company safety program, including:
Orientation ______ ______
On-the-job training ______ ______
Safety meetings ______ ______
Accident investigation ______ ______
Disciplinary action ______ ______
2. Use and care of personal protective equipment, (e.g., hard hat, fall
protection, eye protection, foot protection, FRC, etc.) ______ ______
3. Line of communication and responsibility for immediately reporting
accidents.
A. When to report an injury ______ ______
B. How to report an injury ______ ______
C. Who to report an injury to ______ ______
D. Filling out accident report forms ______ ______
4. General overview of operation, procedures, methods and hazards
as they relate to the specific job ______ ______
5. Pertinent safety rules of the company ______ ______
6. “Stop Work” Authority and responsibility is understood
7. First aid supplies, equipment and training
A. Obtaining treatment ______ ______
B. Location of Facilities ______ ______
C. Location and names of First-aid trained personnel ______ ______
8. Emergency plan
A. Exit location and evacuation routes ______ ______
B. Use of fire fighting equipment (extinguishers, hose) ______ ______
C. Specific procedures (medical, chemical, etc.) ______ ______
9. Vehicle safety ______ ______
10. Personal work habits
A. Serious consequences of horseplay ______ ______
B. Fighting ______ ______
C. Inattention ______ ______
D. Smoking policy ______ ______
E. Good housekeeping practices ______ ______
F. Proper lifting techniques ______ ______
NOTE TO EMPLOYEES: Do not sign unless ALL items are covered and ALL questions
are satisfactorily answered.

The signatures below document that the appropriate elements have been discussed to
the satisfaction of both parties, and that the supervisor and the employee accept
responsibility for maintaining a safe and healthful work environment.

Date: ________________ Supervisor’s Signature:

_________________________

Date: ________________ Employee’s Signature: __________________________