According to HSE, “Workers are as likely to have an accident in their first 6 months at work as during the whole of the rest of their working life.”1 The reasons cited are lack of experience, unfamiliarity with the job and work environment, reluctance to raise concerns and not even knowing how to, and desire to impress coworkers and managers.
The HSE’s guidance for employers on how to protect those new to the job outlines six steps to protect this vulnerable class of employees:
- Assess the person’s capability.
- Provide an induction.
- Review risk control measures.
- Provide new workers with risk information, instruction and training.
- Give adequate supervision.
- Check understanding new workers have for the information, instruction and training that they need to work safely and that they are acting on it.
The HSE elaborates upon these steps on its website.
HSE also provides guidance to employers on protecting other types of what it terms “vulnerable workers,” including older people, migrant workers, and home workers.
Emcare offers a IOSH Working Safely course, which is ideally suited to be part of a new employee induction package. Having taken that course, employees can then move on to more specialized health and safety training. For more information, call 0141 404 0075 or email info@emcare.co.uk.
Source
1. New to the job: Health and Safety, Health and Safety Executive, https://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/new-to-the-job.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=guidance-push&utm_term=new-workers-1&utm_content=digest-23-oct-25. Accessed 21 January 2026.
