New employee safety induction: what belongs in it (and what doesn't)

What must a workplace safety induction actually cover?

A compliant induction introduces a new starter to the workplace layout, their supervisor and health and safety representative, the OHS policies and emergency procedures, the PPE and equipment specific to their role, and how to report hazards or incidents — delivered before they start unsupervised work, not weeks later. Under the OHS Act 2004 (Vic), employers must provide employees with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary for them to work safely, so far as reasonably practicable (OHS Act 2004 (Vic), s21).

The core checklist: what belongs in every induction

Based on WorkSafe Victoria's own guidance for employers, a solid safety induction covers:

1. Workplace orientation. Walk the new starter through the site — amenities, first aid points, muster points, exits.
2. Introductions. Their immediate supervisor, their health and safety representative (if one exists), and the workmates they'll be working alongside.
3. OHS policies and procedures. Where to find safety forms, first aid kits, and emergency evacuation procedures, and who to talk to if they have a concern (WorkSafe Victoria, WorkWell Toolkit).
4. Roles and responsibilities for safety. What's expected of them, and what they can expect from supervisors and the business.
5. Safe use of equipment. Hands-on instruction on the plant, tools and machinery specific to their job — not a generic walkthrough of gear they'll never touch.
6. PPE. What protective gear they need for their role — gloves, safety footwear, eye or hearing protection — and how to fit and wear it properly.
7. Skills, training and qualifications check. Confirm the new starter actually has the licences, tickets or experience their role requires, and identify any gaps before they start the task (WorkSafe Victoria, Sample checklist for site induction).
8. Incident and hazard reporting. How to report a hazard, a near miss or an injury, and what happens after they do.

What doesn't belong in a safety induction

A common mistake is cramming general HR onboarding — payroll setup, uniform sizing, parking allocation — into the same session as critical safety content. It dilutes what people actually retain from the parts that could keep them safe. Keep the safety induction focused and separate, even if it's scheduled on the same day as other onboarding.

The other common failure is making the induction entirely generic. A site tour and a policy folder aren't enough if they don't cover the specific hazards of the role the person is about to do. A forklift-adjacent process worker and an office-based quality inspector need meaningfully different inductions, even on the same site.

If English isn't a new employee's first language, WorkSafe Victoria's guidance is clear: use an interpreter for the induction rather than relying on a colleague or assuming the content has landed (WorkSafe Victoria, Sample checklist for site induction).

Does induction end on day one?

No — and treating it that way is one of the more common gaps I see. WorkSafe Victoria's own guidance recommends checking back in with a new worker after about a week to confirm they're clear on the health and safety procedures and to actively encourage questions, rather than assuming silence means understanding (WorkSafe Victoria, WorkWell Toolkit).

Do you need to keep induction records?

Yes, as good practice generally, and as a legal requirement for some high-risk work — training records for tasks involving asbestos are a specific example. Beyond the strict legal minimum, a signed induction record is one of the simplest pieces of evidence you can produce if a regulator or insurer ever asks whether a new starter was properly briefed before an incident.

Getting the induction content right is only half the job — a lot of manufacturers I work with have a reasonable checklist on paper but inconsistent delivery on the floor. That gap is exactly what a site assessment is designed to find; you're welcome to book a site assessment if you want a practitioner to pressure-test yours.

FAQ

Is a safety induction a legal requirement in Victoria? The OHS Act 2004 (Vic) doesn't use the word "induction," but it does require employers to provide the information, instruction, training and supervision employees need to work safely, so far as reasonably practicable. A structured induction is the standard way businesses meet that duty for new starters.

How soon after starting should the induction happen? Before the person begins unsupervised work in their role. Ideally this is on day one, covering the essentials — hazards, PPE, emergency procedures — before anything else, with more detailed role-specific training following as needed.

What's different about inducting a young worker? Young workers generally need extra time spent on identifying and reporting unsafe work, since they're statistically less likely to raise concerns unprompted. WorkSafe Victoria publishes specific guidance and checklists for inducting young workers alongside its general induction resources.

This article is general information for Victorian manufacturers, not legal advice. Last updated: 10 August 2026.