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Why Is Safety Standards Communication So Critical?

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OSHA, or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, makes it clear that employers bear the primary burden of keeping their employees free from workplace threats to their safety or health. The main function of this organization is to turn workplace safety legislation into rules for different industries to follow. 

 

How strict is OSHA?

As the construction trade journal, Building Profits, makes clear in "The High Cost of Noncompliance," OSHA continues to aggressively pursue enforcement of all of its safety rules. Getting caught ignoring these rules could result in large fines and in some cases, criminal penalties. One major aspect of these enforced safety standards is employee communication. At the same time, one of the most affordable and effective methods of communicating with employees is through the use of safety posters.

Do I Need to Post Signs Around my Business?

Of course, staying on the right side of the law shouldn't be the only reason to employ safety communication around a business. Consider the case of one of the most commonly required signs used for employee communication. Those are, of course, the hand-washing signs that are commonly found in restaurant restrooms. These signs help remind employees to practice proper hygiene both to keep themselves healthy and keep from passing germs on to customers. These signs might get posted because they are required by law, but it is hard to argue that posting them isn't also the right thing to do. 

Why post safety posters around your business even if they aren't required?

Most of the time, the messages on posters are very simple. They are meant to get read and understood in seconds. However, according to SafetyWorld, these posters are one of the most effective ways to help reinforce training, promote a culture of safety, and communicate safety messages around an organization. A combination of graphics and text helps use psychological principles of perception and cognition to convey a warning or rule. While the messages might be short, they should be easy to understand and remember.

How to Use Posters As Effective Safety Communication Tools

The best way to use these posters is to change them out regularly. Otherwise, employees might become blind to the message just as people tend to ignore advertisements or commercials that they see to many times. While over three-quarters of safety professionals said the posters should be changed at least four times a year, about 40 percent of companies change them less frequently than once a year.

Those figures are from a recent survey by SafetySmart, a safety training company, of over a thousand safety professionals. Most safety posters don't cost a lot, and they are a relative bargain compared to suffering from the safety incidents or compliance issues that they could prevent.

We Help You Manage Safety Programs

At Ventiv Technology, our integrated risk management tools (IRM tools) can help your business by giving you a chance to streamline your safety management processes and stay in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. With our customizable suite of tools integrated into your business, you will find lots of opportunities to reduce risks and save money. Learn how we can help you manage safety better and at a lower cost.

 

 RMIS Guide

 

Jun 22, 2015

 | Originally posted on 

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