Workplace Communicator Blog

How to improve your E-learning Safety training

Did you know that active safety training is three times more effective than passive training methods in promoting knowledge and skill acquisition?  And that the most engaging methods of safety training are, on average, most effective in reducing negative outcomes such as accidents?

("Relative Effectiveness of Worker Safety and Health Training Methods" from the American Journal of Public Health in February 2006).

 

What is Passive vs Active Training?

Passive safety training uses information-based techniques where trainees attend a training presentation, read an induction manual,  watch a video or particpate in e-learning.

Active safety training uses more performance-based techniques such as hands-on demonstrations and behaviour modelling (where the trainee gets to watch a demonstration and then gets a turn with coaching.  It's like how children learn from copying their parents).  It also includes the development of knowledge in stages.

E-learning has many benefits for workplace training.  It's convenient, cost effective and managers can track whether staff have undergone training.

However, it is effectively a passive training tool and structured poorly can result in little or no improvement in skills acquisition.

So how do you improve your E-learning Training?

1. Matching words with visuals - One of the worst examples of an e-learning induction I had to sit through was for a Corporate Training client.  It consisted of the Business Manager waffling on about how wonderful the company was and to be honest, some other stuff I can't recall.  There were no images to improve my understanding and by the sound of it, no planning done on the script.  I ended up doing other work and then turning it off in disgust (and feeling very grateful, that I didn't work there!). 

It would have far more effective if the business manager had included photos about what she was talking about.  Visually rich presentations keep the eyes busy and therefore, the brain more active and alert to learn information.  The right brain prefers visuals and can process pictures hundreds of times faster than the verbal brain can process words.  To help get information into working memory, you need to activate both the verbal and visual channels to dual-encode information into the brain. Read more about how to correctly incorpoate text and visuals.

2. Including demonstrations -Since we were babies, we learnt how to do things by watching our parents and siblings.  This is still a powerful learning method in adults.  Effective training must include demonstrations.  The only way to do thisusing online training software is by using animations or by incorporating effective training videos.  Photos are a poor cousin and can make a process confusing.

3. Using quizzes - one of the reasons why e-learning is so good is that it easily enables you to set up a quiz.  This really tests how well the training is going and whether the trainee is learning.  Use these as much as possible and always include them in every training module.  It starts to make the training more active.

4. Incorporating face to face time - this is the crucial part and it can't be done by a computer.  After the e-learning component has been completed (and it really has to be done as soon as possible), talk to the trainee about their quiz results, go through their answers, answer any questions and where possible, do a physical demonstration and coach them on how to do it right.  Remember, "Show and Tell" that you used to do at school?  The principle is the same.  By doing a demonstration and then getting the trainee to do the process (and tell you what they are doing) while you watch and make suggestions, is a powerful way to learn and remember.

5. Reduce what you say - Make sure the narration is friendly and conversational, succinct (not like my Corporate Client example) and explains why things have to be done a certain way.  Use positive language.

By including quizzes, demonstrations, video content, Q&A's and also time with a trainer face to face learning and doing things, your safety elearning program will become more effective (and more active) resulting in fewer accidents and improved skill acquisition.

Related Articles:

8 Tips to Improve Safety Induction Training

Three Causes of Trainee Boredome and how to avoid them

How to get Staff to Remember Training Information

Video elearning

8 Mine Safety Signs to improve Mine Safety Communication

Every mining company knows that a safe working environment for everyone, including sub-contractors, is the mine site’s responsibility – even if headquarters is in Australia, Canada, or the United States.

Getting your mine site up to scratch, to meet MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) or Department of Mines and Petroleum inspections can be a lot of work.

But how do you easily and cost effectively improve mine safety communication?

Safety and budget-conscious mines like Barrick Gold Corporation, Rio Tinto and Newmont Mining Corporation create mining safety labels on-site with thermal transfer printers - satisfying Government regulations and keeping operations running smoothly.

Mine equipment operators, mill operators and maintenance personnel face dangers every day, but traditional safety sign ordering methods are costly and too slow to make an immediate impact on safety.

