Good Communication = Compliance
Nobody wants to work in an unsafe environment or put themselves and others at risk. However, this is the outcome if people don’t fully understand what’s expected of them and why.
It’s not enough just to tell your staff what to do. They must also understand why it’s important.
At the basic level, good communication identifies the hazards of a workplace and indicates what workers can do to stay safe.
What Does A Positive Safety Culture Look Like?
Health and safety isn’t just the responsibility of management. Every individual must take responsibility for their role in ensuring a positive safety culture. Open and honest communication encourages workers to be accountable and identify and discuss safety issues with colleagues and managers.
But it doesn’t always work that way. Many employees don’t speak up when they notice other workers behaving recklessly – even when they know they should. A survey conducted by Safety Performance Solutions Inc (SPS) revealed that although 90 percent of respondents believe that they should call out other people who aren’t acting safely, only 60 percent actually step up and say something.
This reluctance to speak out is attributed to fear of creating conflict between co-workers or the perception that it’s not their job to give feedback on safety.
Organisations can address this issue by helping people improve their communication skills and empowering them to speak openly about safety in the workplace without fear of reprisal.
Good Communication Streamlines Safety Planning And Processes
Poor communication can be one of the biggest hindrances to organisations trying to adopt new safety initiatives and strategies. Projects fall over before they can even be implemented due to a lack of clarity, accountability, and agency.
At Direct Safety, we often see this when businesses are attempting to implement lone worker safety solutions. For example, although the H&S manager may have decided to introduce LWS equipment and procedures, they left key people out of the decision-making process. Because these people weren’t at the initial meetings or demos, the project couldn’t be delivered as smoothly or effectively.
As with any project, it’s vital to involve the right people from the start of that decision-making journey.
Tips For Improving Communication In Your Organisation
Involve your employees. Studies have shown that organisations with high employee engagement scores experience 70% fewer safety accidents than those with lower scores. The more engaged your staff are, the safer your organisation is. Ask your workers for feedback and ideas and encourage questions. Get them actively involved in the H&S strategy.
Reward positive safety behavior. Don’t just bring attention to unsafe practices. Make an effort to reward and praise employees who do their jobs safely and follow H&S procedures.
Encourage feedback. Model open and honest communication by encouraging all staff to give effective on-the-spot feedback (not just from the top-down, but across all levels). This will empower people to speak up.
Integrate a communication strategy with H&S. Information flows better when everyone knows exactly who should be involved in H&S decisions. This strategy should identify the most appropriate channels and activities for communicating H&S messages and changes, as well as a timeline and list of available resources.
Walk the talk. Safety has to be a priority, particularly in organisations where lone workers are vulnerable. It’s not enough to just create an H&S document and get your staff to read it once. Instead, introduce policies and procedures that prioritise safety, such as daily or weekly equipment safety checks and monthly drills.
Direct Safety recognises the importance of a positive safety culture and the role of effective communication in H&S.
We are here to support you as you implement your lone safety worker solutions. That’s why we have created a communication plan to send to H&S managers at the start of a project. This plan will help streamline the process by getting the right people involved from the get-go.
Reach out to us today, to talk through how you can create a positive safety culture at your workplace.