The most dangerous words in a workplace are not “that looks unsafe.”
The most dangerous words are “I thought that’s how you do it.”
If you have ever watched a new worker confidently do something a little sideways, you already know what I mean. They are not trying to be difficult, and they are not trying to cut corners. They are trying to succeed with the information they have, which is often a mash-up of past jobs, guesswork, rushed instructions, and whatever they saw someone else do once from twenty feet away.
This is where a lot of injuries, near misses, equipment damage, and quality issues are born. Not from bad attitudes, but from missing demonstrations and missing verification. In plain language, we hire people, we hand them PPE and a few forms, we tell them “be safe,” and then we act surprised when they fill the gaps with their own version of “safe.”
Most companies believe they “trained” new workers because they covered orientation topics, got a sign-off, and maybe ran a short online module. The worker believes they were trained because they sat through it, signed the page, and nobody stopped them afterwards. So both sides feel like the job is done.
But practical safety does not live in a policy binder or a slide deck. It lives in the exact way tasks are set up, the exact sequence of steps, the exact pinch points, the exact lines of fire, and the exact moments where people take shortcuts because they do not know what “right” looks like on that site.
And if nobody shows them properly, they will still try to deliver. They will still try to keep up. They will still try to impress you. That is exactly why this problem is so risky.
A lot of leaders quietly assume, “If the worker is experienced, they’ll figure it out.” That sounds reasonable until you remember that experience is not the same thing as competence on your specific job, your specific site, and your specific controls.
Your hazards, your procedures, your tools, your pace, your rules, and your culture are not the same as the last place they worked.
Even within the same trade, two workplaces can run the same task in totally different ways. One place may rely on a spotter, another may rely on barricades. One place may have a strict lockout standard, another may do informal isolations. One place may treat near misses like gold, another treats them like noise. A new worker will adjust to what they think you want, even if what you want has never been clearly shown.
This is also where human factors show up. When people are new, they are juggling a lot at once: names, layout, expectations, pace, radios, paperwork, and unwritten rules. Under that mental load, they will default to habits and assumptions, which means mistakes become more likely, especially when the hazard is quiet and the consequence is delayed.
Being shown how is not the same as being told. It is not the same as being handed a procedure. It is not the same as being pointed toward a computer module and a quiz.
Being shown how means a competent person demonstrates the task the way your organization expects it to be done, with the controls that matter, and with the “why” explained in a practical way.
It also means the new worker does it themselves while being observed, and they receive quick coaching before bad habits get baked in. After that, you verify they can repeat it under normal conditions, not just once on their best behavior.
This sounds obvious, but it falls apart all the time because workplaces are busy, supervisors are stretched, and everyone wants the new person to become “useful” immediately. In practice, that pressure creates invisible training debt, and the business pays interest on it later through incidents, downtime, and turnover.
A supervisor assumes the lead hand will train, the lead hand assumes the experienced worker will train, and the experienced worker assumes the new person already knows. Nobody is being malicious. It is just not assigned clearly, which means it does not happen consistently.
Orientation is important, but it is not task competence. Orientation can explain the rules. It cannot magically install safe technique.
You can have great documents and still have poor performance if nobody practices the steps in the field. Workers learn by doing, and safety skills are no different.
If you do not watch someone do the job, you are guessing about their competence. Sign-offs without observation become paperwork comfort, not risk control.
If you want a practical approach that fits real workplaces, use a short cycle that supervisors can actually repeat.
Show
Demonstrate the task in the field, at normal pace, using the correct controls. Point out the failure points: stored energy, line of fire, pinch points, blind spots, dropped objects, and “where it goes wrong when people rush.”
Watch
Have the worker do it while you observe. Do not hover like a helicopter, but do not disappear either. Watch the small things, because small things are where the big incidents start.
Coach
Correct immediately and specifically. Avoid vague lines like “be careful” or “pay attention,” because those are not instructions. Replace them with clear actions like “keep your hands outside this zone,” “maintain three points of contact,” “confirm zero energy before you reach in,” or “stop and reset the barrier before the lift starts.”
Verify
Confirm the worker can do it again, consistently, without reminders. Verification can be a short, documented field check, which then becomes evidence of due diligence and a real leading indicator.
