The Ultimate Guide for New Workers in Saskatchewan

​“Greenhorns”, “rookies”, “newbies”, you name it. New workers are constantly singled out at workplaces across nearly every industry. Why? Because deep down, we instinctually know that new workers could use some extra care and attention.

Register: New Worker Readiness Course

Youth in their first jobs often comes to mind, though young workers are not the only ones at risk. New workers of any age are at a much higher risk of injury when compared to their more experienced coworkers. Perhaps this is because the first days and orientation can be overwhelming for any age group, with a lot of new distractions. This can interfere with a new worker absorbing important safety information, or details about their responsibilities and tasks.

Sound familiar? Between fitting in with coworkers, impressing your boss, and generally trying your best not to make a complete mess of things, where did ‘preventing injury’ fit in on your list of priorities? Perhaps it didn’t even make the list.

The time to orient the new workers of Saskatchewan’s future must come long before the first assignment of duties. Safety orientation for new workers must happen before they are on the jobsite, and on the payroll. If the proper safety training foundation has been laid, those first job tasks can be properly focused on, while having confidence that a first injury is not going to be a part of the equation.

Where can a new worker find all the answers? Our Content Team worked directly with safety specialists and industry experts to create the ultimate guide for new workers of any age in Saskatchewan – the “New Worker Readiness” Course.

A product of many months of research and development, the New Worker Readiness Course serves new workers, their employers, and the communities they work and live in. The course has two main objectives:

First, to help new workers understand employment in Saskatchewan. The course prepares new workers with an easy-to-understand overview of the official government of Saskatchewan legislation and guidelines relating to worker’s legal rights and workplace responsibilities.
Second, the course works to prevent injuries, acting as an introduction to hazard recognition and risk assessment. Both industry experts and Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (CRSPs) have contributed content to enrich the course with accurate and relevant information on workplace health and safety.

Topics include:

• Cover letter and resume building
• Preparing for job interviews
• Employment rules and regulations (schedules, paydays, and overtime)
• Taxes, paystubs, and bank accounts
• Workplace health and safety
• Injuries, harassment, mental and physical health
• Hazardous materials and equipment
• Workplace training

SSC Volunteer Paulo (voice of "Hector") poses with Amanda Wood, Community Relations Coordinator, and Rory McCusker, New Media Specialist.

Utilizing animation software, staff & volunteer voice actors helped create a welcoming classroom narrative, acting as a homebase to host the various modules of the course. Our facilitator “Jason” leads classroom conversation with relatable characters. “Hector”, aged 30, a newcomer to Saskatchewan, wants to understand labour laws so he may start a business. “Stacey”, aged 15, wants to save money for a used car and *thinks* she is ready for her first job. And, “Greg”, a 20-year-old high school graduate from rural Saskatchewan, is looking for a new career outside of the family farm.

A course host, Amanda Wood, Community Relations Coordinator with the Saskatchewan Safety Council, appears on-location in common workplace environments such as retail, automotive, construction, cosmetics & fashion, healthcare, and education to demonstrate course concepts.

With this rich digital learning environment, participants are further connected to the course material through a variety of relatable conversation and examples. Video examples are paired with animated visualizations, on-screen icons, and graphic elements to expertly deliver key messages.

The “New Worker Readiness” course is available as a standalone course, but primarily serves as a foundational introduction in the “Career Safety Education” series.

Free training and resources are made available thanks to contributions from our Donors, Members and Sponsors that believe in our shared goal of creating a province of safety excellence.

Is charitable community injury prevention something your organization values? Consider sponsoring the Council as we create free resources to combat preventable injuries in Saskatchewan: https://www.sasksafety.org/sponsorship-support-levels.html