Pre-Placement Orientation and Site Safety Onboarding

Why Pre-Placement Orientation Matters

The externship is your first extended exposure to a real production environment — a fabrication shop, a naval architecture office, a shipyard drafting department, or a similar workplace. Unlike a classroom, the site has physical hazards, legal obligations, and operational rhythms that exist whether you are ready for them or not. Completing every onboarding step before you log a single production hour protects you legally, physically, and professionally. It also signals to your employer that you operate with the discipline the trade demands.

Federal law requires employers to provide new workers with hazard information specific to their workplace. OSHA's General Duty Clause holds employers responsible for a workplace free of recognized hazards, and many site-specific programs build on that foundation with their own onboarding curricula. As a placed student you are treated as a new worker for all safety purposes.

The Employer's New-Worker Orientation

Most host sites run a structured orientation session that covers:

• Facility layout — where offices, shops, lavatories, break areas, and restricted zones are located.
• Emergency exits and muster points — the specific doors and assembly areas you must use during fire, chemical release, or other emergencies. Walk these routes; do not just read about them.
• Incident reporting — how to report a near-miss, first-aid event, or recordable injury. On most sites you report immediately to your direct supervisor; the supervisor completes the required forms. Never leave an incident unreported, however minor it seems.
• Site-specific OSHA-required training — depending on the host, this may include hazard communication (HazCom/GHS), hearing conservation awareness, or confined-space awareness if vessel interior work is nearby. The employer determines which modules apply to your role.

Document every item you complete on the program's Pre-Placement Checklist. This form travels with you through the entire onboarding process and must be returned to your faculty liaison before production hours begin.

Workstation Walkthrough and PPE Verification

Your supervisor will lead you through the specific workstation or drafting area you will use. During this walk, pay attention to three categories:

Ergonomics. A professional drafting workstation should have a monitor at roughly eye level, a chair adjusted so your feet rest flat and your forearms are roughly parallel to the floor, and a keyboard position that keeps your wrists neutral. Poor ergonomic setup causes cumulative injuries over weeks, not hours. If your assigned workstation is not set up correctly, ask your supervisor to help you adjust it on day one.

PPE requirements. The minimum for an office-only drafting role is usually closed-toe shoes. If you will ever enter a shop floor, fabrication area, or vessel, additional PPE is required — at minimum safety glasses meeting ANSI Z87.1 and hard-toed footwear. A hi-vis vest is standard in many shipyard and manufacturing yard areas where vehicle traffic is present. Bring your own PPE on the first day; do not assume the site will supply it. Confirm with your supervisor exactly which PPE is required for every zone you may enter.

Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) posting locations. Even if your primary role is drafting, you may pass through or near areas where equipment energy control is in force. Identify where LOTO procedures are posted. Never remove a lock or tag that is not yours. If you encounter a machine with a lockout device attached, treat it as de-energized and stay clear. OSHA's LOTO standard (29 CFR 1910.147) covers the control of hazardous energy in general industry; shipyard work is additionally covered under 29 CFR 1915 subpart F. The takeaway for you: LOTO is not your procedure to perform — your role is to recognize it and respect it.

Three Documents You Must Submit

Before any production hour is recorded, three signed documents must reach your faculty liaison:

1. Site Safety Agreement — acknowledges that you have received site-specific safety information and agree to follow all employer safety rules during the placement.

2. Student–Supervisor Contact Sheet — lists the supervisor's direct phone and email, your own contact information, and the faculty liaison's contact details. This enables rapid communication if an issue arises.

3. Externship Learning Plan — outlines the drafting, CAD, or BIM tasks you will perform, the skills you expect to develop, and the evaluation checkpoints your supervisor will use. Your faculty liaison must approve this plan before hours count.

Submitting these documents late delays your start date. It is your responsibility — not the supervisor's and not the faculty liaison's — to ensure all three are complete and delivered on time.

Your OSHA 10 Card

You earned your OSHA 10-Hour General Industry (or Construction) card in Course 1. Bring the physical card or a clear photograph of it to orientation. Some host employers require proof of OSHA 10 completion before allowing site access. The card demonstrates that you can identify common hazards and understand workers' rights and employer responsibilities — a baseline that makes you a safer and more credible extern.

The Passing Standard

This is not a lesson you can partially complete. The pass standard is 100 percent: every required document signed and returned, and the Safety Onboarding section of the employer evaluation form initialed by your site supervisor. The faculty liaison will not log production hours until confirmation is in hand. Think of this the same way you think about a Certiport exam — the credential is only awarded when every requirement is met.