Improving communications for occupational safety

Workplace health and safety expert Martin Lloyd Sanders has been around helping organizations become more equipped to deal with occupational hazards. A critical part of any occupational safety scheme is the establishment of sound communications. In this blog post, he shares some ways to improve this.

1. Signs and symbols

Each member of the workforce should be expected to form an understanding of signs and symbols that work to direct the group toward safety and warn them against potential threats. However, you cannot expect everyone to know this as soon as they join the company. Human resources would be wise to inform new hires of these when they go on board in the company so that everyone survives with the help of a codified symbolic language, shares Martin Lloyd Sanders.

2. Maps

When you are inside an office building, and an evacuation alarm sounds off, you might not have the natural sense to find the exit toward safety successfully. This is why it's important to provide maps that are easily seen in the workplace. Maps are supposed to inform people where they are at with respect to the emergency exit. Then, when an emergency such as a fire or an earthquake arises, people will exit without incident.

3. Announcements

There are times when a certain crisis can take quite a while before complete resolution. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a clear example of such a crisis. There's much uncertainty going around, and it is especially important for the communications team of any company to be on their toes regarding how they deliver information to all employees. Announcements should be drafted ahead of time, and these should come in different forms that cater to various communication media.

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, is currently serving as the Director for Safety, Environmental Compliance and Emergency Management in Federal Occupational Health (FOH/PSC). For more related reading, visit this page.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.