The first shift is the highest risk shift.
That’s not a safety slogan. It’s backed by data. Research consistently shows that temporary and labour hire workers are two to three times more likely to be injured in their first days on a new site than their permanent counterparts. And in warehousing, logistics, transport and manufacturing where the hazards are real and the pace is relentless that number isn’t abstract. It’s people getting hurt on their very first day at work.
I’ve been doing WHS for a long time. I’ve walked hundreds of sites across Australia. And I’ll tell you straight the number one gap I see isn’t equipment, it’s not procedures, and it’s not even training. It’s the onboarding of temporary and labour hire workers.
Most sites get it wrong. Not because they don’t care about safety. But because they treat labour hire workers the same way they treat the laminated induction card on the wall as something to get through, not something that actually matters.
This article is about changing that.
Why Labour Hire Workers Are at Greater Risk on Day One
Before we get into what to do, it’s worth understanding why the risk is so much higher on the first shift.
Temporary and labour hire workers arrive at your site without the contextual knowledge that permanent workers build up over weeks and months. They don’t know where the pedestrian exclusion zones are. They don’t know that the dock door on the left sticks. They don’t know that afternoon shift runs hotter and faster than morning shift, or that the supervisor on nights runs things differently to the one on days.
They also face a particular kind of social pressure that permanent workers don’t. They’re new. They want to make a good impression. They’re less likely to ask questions that might make them look inexperienced. They’re less likely to raise a safety concern if it means slowing down the line or drawing attention to themselves.
And from the site’s perspective, there’s often an assumption that a labour hire worker who has worked in warehousing before already knows the basics. That assumption is where the gap lives.
Under the model WHS Act, as a host employer, you have a duty of care to labour hire workers that is identical to the duty you have to your own permanent employees. The agency you work with has obligations too but those obligations don’t transfer away from you when a worker steps through your gate. You are responsible for the safety of every person on your site, regardless of who’s on their payroll.
That’s not opinion. That’s section 19 of the WHS Act.
What Most Sites Actually Do (and Why It Falls Short)
Walk into the average warehouse or distribution centre in Australia and ask how they onboard labour hire workers. Most will tell you something like:
– They watch an induction video
– They sign the induction sheet
– They get a site map and an emergency evacuation plan
– Someone shows them where their workstation is
– Off they go
That process might take twenty minutes. It might take ten. And for the site, the box is ticked.
The problem is that an induction is only useful if it connects to the actual work the person is about to do, in the actual environment they’re about to do it in, with the actual hazards they’re going to face. A generic induction video even a good one doesn’t do that. It can’t.
There are a few other common failures worth naming directly:
The buddy system that isn’t. Many sites assign a buddy or a “show-around” person to a new labour hire worker. In practice, that buddy is often another production worker who’s under their own output pressure. The new worker follows them around for twenty minutes, gets shown where the toilets are, and that’s considered adequate supervision.
Forklift traffic that nobody explains. On sites where forklifts and pedestrians share space which is most sites the traffic management plan is rarely walked through in any meaningful way on day one. New workers often don’t know which areas are exclusion zones, what to do when they hear a forklift reversing alarm, or where to stand when a dock is being loaded.
The assumption of prior knowledge.”They’ve worked in warehouses before” is one of the most dangerous assumptions a site manager can make. Working in a warehouse doesn’t mean they know *your* warehouse. Every site is different. Racking layouts, traffic flows, emergency procedures, PPE requirements, reporting processes all of it is specific to your site.
No check-in at end of shift. A meaningful onboarding process doesn’t end when the worker starts. It includes a check-in at the end of the first shift did anything happen? Did anything feel unsafe? Was there anything they weren’t sure about? That five-minute conversation is one of the most valuable safety tools available, and almost no site does it.
What a Proper Day-One induction Actually Looks Like
Here’s what a proper onboarding process for a labour hire worker looks like in practice. This isn’t a theoretical framework it’s what actually works on sites that have low incident rates and strong safety cultures.
1. Pre-arrival preparation
Before the worker arrives on site, your team should know:
– Who they are, what role they’re filling, and what their relevant experience is
– Whether there are any specific physical requirements or restrictions relevant to the role
– Which team or work area they’re being placed into and who their direct supervisor is for the day
– What hazards are present in that specific work area not the site generally, but the specific area
The labour hire agency should be providing you with this information as part of placement. If they’re not, that’s a gap in your host employer agreement worth addressing.
2. A site-specific induction not a generic one
The induction for a labour hire worker should cover the same ground as the induction for a new permanent employee. That means:
– A physical walkthrough of the site, not just a map
– Forklift and pedestrian traffic management where the exclusion zones are, what the rules are, what to do when a forklift is operating nearby
– Emergency procedures specific to the site exits, muster points, who to report to
– Hazard identification relevant to their specific work area racking, machinery, chemical storage, manual handling risk areas
– PPE requirements what’s required, where to get it, what to do if equipment is damaged or missing
– Reporting procedures how to report a hazard, how to report a near miss, who to speak to if something doesn’t feel right
– Site-specific rules speed limits in the yard, phone use, break areas, signing in and out
This walkthrough should be conducted by a supervisor or team leader, not delegated to another production worker. It should take at least 45 minutes. That is not excessive. That is appropriate.
3. A task-specific briefing before work begins
Once the general site induction is done, there should be a specific briefing on the tasks the worker will be performing that day. This is separate from the general induction and should cover:
– Exactly what tasks they’ll be doing and in what sequence
– The correct method for each task, including any specific manual handling techniques
– Any machinery or equipment they’ll be using and how to use it safely
– Who to ask if they’re unsure about anything
– What to do if the task changes during the shift
This doesn’t need to be a formal training session. It can be a fifteen-minute conversation with their direct supervisor before the first task begins. But it needs to happen.
