OSHA Defense

Effective Ways to Communicate Health and Safety Requirements Part 3 featured image

Effective Ways to Communicate Health and Safety Requirements Part 3

Workplace accidents happen all the time, regardless of the industry. Employers are tasked with ensuring their workplace is free of known hazards and making sure that employees get home safely. Communicating safety in the workplace is vital to the success of the company and the welfare of every employee. If you need legal assistance regarding safety violations in your workplace, consult with a Michigan OSHA attorney immediately.

Health and safety requirements can be communicated in different ways including during new worker orientation and safety meetings, which we discussed in part one of our article. Using facility signs and implementing an employee suggestion program, which were discussed in part two, are also helpful. Safety can also be communicated by other methods including electronic communication and employee reviews, which we will discuss in this section.

Electronic Communication

Safety and health requirements can be communicated in many ways. You can do so verbally through meetings, visually through signage, and electronically via methods such as email and company newsletters.

No longer do you need to waste paper by sending out bulletins and newsletters; you can reinforce your safety message by email. Your newsletters can be as brief or as detailed as you like, but it’s probably best to keep them simple and concise. Introduce company safety leaders, identify potential hazards, and keep everyone abreast of new or changing safety regulations, helpful and relevant safety tips, best safety practices, and protective equipment how-tos.

Employee Performance Reviews

Do you discuss safety habits during your employees’ performance reviews? If not, you should. Safety is not only the employer’s responsibility, it is also every worker’s responsibility. A good evaluation should discuss both productivity and how well employees follow company safety procedures and policies. It’s important to evaluate employees on:

  • Safety training and meeting attendance
  • Proper use of accident control methods
  • Proper use of safety gear, tools, and materials
  • Attitude towards safety
  • Knowledge of safety

Accident response and reporting

There are various areas that employees can be evaluated on. The review should serve as a motivating factor, as employees who do well with safety policies and goals should be awarded accordingly. Also, coaching (private counseling, positive reinforcement) or disciplinary actions (probationary periods, dismissal) can be put in place for those who consistently perform poorly.

If you would like to speak with a Michigan OSHA lawyer, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.