Most site induction videos fail the same way: they try to put the whole safety management system on screen. Forty minutes later, nobody remembers the assembly point. A good induction video does one job, which is to get a new person onto the site knowing the hazards, the rules and what to do when something goes wrong. Everything else belongs in the document they sign.

What goes in

The welcome (30 seconds)

A real person from the site, ideally the site manager or a long-serving supervisor, saying who they are and why safety is done the way it is here. This is the bit that sets the tone, and it's the reason to use your own people rather than a presenter.

The site (1 to 2 minutes)

Where you park, where you sign in, where you can and can't go, where the amenities are. Show the actual gate, the actual office, the actual walkways. Drone footage is useful here for a site that's hard to picture from the ground.

The hazards (2 to 4 minutes)

The ones specific to this site, shown on this site. Moving plant, isolations, confined spaces, working at heights, hot works, hazardous substances, whatever applies. Film the real hazard, not a stock clip. A crew will spot a stock clip in a second and stop trusting the rest.

The rules (1 to 2 minutes)

PPE, permits, exclusion zones, speed limits, phones. Short, specific, shown rather than listed. If the rule is "no phones in the switchyard", show the switchyard.

Emergencies and reporting (1 minute)

What the alarm sounds like, where the assembly points are, who the first aiders are, and exactly how to report a hazard, a near miss or an incident. This is the section people need most and watch least, so keep it short and put it near the end, not at the end.

What to leave out

Policy wording and legislation. It belongs in the document.
Anything that changes every month. Put it in a short "site update" clip you can swap, not in the main video.
Corporate values and history. Nobody arriving for a 6am start needs them.
Music under the voiceover. It makes the video harder to hear on a phone at the gate.

Length

Six to ten minutes for a full contractor induction. Two to three for a visitor version. If it's longer than that, split it into modules so the LMS can track each one and people can rewatch the part they need.

Captions and language

Always captions. Many sites are noisy, many crews include people with English as a second language, and many people watch on a phone with the sound off. Subtitled versions in other languages are a small extra once the main video exists.

We film inductions on operating sites, with our own tickets and PPE, and script them with your safety team in your crews' words. See the health and safety video package, or read what changes the price.