The Safety Training Program

Gascon’s Refrigeration Company builds refrigerators for other large refrigerator companies such as GE. It employs about 300 people, mostly assembly line workers and is located at Manggahan, Dasmarinas, Cavite.

During the summer months, volume at the factory increases significantly and the company needs to hire about 40 new employees to handle the heavy workload. Most of these new employees are college and high school students who are on summer vacation.

When a new employee is hires, the company asks him or her to complete an application form and to show up at the plant gate ready to work. Employees receive no orientation. The worker is shown to a workstation and after a minimum amount of on-the-job training; the new employee is expected to start performing a job. Most of the jobs are quite simple and hence, training is completed within 5-10 minutes.

The company has had excellent experience with the students over the years. Much of the success can be attributed to the older workers coming to the aid of the new employees when trouble or difficulties arise.

One summer, the company experienced a rash of injuries to its employees. Although most of the injuries were minor, the company felt it imperative to conduct a series of short training programs on safe material-handling techniques. The company was at a lost as to who should conduct the training. Out of desperation, the president asked Jonathan Andres, the first line supervisor of the “lid line” to conduct the training. Jonathan had recently attended a training program on safety and was active in the Red Cross. Jonathan reluctantly agreed to conduct the training.

In the first training session, Jonathan nervously stood up in front of 14 employees, many of whom were college students and read his presentation in a monotone voice. His entire speech lasted about 7 minutes.

After Jonathan’s speech ended, the employees immediately returned to work. By the end of the day, however, everyone in the plant had heard about the training fiasco and all, except the president were laughing about it.

Questions:

1.Evaluate the company’s OJT program. Should it be changed? 2.Should the company install an employee orientation program for new factory workers? Is it really necessary? 3.What changes should be made in the company’s safety training program?