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Employee Safety Orientation

A good orientation tells a new employee what could hurt them on your farm, how you want the work done, and who to ask when they are unsure. It does not need to be long, but it does need to happen before the first task.

What is a farm safety orientation and why does it come first?

An orientation is the first structured conversation about safety between you and a person who is new to your operation. It is different from skill training. Orientation covers the farm itself: its layout, its hazards, its rules and its people. Skill training comes next and covers how to run a particular machine or do a particular job.

Doing it first matters because the early days are when people are most eager to help and least familiar with the place. A new hire may not know which lane is used by trucks, which shed holds chemicals, or which animal is unpredictable. Nobody can guess those things, and nobody should have to learn them by getting hurt.

What should the orientation cover?

Build it around your own farm rather than a generic script. Walk the property with the new person and point to real things. People retain what they have seen in place far better than what they have heard in an office.

Keep the first session focused on the hazards that apply to the work this person will actually do in the first weeks. You can add more over time. Overloading day one tends to bury the important points.

• A walk of the farm: buildings, fields, roads, water, fuel and chemical storage, and areas that are off limits.
• The main hazards of this farm in general terms, such as moving equipment, livestock, heights, stored grain, chemicals and weather.
• Which tasks the person may not do until they are trained and approved.
• Where first aid supplies, fire extinguishers and emergency contact information are kept.
• How to report a hazard, an injury or a close call, and your promise that reporting will be treated fairly.
• Who is in charge on each shift and who to ask when the boss is not around.

How do you cover emergencies without giving improvised advice?

Tell every new person that in an emergency they call 911 first and then call you. Make sure they know the farm's address or location description to give a dispatcher, since rural addresses can be confusing. Post that information near the phone and in vehicles.

Do not try to teach rescue or first aid in a short orientation. Those skills come from recognized hands-on courses, such as those offered by the American Red Cross and local fire and rescue departments. Tell employees which parts of the farm are hazards that call for professional rescue, and that they should never enter grain storage, manure pits or other confined spaces to attempt a rescue themselves.

How do you make sure the person understood?

Do not ask, "Any questions?" and move on. Most new employees will say no. Instead, ask the person to show you or tell you in their own words. For example, ask where they would go and who they would call if a coworker was hurt, or what they would do if a guard on a machine was missing.

If the person is more comfortable in another language, deliver the orientation in that language or use a qualified interpreter. Pictures, demonstrations and short written reminders help everyone.

What records should you keep?

Write down the date, the topics covered, who led the session and who attended. Have the employee sign or initial the record if that fits your operation. This is not paperwork for its own sake. It lets you see gaps, repeat the session for the next hire, and show what you did if questions arise later.

Requirements for training records and for what training is required differ by farm size, type of work, state and federal rules. Check with OSHA and your state agency to confirm what applies to you. The OSHA agriculture page is a good starting point.

How do you follow up after day one?

Orientation is the start of a relationship, not a single event. Check in during the first week, again at the end of the first month, and whenever the person starts a new type of work. Ask what felt confusing or unsafe. New employees notice things that long-time workers have stopped seeing.

Pair the new person with an experienced coworker who works safely and explains why, not only how. The habits that person models will often outweigh anything on paper.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid reading from a binder for an hour. Attention fades quickly, and the points that matter most get lost. Avoid hurrying through it because the farm is busy. If you cannot spare the time, the work is not yet ready for a new person.

Avoid assuming that an experienced person needs no orientation. Every farm has its own quirks, and experience elsewhere can create false confidence. Finally, avoid making the orientation a one-way speech. A conversation shows you what the person already knows and what worries them.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.