The first 90 days with a new safety manual

Days 1 to 30: set up and commit

• Brand and tailor the manual (see the step-by-step post linked below).
• Sign and date the health and safety policy statement and post it where workers can see it.
• Name the people responsible for hazard assessments, inspections, first aid and emergency response.
• Post the emergency contacts and the right to refuse unsafe work.
• Orient every worker on the program, starting with the hazards of their own work, and keep the signed checklist.

Days 31 to 60: start the routines

• Complete hazard assessments at the start of each job and whenever the work changes.
• Run the inspections at the frequency the manual sets, and record what was found and fixed.
• Hold a toolbox talk every week. Every manual comes with 52 talks for its trade, one for each week of the year.
• Hold safety meetings and keep the minutes.
• Check in with each new worker after 30 days.

Days 61 to 90: test and improve

• Run an emergency drill and write down what worked and what did not.
• Score the program with the Audit-Readiness Self-Check and list the gaps.
• Turn each gap into a corrective action with a name and a date.
• Update the manual where it does not match how you work, and note the change.

Keep records from day one

Clients, prequalification platforms and auditors ask for evidence, not intentions. Decide where each record lives before you start. The Record-Keeping Guide lists what to keep and for how long, with a folder structure, and the 12-Month Safety Calendar lays the routines out month by month so the program keeps running after day 90.