If you want to keep it simple, build a short set of “critical tasks” and focus on doing this cycle for those tasks first. Most workplaces have a small number of tasks that drive most of the serious risk. Start there, because perfection across everything is not realistic, but control of the big risks is.
The first week is where you either build safe habits or you inherit unsafe ones. The goal is not to overwhelm the worker. The goal is to make expectations visible and repeatable.
Here are practical moves that work without turning your day into a training seminar.
If you do these things, you will usually see fewer surprises, better quality, and better confidence. Workers relax when expectations are clear, and relaxed workers make fewer mistakes.
This is the part a lot of companies miss: training is not a standalone activity. It is a management system function tied to hazard assessment, critical controls, supervision, inspections, and incident learning.
When the system is built properly, it actually reduces workload because the organization stops reinventing expectations every time a new person shows up. You are not relying on memory and personal style; you are relying on a consistent process.
This is exactly the kind of gap we fix when we build or tune up health and safety programs, because “they weren’t shown how” is a predictable failure mode that can be controlled with the right structure.
Calgary Safety Consultants can support you in a few practical ways.
We can identify your critical tasks and critical controls, then turn them into short, field-usable training expectations that supervisors can deliver without needing a safety department beside them.
We can build or improve your competency and training framework, including role-based training matrices, job-specific training checklists, and documented verification steps that hold up under COR audits, client scrutiny, and regulatory questions.
We can develop or refresh your safe work practices so they match how work is actually done, which means your documents stop being shelf items and start being coaching tools.
We can help you set up a simple, repeatable onboarding process that connects orientation topics to real field demonstrations, and that includes follow-up checks in the first week, first month, and after task changes.
We can also deliver targeted training for supervisors and lead hands on how to coach safely, document verification, and reinforce stop-work authority without creating drama or resentment.
Most new workers want to do well, and most companies want them to go home safe, but good intentions do not control hazards. Demonstration, practice, coaching, and verification control hazards.
If you want fewer incidents and less rework, treat “shown how” as a critical control, not a nice-to-have. When you do that, you stop gambling on assumptions, and you start building competence you can actually trust.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
Safety Orientation – Health and Safety Programs.
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/orientation.html
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
Health and Safety Training – Health and Safety Programs.
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/training.html
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
Young Workers – Health and Safety Programs.
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/young_workers.html
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Training Requirements in OSHA Standards.
https://www.osha.gov/training
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
29 CFR 1926.21 – Safety Training and Education.
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.21
International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Requirements.
https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html
Government of Alberta.
Occupational Health and Safety Legislation.
https://www.alberta.ca/occupational-health-and-safety-legislation
WorkSafeBC.
Young and New Workers – Health and Safety Resources.
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/young-new-workers
Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group).
Occupational Health and Safety Standards.
https://www.csa.ca/standards/occupational-health-and-safety/
Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA).
Certificate of Recognition (COR) Program.
https://www.acsa-safety.org/cor/
The biggest risk is that they will confidently fill training gaps with assumptions from past jobs or guesswork, which means hazards are not controlled the way your site expects and high-risk errors can happen without warning.
No, because orientation mainly covers rules and general expectations, while training must include task demonstration, supervised practice, coaching, and verification so the worker can perform safely in real conditions.
It means a competent person demonstrates the task using the site’s required controls, then the new worker performs the task while being observed, corrected, and verified until they can repeat it safely without reminders.
Calgary Safety Consultants is here to help you ensure compliance, enhance safety, and streamline your OH&S program. Don’t wait—fill out the form, and we’ll connect with you to discuss how we can support your business. Let’s get started!
Calgary Safety Consultants delivers game-changing COR Audits and OH&S consulting designed to keep your business safe, compliant, and accident-free. With 30+ years of expertise in high-risk industries like oil & gas, construction, and manufacturing, we understand the unique challenges you face. We offer tailored safety solutions that not only meet regulatory standards but also reduce operational risks and protect your workforce. From conducting thorough safety audits to implementing comprehensive safety management systems, we ensure your team is fully supported. Our hands-on, collaborative approach means we're with you every step of the way, helping you achieve a safer, more efficient workplace. Let us handle the heavy lifting so your team stays protected, and your business thrives!
