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Safety Communications

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Another article by the late George Robotham. You can find more of his work at here: SAFETY REFLECTIONS

George’s Safety Reflections – Number 7

Safety communications

There is not much point having an excellent safety message if you cannot get it across to the stakeholders. Communications failure is a major impediment to success in safety. The world of safety is famous for well-meaning, ponderous, glossy publications that no one really knows about, cares about or uses. Safety communications are also famous for the use of “weasel-words”. “Weasel-words” promise a lot but deliver little.

“When reading your correspondence the reader must say “Wow” in the first third of the page”

“When listening to your presentation the listener must say “Wow” within the first 3 minutes”

The following tips are given to enhance communications-

1 Use face-to-face communications whenever possible

2 Use the supervisor to communicate whenever possible

3 Frame messages relevant to the immediate work area not some obscure corporate goal

4 Avoid management road shows to communicate major change, a lot of the workers will see it as propaganda and a bit of a wank

5 Aim to be succinct in both written and verbal communication, there is no need to wade through a whole pile of superficial detail to get to the essential message. For routine correspondence aim for 1 page, 2 pages maximum

6 Stick to the must knows

7 Use photographs, diagrams, flow-charts etc. to illustrate main points.

8 Important written communications must always be followed up by a face-to-face meeting

9 Do not be surprised if your e-mail messages are mis-interpreted

10 Use active listening and questioning to quickly identify relevant issues

11 Provide detailed feedback seeking confirmation as required

12 Communications must be targeted at the needs of the audience, jargon must be avoided and one must be conscious of body language

13 Be clear about your goal and communicate this to the reader

14 Explain what you want the receiver to do

15 Establish your credibility early up

16 Have someone proof read your work.

17 Have an executive summary with major reports

18 Use short sentences and scannable paragraphs

19 Never send when angry, big temptation with e-mails

20 If possible write a draft, sleep on it and proof read the next day. If you have a few days grace write the draft and go back to it at least once every day

21 Always spell-check

22 Have a strong opening and conclusion

George Robotham

George Robotham

George was a Legend in the Safety World who passed away in Sept 2013 but left us with a great legacy
George Robotham

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George Robotham
I have worked in OHS for most of my working life, many years in the mining industry including over 10 years in a corporate OHS role with BHP. Since leaving the mining industry I have worked in a variety of safety roles with a variety of employers, large & small, in a variety of industries. I was associated with my first workplace fatality at age 21, the girl involved was young, intelligent, vivacious and friendly. Such a waste! I was the first on the scene and tried to comfort her and tend to her injuries. She said to me “George, please do not let me die” We put her on the aerial ambulance to Rockhampton base hospital where she died the next day. I do not mind telling you that knocked me around for awhile. Since then I have helped my employers cope with the aftermath of 12 fatalities and 2 other life-altering events. The section "Why do Occupational Health & Safety" provides further detail but in summary, poor safety is simply very expensive and also has a massive humanitarian cost. My qualifications include a certificate I.V. in Workplace Training and Assessment, a Diploma in Frontline Management, a Diploma in Training & Assessment Systems, a Bachelor of Education (Adult & Workplace Education) , a Grad. Cert. in Management of Organisational Change and a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Hazard Management. I am currently studying towards a Masters in Business Leadership. Up until recently I had been a Chartered Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia for 10 years and a member for about 30 years. My interest is in non-traditional methods of driving organisational change in OHS and I have what I believe is a healthy dis-respect for many common approaches to OHS Management and OHS Training. I hold what I believe is a well-founded perception that many of the things safety people and management do in safety are “displacement activities” (Displacement activities are things we do, things we put a lot of energy into, but which when we examine them closely there is no valid reason for doing them). My managerial and leadership roles in OHS have exposed me to a range of management techniques that are relevant to Business Improvement. In particular I am a strong supporter of continuous improvement and quality management approaches to business. I believe leadership is the often forgotten key to excellence in most aspects of life. I hold the Australian Defence Medal and am a J.P.(Qualified). I have many fond memories of my time playing Rugby Union when I was a young bloke.

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