Many Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) managers still dig through thick catalogues in search of just the right sign with the correct dimensions, colors and Government compliant language. Requisitions slow the process further.

Ordering custom signs from sign shops is ridiculously expensive and slow - especially for delivery to remote locations. You’ll wait weeks and weeks - nearly forgetting you ordered the signs in the first place.

This process hinders getting signs up quickly or even at all especially when you have to buy 20 or 30 signs to get a price break even though you only needed a couple.

While, older labelling systems are expensive and unwieldy.

The good news? Thermal transfer printers may be ordered directly and delivered overnight to remote sites. Almost immediately, you can create all the signs and labels you need and they’ll perform anywhere in and around the mine. Thermal transfer printers use heat to literally “bake” on graphics and text to vinyl and other supplies which have been tested to perform under the most demanding conditions.

It's an easy and quick way to get your workplace safety communication happening instantly.

Mining Safety Tips & Guidelines

So while no two mines are alike, there’s a good chance you’ll need the following signs:

• Traffic signs
• Facility signs
• No smoking/cell phone signs
• Mine permit boundary signs
• Identification tags for exploration
• Pipe markers
• Valve tags
• Arc Flash NFPA70E signs

Signs also provide:

• Radio call number information
• Instructions about personal protection equipment (PPE)
• Start-up procedures
• Marking tools with colors, numbers and barcodes helps reduce theft and loss and color marking hard hats and equipment to differentiate shifts and departments helps keep people as well as tools in their sector. When short-term electrical outages occur, signs that are visible in the dark help people find their way. 
• Signs and labels created using the thermal transfer process will last for years. With specialty supplies, they will adhere to virtually any surface.

Generic Signs Don’t Cut It

Signs and labels that are site specific to company policy make all the difference for new hires, visitors and subcontractors. Just like customised training materials, customised site signs improve site safety effectiveness.  Multilingual signs support a global workplace encompassing Australia, Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America.

Call it the autonomy of the label printer. You control when and how frequently you create signs and labels. You see an accident waiting to happen, zip right back to your desk, print out a sign and post it on the spot. No waiting for approval. No paperwork to fill out. No injury or worse.

Guest author: Martin Carter, Global Mining Manager for Graphic Products, works directly with mine safety managers to customize and implement safety identification programs that meet compliance requirements while improving mine communications and security. Martin Carter, Graphic Products, mcarter@graphicproducts.com,1-800-788-5572 Ext. 5683 or visit www.DuraLabel.com.  Photo credit: Duralabel

 

 

How to initiate a difficult Safety Conversation

Research has found that the majority of workers have seen their workmates engage in risky safety behaviour.

Yet, very few people will speak up and let a fellow worker know that their behaviour is unsafe.

But speaking up isn't always easy to do.

  

 

 

Reasons for Avoiding a Safety Conversation

 The reasons for avoiding a safety conversation can be many, such as:

• Believing that they won't be listened to (or at worst it will start an argument),
• That there is no time, as there are deadlines to meet
• That the staff member is incompetent and it's too difficult to get them to change.

Companies that are best-in-class when it comes to safety have a culture where letting peole know that a practice is unsafe is part of a healthy discussion.  Staff need to feel that they can speak up and intervene when someone is being unsafe.

One of the reasons people do not speak up (and I know because I used to be one of them) is that they don't know how to talk about it.

In the book, Conversations for Change, by Shawn Kent Hayashi, she outlines a helpful six step process for confrontation.  I've used this template to create a safety conversation plan.

This conversation plan assumes that the safety conversation is occurring after all of the right safety induction training has been undertaken.

Six Step Plan for a Difficult Safety Conversation

1. Approach the person with an attitude of solving a problem.

Lack of self-awareness is one of the major reasons people work unsafely.  Often, people might not even be aware that they are being unsafe, as their unsafe behaviour has become an ingrained habit.

When initiating a difficult safety conversation, start with the assumption that the person did not even know they were being unsafe (rather than start blaming them or treating them like they were deliberately doing the wrong behaviour).

Make sure you do this when you are feeling calm.

