Free tools · Field crews

sageful Free tool · Field crews

A new tech's first day, in 7 checks.

For the owner or lead who has a new field tech starting this week. Print it the day before and run it on day one.

About 30 minutes of prep the day before, then one full ride-along day with the lead.

Your answers save in this browser only.

Why it matters

Day one sets what a new tech believes about your company: whether anyone has a plan for them, whether safety is real or just a poster, and whether it is safe to ask a question. If the first day is spent waiting in the shop or riding with someone who never explains anything, they notice.

It is also the riskiest stretch of the job. First-year employees made up 35% of workers' comp claims (Travelers 2024 Injury Impact Report, 1.2M claims). A new tech does not yet know where the hazards are, what the PPE is for, or that they are allowed to stop a job. This sheet covers those on the first day instead of hoping they pick it up.

Check this against your own safety program and the person who signs off on safety for you. It is a starting point, not compliance advice.

How to use it

  1. The day before, fill in the boxes at the top and work through Before they arrive. Most of the first day goes wrong in the prep.
  2. Hand this sheet to the lead who will have the new tech all day. One person owns the day, not whoever is free.
  3. In the morning, work the Morning checks in order before the truck leaves the yard. Check each box as you go.
  4. On the road, the new tech rides along only. Use the On the job checks at each stop.
  5. Use the Say this lines word for word if they help. New techs remember what they hear on day one.
  6. At the end of the day, sit down for 10 minutes and ask the end-of-day questions. Write their answers in Notes.
  7. Give the finished sheet to the owner or manager, and keep it in the tech's file.

The worksheet

Before they arrive

Morning, before the truck leaves

On the job

Say this

Today you are riding with me. You will not do anything alone. Watch, ask and help when I ask you to.
If you have a question, ask it. There are no dumb questions on day one, or day thirty.
If something looks wrong, you can stop the job. Say stop, step back and tell me. You will never get in trouble for stopping. You would get in trouble for staying quiet.
This is [name]. They are your person for questions this month. Call them before you guess.

7. End of the day, 10 minutes

  1. What surprised you today?Listen for anything that did not match what they were told in the interview.
  2. What is still unclear?Write it down. Cover it first thing tomorrow.
  3. What would you do differently tomorrow?Shows whether they were paying attention and thinking ahead.
  4. Is there anything you need that you do not have?Gear, sizes, a ride, a login. Fix it before tomorrow morning.

Notes: their answers and anything to fix

Free from Brian LeSage · Sagefulsageful.app/free/first-day
Example: a made-up 12-person septic company

Ridge Septic hires Marcus on a Monday. On Sunday night, the lead, Dana, pulls boots and gloves in his size, prints the safety data sheets for the two treatment products they use most, and picks three routine pump-outs instead of the backed-up commercial job on the schedule.

Monday morning, Marcus meets his go-to person, Luis, and saves his number. Dana walks him around truck 4 and quizzes him: where is the spare hose, the eye wash, the gas monitor. He finds four out of five. They read both data sheets at the tailgate, and Dana tells him plainly that he can stop any job without getting in trouble.

At each stop Dana says the hazards out loud: open tank lid, slope by the driveway, customer's dog. Marcus hands tools and watches. At lunch he asks why they never stand over an open tank, which turns into the best five minutes of the day.

At 4:30 they sit in the truck for 10 minutes. Marcus says the smell surprised him, he is unclear on the job app, and tomorrow he would get his gloves on earlier. Dana writes it down and books 20 minutes on the app first thing Tuesday.

Common mistakes

  • Spending the first morning on paperwork and videos. Fix: cap paperwork at 30 minutes and get them on the truck.
  • Sending them out with whoever is free. Fix: name one lead for the day and one go-to person for the month, before they arrive.
  • Handing over PPE without checking the fit. Fix: have them put it on in front of you and check it.
  • Saying 'safety first' without showing how to stop a job. Fix: show the steps and say out loud that stopping will never get them in trouble.
  • Letting them run 'just one easy task' alone because you are short-handed. Fix: day one is ride-along only, no exceptions.
  • Skipping the end-of-day questions because everyone is tired. Fix: 10 minutes in the truck before they leave. That is where you learn whether they are coming back.

Make it yours

  • Pest control and lawn careMake the two safety data sheets the two products they will mix or apply most. Show how to read a product label too.
  • Stormwater, septic and underground workAdd the rule that they never enter a vault, tank or trench on day one, and show what a confined space looks like.
  • HVAC, plumbing and electricalAdd a walk through of lockout on the most common equipment they will see, done by the lead while they watch.
  • Roofing and tree workAdd fall protection fit and inspection to the PPE check, and keep them on the ground for day one.
  • A one-truck owner-operatorYou are the lead and the go-to person. Still run the end-of-day questions. They matter more when there is no one else to ask.

Use it with

Before a new tech runs a job alone, they show you these 5 things.Open →A new tech's first 30 days, one week at a time.Open →5-minute toolbox talk: anyone can stop the job.Open →

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