Companies across the globe are increasingly focused on improving their workplace safety training procedures and compliance measures. However, it’s far too common that these established procedures fall short of their intended goals due to ineffective communication to the teams responsible for implementing them.
According to a report by Fierce, Inc., 86% of employees and executives consider the lack of communication to be the primary cause of workplace failures. This tells us two things: Well-intentioned companies are dropping the ball on their workplace safety training goals, and ineffective communication impacts workplace safety.
In this article, we’ll review methods on how to resolve communication errors in the workplace to improve safety training.
Importance of Communication in Workplace Safety
Internal communication is the driving force in improving workplace safety measures. According to a study by the Aalto School of Business found, effective communication is one of the most important foundations for workplace safety. With effective communication practices, manufacturing companies can better prevent worker injuries and drastically reduce the chances of accidents and fatalities.
1. It creates a culture of awareness and accountability.
Communication brings all workers on the same page regarding workplace safety and compliance measures. There is a clear awareness of how things should be and what needs to be done, along with a sense of accountability. Clear and frequent communication of potential risks, hazards and procedures practically ensures that employees remain on top of safety policies.
2. It builds a sense of trust among workers.
For workers to be more productive, they need to be able to work without fears and apprehensions. They need to be able to trust their co-workers, and better internal communication can ensure that this happens. Communication builds a sense of trust among workers, as everyone aware of critical safety policies.
3. It facilitates continuous learning and improvement.
Workplace safety and compliance training is not a one-and-done event. It’s an ongoing process. As regulations and safety procedures evolve, companies must bring their workers up to speed with all the latest developments. Communication can only be truly effective if it encompasses regular reviews of current safety protocols and training workers on any changes or improvements.
Identifying and Overcoming Communication Barriers
Communication barriers are largely responsible for misunderstandings or confusion, directly leading to mishaps and accidents. If you want to ensure that your communication is as seamless as it is effective, then you must remove any communication barriers that may exist in your organization.
Knowing the five common communication barriers is a good place to start.
1. Language differences: Not all of your workers may be fluent in your organization’s primary language. This can lead to some key ideas getting lost in translation, which doesn’t bode well for the communication’s effectiveness.
2. Cultural differences: Employees from different backgrounds come with different sets of cultural beliefs. These differences can significantly influence how employees perceive and interpret safety information.
3. Psychological barriers: Some workers may be resistant to change or harbor apprehensions about its potential consequences. Psychological barriers like these can hold them back from fully engaging in training and adhering to changes in safety protocols.
4. Physical barriers: There could be physical barriers such as excessive noise levels, geographical distances or equipment-related issues in place. Any one of these barriers can make your workplace safety communication less effective.
5. Organizational barriers: Challenges stemming from an organization’s structure, culture or policies can also impede effective communication. These challenges may manifest as a lack of support or feedback for safety communication.
Strategies to Overcome Workplace Safety Communication Barriers
While using clear and simple language is a good place to start, truly impactful workplace safety communication requires the following best practices:
Build a positive culture.
Start off by creating a culture of trust, openness and collaboration for workplace safety communication. This is the most important step in ensuring effective communication. Involve employees in the development and implementation of safety policies and procedures and recognize and reward good safety practices and behaviors on the job.
Conduct in-person safety meetings.
Emails, or any other text correspondence for that matter, can do well for providing minor safety updates in manufacturing companies. But substantial updates demand in-person safety meetings. Conducting regular manufacturing safety meetings can help bolster the effectiveness of workplace safety communication. Also, consider including real-world examples, illustrations or practical demonstrations to break down complex concepts into easily digestible chunks of information.
Use different methods of communication.
Not everything has to be verbal. Not everything has to be written, either. The key here is to mix communication methods and tailor the approach depending on the information you’re trying to convey.
For instance, verbal communication, such as lectures and discussions, can inform and explain written materials like manuals, standard operating systems (SOPs) and visual aids like illustrations and charts. This can really drive home the point the written materials are trying to make. Face-to-face and online communication modes are always at your disposal, so adjust their frequency as needed for maximum communication effectiveness.
Encourage feedback.
An organization can demonstrate their loyalty for their workers’ safety by asking for feedback and encouraging them to speak up without any fear of retaliation. Seek employees’ opinions, ask important questions and leave room for them to share similar experiences. This can create more trust and transparency.
Leveraging Technology
Companies also have technology at their disposal to make their workplace safety and compliance training communications even better. Many companies are already doing this, and here are three ways you can, too:
- Digital safety management systems: These programs are specially designed to create and share safety documents such as guidelines, procedures, and checklists. A digital safety management system can streamline workplace safety and compliance policies while also standardizing communication practices. They are available in both offline and SaaS flavors.
- Wearable technology to monitor employee well-being: A lot of companies today are turning to wearable technology to monitor their workers’ well-being, and for good reason. Wearable technology can have the potential to drastically improve worker safety and productivity. Solutions such as wearable panic buttons also give workers peace of mind that management is able to assist them in a time of personal danger.
3. Special communication devices and software: Special communication devices such as wireless radios and two-way tour guidance systems enable fast and real-time communication among workers and supervisors. There are also plenty of third-party apps and services that let you send safety alerts, reminders and updates to your employees.
Advanced Compliance Communication Strategies
Robust compliance communication can play a crucial role in improving workplace safety. Using these can further cement workplace safety policies in the workforce. Organizations can always keep their employees updated on safety and compliance regulations, and here are a few ways to do this:
- Align your internal communications: Ensure that compliance messages are consistent across all internal communications.
- Establish internal reporting and monitoring systems: These systems can help track compliance and identify areas for improvement.
- Monitor and test: Regularly test compliance communication strategies to ensure they are effective.
- Use multiple communication channels: The message and the channel should be carefully customized to the target audience.
- Stay consistent and accessible: Keep things short and simple. Break messages into smaller portions and transmit them gradually over time.
- Leverage existing communication structures: Analyze existing communication structures and use them to promote compliance communications that reach as many people as possible.
- Promote a culture of compliance: Your compliance communication strategy should relay the message that compliance is at the heart of everything the organization does, rather than a set of actions just to satisfy regulators.
- Make compliance communication flexible: Finally, compliance communication policies should be flexible to reflect the fluid nature of the regulatory environment.
Final Words
The delivery of a message is just as important as the message itself. And this also rings true for communication in workplace safety training and compliance. Effective communication is nothing short of the bedrock upon which rests the success of workplace safety training and safeguards.
By making their communication more streamlined and effective, organizations can successfully improve workplace safety training and compliance to minimize instances of accidents and fatal injuries.