2. Describe their behaviour objectively

Avoid criticisizing or reprimanding, as this will make people switch off to your message.

"I noticed that you went up the ladder this morning on your own and that you did not ask for any-one around you to hold the ladder".

3. Express your feelings and thoughts about the person's behaviour

"I feel concerned that you could injure yourself".

This creates an emotional connection to the information and let's the person know that you care about them (rather than just want to tell them off).

4. Let them know what behaviour is expected.

"I'd prefer that next time you go up a ladder that you ask for someone to hold it.  It doesn't matter how quick you're going to be, you need someone to keep it steady".  Or "May I suggest...."

5. Explain the benefits that will result from the new behaviour

"If you do that, you'll be able to go home safely and other people around will also be more likely to work safely and not take shortcuts".

6. Ask for commitment to the new behaviour

"What will it take for you to use the ladder safely?

"Will you agree to this?

"Can I count on you?"

"How do you intend to work more safely here?"

With any conversation, you do have to tailor it to your audience.  These six steps are a guideline and do not have to be used word for word.  Just make sure you ask for commitment at the end, as social psychology studies show that this is how you get people to modify their behaviour. 

Effective workplace safety communication is vital to get staff and contractors aligned and working towards a positive safety culture.

Empower everyone in your workplace to have the right communication skills and the support to confront anyone  (whether that's their boss, the cleaner or their peers) and have a safety conversation.  It's one big step towards having a brilliant safety culture and an incredibly safe workplace.

Related Stories:

For Safety Professionals: An Interview with Communications Specialist Kris Cole

How Poor Communication Results in Workplace Mistakes

 

Safety Expert Interviews on Safety Communication and Safety Training

At the Melbourne Safety in Action Show on 18 April, we filmed video interviews with four safety experts that we streamed live over the Internet. 

Our four safety experts gave valuable and insightful information on how to improve workplace safety communication, induction training and interesting trends in safety.

These are now available for viewing.

Our four safety experts include:

 

1. Kevin Jones - freelance writer, health and safety advisor, editor of the SafetyAtWorkBlog, safety advisor to the Department of Transport.

 

Summary of Kevin Jones Interview

• Paperwork is important for safety - Companies need to show evidence based decision-making in safety and requires documentation.  Also referred to as "red tape".   Needs to be provided to regulators and insurers.  By having correct paperwork, Government authorities can check that the company has done the right thing and follow the decision process.  This can save money in the long run, but it means that companies need to resource safety departments with more people.

• Open communication about safety - New duty for people to consult with their workforce about safety.  Need to listen to workers before making a decision.  Fear that it means giveing away authority.  Safety needs to be about talking to people who it involves.  Better decisions are made when it incorporates dialogue from a range of people.

• Successful companies collaborate on safety- Many companies work in separate silos for HR, safety and production.  All need to talk and work together and integrate  systems.  Often, both HR and safety professionals know little about what each other does. By each department working together and learning about what each other does, it means processes will become more integrated.  For example: involving the safety professional with the return to work program, rather than it being jsut an HR function.  Safety needs to be seen as a theme that goes across all units.

• Safety in design- Safety is a big cost if retro-fitted (and it's ugly!).  Safety must  be designed into systems right at the start whether it be designing houses, cars or household products.  This is simliar to what the green movement has done with products that are designed with how they will be recycled at the end of their life cycle. Need to consider whole lifespan of products from design, construction, maintenance and demolition.

2. Dr Angelica Vecchio-Sadus- HSE Leader at CSIRO Process Science and Engineering.

Summary of Dr Angelica Vecchio-Sadus interview

• CSIRO has a high risk safety profile due to agribusiness, chemicals, mining, firearms and nanotechnology.  HSE factored into everything they do.

• Safety communication doesn't work when it's too gimmicky.  Avoid cutesy animals and children in safety.  Need to appeal to the emotions relevant to their job.  Connect to hearts and minds.

• Clear communication that is sincere.  Road test before launch.  Get those involved with the design and message.  Remember, safety is about people going home safely.

 3. Marilyn Hubner - Workplace Learning and Development Specialist at the National Safety Council of Australia.  She is also working on her PhD on "Investigating attitudes and perceptions of Construction Workers towards Safety Training”. 

