How to Improve Communication for Workplace Safety?

Communication is a fundamental component of a successful reality. 

Whether you are the manager of a small team or lead a network of workers, information will be learned, ignored, or misinterpreted based on the skills and tools you use to communicate effectively.

This is especially true when it comes to promoting health and safety at work since every word or gesture can often “make or break”. 

The wrong strategy can lead to employees being uninterested and uninformed, increasing the chances of resulting, in the short or long term, in accidents or injuries at work.
In fact, when dealing with a workplace accident, the ability to prevent mistakes before they happen or recall important information can be life-saving or otherwise game-changing.  

Studies show that organisations that get employee engagement  experience 70% fewer workplace accidents or injuries than bottom-quarterly units, and that engaged teams are less likely to make mistakes. 

The importance of communication in safety culture

“ Safety culture ” refers to shared organisational values ​​for risk mitigation. 

This occurs when people within a company place high value on maintaining a safe workplace, from senior management to newly arrived workers.
Poor management decisions that overlook the need for communication channels with workers or ignore feedback from them can lead to significant errors. 
Failing to communicate protocols or provide workers with health and safety information will result in you not having the resources to know what to do or to report injuries and near misses in real time. 

Historically, poor workplace culture and communication have been at the root of health and safety issues, highlighting how these are key to encouraging safer processes and systems.

Creating communication channels is the first step toward building a better health and safety culture in a workplace. 

How can you improve communication?

Improving communication processes for health and safety can be achieved through the use of effective channels, the use of feedback, the frequent exchange of information, elements that can represent important means.

Starting from communication, you will encourage individuals towards greater individual responsibility so that health and safety in the workplace becomes a shared commitment rather than a mere obligation far from one's "self".

So, what simple steps can you implement to improve communication in your organisation?

1. Put safety first

Depending on the industry or workplace, putting workplace safety first will require resources. 

For example, employees do not need a refresher on fire alarm procedures every day, but a monthly test, for example, can ensure they are able to respond quickly in the event of a fire. 
Alternatively, for a construction company with employees working on a construction site, regular and weekly equipment safety checks are necessary to remain compliant and ensure a safe work environment.  
By ensuring that safety protocols are practices, not just written on paper, you are communicating the importance of health and safety to your workforce. This improves employee engagement and reduces risk.

In both of these scenarios, safety comes first.

2. Measure performance

Whether or not you decide to combine B-BS protocols with security systems, it is always important to use measurement tools.
For example, you could evaluate the frequency of security checks, the participation rate in security meetings or even the reporting of near misses.
In this way, it would be possible to identify the teams or areas of your business where engagement is low and communicate targeted advice, information or training processes to consolidate these gaps. 

3. Safety starts at the top

Safety communications should start at the highest level of your organisation, but permeate all levels. 

By developing communication channels that engage employees and allow people to provide feedback , you open a two-way channel of communication between you and your workforce. 

Investing energy in effective communication for safety at work is essential in order to continuously motivate people to be safe and to spread the vision of safety for the creation of a quality work process based on better interpersonal relationships, which can lead to the prevention of accidents and risky situations