Onboarding new employees is a critical yet challenging step for any organization—particularly when it comes to safety. Bringing someone up to speed on the potential risks, policies, and procedures is essential, and it can be overwhelming if you’re trying to cover everything at once. Fortunately, with the right strategies, tools, and team in place, you can streamline the onboarding process and ensure that every new hire starts their journey ready to work safely and effectively.
A Real-World Success Story
We recently sat down with Dean Alling, People Operations Director at Ray Carroll County Grain Growers Inc, who shared his experience using Safety Made Simple as part of his organization’s onboarding process. According to Dean,
“Safety Made Simple is an awesome tool to help make sure our guys are going home safely every day. We set up learning paths in the Safety Made Simple system so that our people are on-boarded properly. They are introduced and trained on those hazards before they’re introduced to the risk.”
By assigning courses that cover key hazards in the grain industry—like combustible dust, lockout/tagout, and safe grain bin entry—Dean’s team ensures new hires aren’t blindsided by unfamiliar risks. This proactive approach sets a clear tone for safety from day one, reinforcing the importance of protecting employees’ well-being.
Why Onboarding Matters
As Safety Made Simple’s Joe Mlynek points out in his work on employee onboarding, you need to define clear goals for new hires—what they should learn, the skills they need to master, and the responsibilities they’ll be expected to handle. This goes beyond just compliance. It’s about giving employees the knowledge and resources to perform their roles confidently and safely. A well-structured onboarding plan:
- Clarifies Expectations – Employees should know what’s expected of them in terms of productivity, safety, and teamwork.
- Builds a Team Approach – Involve HR, operations, safety professionals, and senior management to identify the critical tasks and hazards.
- Leverages the Right Tools – Learning management systems (LMS), safety management platforms, and HRIS solutions can centralize training, testing, and tracking.
- Uses Effective Delivery Methods – Blend face-to-face instruction, online courses, hands-on practice, and group discussions to reinforce retention.
- Phases in Learning – Spread training over the first weeks or months so employees aren’t overloaded.
Setting the Stage for Success
A phased onboarding approach is especially valuable in high-risk industries like agriculture and grain handling. Rather than rushing new hires into complex tasks, start them with lower-exposure activities and gradually introduce higher-risk responsibilities as their competence grows. Consider pairing them with seasoned mentors who lead by example and can offer real-time coaching and feedback.
By combining Safety Made Simple’s engaging, concise online courses with hands-on training, demonstrations, and mentorship, new employees at Ray Carroll County Grain Growers are consistently introduced to hazards before they’re exposed to them on the job. This blend of passive (online, classroom)) and participatory (group discussion, practice) learning has proven highly effective, improving knowledge retention and reinforcing safe behavior.
Commitment Counts
New employee onboarding shouldn’t be a race or a box-checking exercise—it’s an investment in your workforce and your organization’s culture of safety. As Dean Alling’s experience shows, starting strong with tailored, relevant training ensures that every new hire is prepared to identify and handle workplace hazards confidently from day one. When you define clear goals, assemble the right team, and use an LMS or HRIS effectively, onboarding becomes a strategic advantage rather than a hurdle.
If you’re ready to enhance your onboarding process and create a safer workplace, reach out to Safety Made Simple. We can help your organization build learning paths that align with your operational hazards, ensuring your people gain the skills they need before they face the risk. Here’s to sending everyone home safely—every day.