4. Assign a genuine buddy and make the buddy accountable
If you’re using a buddy system, make it real. A genuine buddy is a permanent worker who understands that their job for that shift is to keep an eye on the new person, answer questions, and flag anything that doesn’t look right. They’re not doing that in addition to their full normal workload their supervisor knows they’re acting as a buddy today and adjusts expectations accordingly.
The buddy should check in with the new worker at regular intervals throughout the shift at minimum at mid-morning, at lunch, and mid-afternoon. Not to check output. To check in as a person.
5. Supervisor visibility during the first shift
The direct supervisor should be physically present on the floor and checking on the new worker during the first shift. Not hovering that creates its own pressure but visibly available and actively paying attention. If the supervisor is in the office for most of the first shift, that’s a problem.
This is especially important during the first hour of work, and again at the start of any new task.
6. An end-of-shift check-in
At the end of the first shift, the supervisor or a nominated team leader should spend five minutes with the new worker. The conversation is simple:
– How did the shift go? Was anything unclear or confusing?
– Did anything happen that felt unsafe or that made them uncomfortable?
– Is there anything they’d like to know more about before their next shift?
– Do they have any questions?
This conversation does two things. It gives the worker a chance to raise any concerns while they’re still fresh. And it sends a clear signal that your site is the kind of place where people can speak up & which is the foundation of a genuine safety culture.
The Host Employer’s Legal Obligations & What You Need to Have in Place
Under the model WHS legislation, host employers have specific obligations when engaging labour hire workers. These aren’t optional extras they’re legal requirements.
You must consult with the labour hire agency about WHS risks. Before a worker is placed on your site, there should be a conversation ideally documented about the specific hazards present in the role and the controls in place to manage them. Many host employers assume the agency handles this. The agency has an obligation too, but your obligation doesn’t disappear because the agency is involved.
You must provide a safe system of work. This means your traffic management, your manual handling procedures, your emergency procedures, your PPE requirements all of it must apply equally to labour hire workers as to permanent employees. If your permanent employees have access to a piece of equipment that makes a task safer and your labour hire workers don’t, that’s a gap.
You must ensure the worker receives adequate training and supervision. “They did the online induction” is not adequate training. Supervision means physical, real-world supervision particularly in the first days on site.
You must have a written host employer agreement with the labour hire agency. This agreement should specify the WHS obligations of both parties, the process for communicating hazards and incidents, and what happens if a worker is injured. If you don’t have one of these, get one.
If you’re unsure whether your current arrangements meet the legal standard, SafeWork Australia has published guidance specifically on the WHS obligations of host employers and labour hire agencies. It’s available at safeworkaustralia.gov.au and it’s worth reading.
A Practical Checklist for Site Managers
Use this before the next labour hire worker steps on your site.
Before arrival:
– [ ] Confirmed role requirements and experience with the agency
– [ ] Identified specific hazards in the work area
– [ ] Nominated a supervisor and a buddy for day one
– [ ] Confirmed host employer agreement is in place with the agency
Day one” morning:
– [ ] Physical site walkthrough completed (min. 45 minutes)
– [ ] Forklift and pedestrian traffic explained and walked
– [ ] Emergency procedures covered — exits, muster points, who to call
– [ ] PPE issued and checked
– [ ] Task-specific briefing completed before first task begins
Day one” during shift:
– [ ] Supervisor visible on floor and checking in during first hour
– [ ] Buddy checking in at regular intervals
– [ ] Worker knows who to speak to if something doesn’t feel right
End of first shift:
– [ ] Five-minute check-in conversation completed
– [ ] Any concerns documented and followed up
– [ ] Worker confirmed ready for next shift
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What This Looks Like at Labourpower
At Labourpower, our responsibility to the workers we place doesn’t end at placement. We work with our host employer clients to ensure that the onboarding process for every labour hire worker meets the legal standard and, frankly, goes beyond it.
That means we ask questions before placement about the hazards on site. It means we provide candidates with role-specific information before their first shift. It means our account managers follow up with both clients and workers after the first shift to check in. And it means we’re available to support our clients in reviewing and improving their onboarding processes because when a worker on your site gets hurt, everyone loses.
If you’d like to talk about how your current labour hire onboarding process stacks up, reach out to your Labourpower account manager. We’re not just here to place people. We’re here to make sure they stay safe once we do.
The first shift is the highest risk shift. That’s not going to change. But the risk isn’t inevitable it’s manageable, and it’s manageable through a deliberate, structured, site-specific onboarding process that treats labour hire workers with the same care and attention as permanent employees.
If your current induction takes less than an hour, relies on a video and a signature, and sends a new worker to the floor without physical supervision, it has gaps. Those gaps are where incidents happen.
Fix the process before you need to explain to a regulator or a family why you didn’t.
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*Barry Geaitani is the National WHS Manager at Labourpower Recruitment Services. Barry’s Hard Hat Chats is a regular series sharing practical, operational safety insights for leaders in warehousing, logistics, transport and manufacturing.*
*For WHS support or to discuss your site’s onboarding practices, contact Labourpower at labourpower.com.au*
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**References & Further Reading:**
– Safe Work Australia Labour Hire: Host Business Responsibilities: safeworkaustralia.gov.au
– Model WHS Act 2011 Section 19 (Primary Duty of Care)
– Safe Work Australia Preventing Work-related Injuries for Temporary Agency Workers
– Safe Work Australia Guide for Labour Hire: Duties of Host Businesses and Labour Hire Providers
11/05/2026