Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
only the technical content, but also the more subtle
messages relating to the importance of the informa-
tion and the people it is being communicated to. The
opportunities to reinforce safety messages in this way
are extremely valuable, as they will often allow for the
fl ow of information in a number of directions, e.g. from
shop fl oor to stores, and from sales to management.
Face-to-face communication will also reinforce the
successful organisation's ethos of employee involvement
at all levels which directly affects the safety culture.
Figure 4.4
Typical example of a fi re alarm call point notice
Examples of opportunities to achieve all the
benefi ts of effective face-to-face communi-
cation of safety information include:
➤
Safety tours and inspections
➤
Team briefi ngs
➤
Management meetings
➤
Tool box talks by supervisors
➤
Problem-solving workshops
➤
Appraisal interviews.
A common problem with face-to-face communication
results from the communicator simply passing the mes-
sage without stopping to check that it has been received
and understood. This can result in confusion and inevit-
able confl ict where the communicator thinks that they
have passed the message, the receiver thinks that they
have received the message but the message has been
confused in the processing stage. To avoid the harmful
effects of misinformation it is useful to build in a feed-
back loop, where the person receiving the information
explains what he/she has understood.
Outputs
It is necessary for safety information to be communicated
to external bodies. For example, certain specifi ed work-
related injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences
must be notifi ed to the enforcers as soon as practicable
after they occur (see Chapter 12). Other information relat-
ing to the safety performance of an organisation will need
to be provided to insurance companies and potential cus-
tomers. In the public services, information has to be pro-
vided to governing bodies or other government agencies
responsible for monitoring public sector performance.
It is a requirement of current UK legislation that
employers ensure that they make arrangements with
external services, in particular with regard to fi rst aid,
Figure 4.5
Health and safety poster
authority and the local offi ce of the Employment Medical
Advisory Service (EMAS).
In addition to written material, the fl ow of informa-
tion within an organisation is supported by face-to-face
communication. Face-to-face communication is said to
be a 'rich' source of information, in that it conveys not