 Summary of Marilyn Hubner Interview:

• Relevant training - trainees need to know exactly why they are doing training and what the benefit to them will be.  Often people made to do training, so company can tick a legislative training box.  Not engaging and trainees will not listen to what's not interesting.

• Optimism Bias - Perception that an accident is more likely to happen to someone else in their workplace rather than themself.  When those with an optimism bias go to training, think they're already safe, so switch off to training.  Hard to teach.

• Engage trainees with customised training - Staff need input into the training content and when it's run.  Needs relevant case studies concerning their company or at least, their industry.

• Customised v. off-the-shelf training videos - Video is important to include in training videos, as it allows trainees to hear a differnt 'voice' during training.  Generic training videos are just as bad as generic training material.  If the video is not relevant to that workplace, then people will tune out.  Invest in customised videos that can be used for inductions/refreshers or stream all the time in workplace.  This enables companies to constantly promote the right safety behaviour.

 4. Interview with John Lacey, Video President IOSH & CEO Lincsafe

Summary of John Lacey Interview:

• Induction training is extremely critical - Main opportunity for new employees and contractors to understand how that company operates.

• Engagement is crucial - Must make sure inductions aren't more of the same.  Trainer must be passionate about training and want to do it.  Must relay the passion of the company.

• Safety culture and induction training - This is the chance to outline the culture.  The CEO needs to visit and reinforce what is being said. 

 Thank you to all of of our guest interviewees.

 

  

   

How the Titanic improved Marine Safety

 "We feel it our duty to call the attention of the public to what we consider the inadequate supply of life-saving appliances provided for the modern passenger steamships and recommend that immediate steps be taken to compel passenger steamers to carry sufficient boats to accommodate the maximum number of people carried on board. The following facts were observed and should be considered in this connection: The insufficiency of life-boats, rafts, etc.; lack of trained seamen to man same (stokers, stewards, etc., are not efficient boat handlers); not enough officers to carry out emergency orders on the bridge and superintend the launching and control of life-boats; the absence of search lights.

"The Board of Trade allows for entirely too many people in each boat to permit the same to be properly handled. On the Titanic the boat deck was about seventy-five feet from the water and consequently the passengers were required to embark before lowering the boats, thus endangering the operation and preventing the taking on of the maximum number the boats would hold. Boats at all times should be properly equipped with provisions, water, lamps, compasses, lights, etc. Life-saving boat drills should be more frequent and thoroughly carried out and officers should be armed at both drills. There should be greater reduction of speed in fog and ice, as damage if collision actually occurs is liable to be less".

Titanic Survivor

A hundred years ago, on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg on her maiden voyage.

Travelling from Southhampton to New York with over 2,200 people onboard (including 900 staff), the ship sank within three hours.

Around 1,517 people died, with only 710 surviving.  The main reason so many died was that the ship only had lifeboats to save 1,178 people, due to outdated maritime regulations at the time.

Only 18 of the 20 boats were used and even then they will not filled to capacity, due to inadequate organizational skills of the crew.

Mostly men were left behind (over 90% in Second Class), due to the women and children first protocol, followed by the officers loading the lifeboats.

Those who escaped into the freezing water died within minutes from hypothermia.  The 710 survivors were taken aboard from the lifeboats by the RMS Carpathia a few hours later.

The disaster was greeted by worldwide shock and outrage, due to the loss of life and the organizational and safety failures.

Sadly, those who managed to survive, faced financial ruin, as many families (mostly crew members from Southhampton) had lost their breadwinner.   Due to an outpouring of public sympathy, charitable donations were given to the survivors.

However, one of the positive outcomes from the shocking loss of life was that it brought major improvements to maritime safety.  To do this day, fewer lives are lost at sea.

According to a report from Allianz Insurance to mark the mark the centenary of the iceberg-hit ship, shipping loss rates have declined from one ship per 100 per year in 1912 to one ship per 670 per year in 2009.

The official British inquiry into the Titanic disaster made 24 recommendations.  In a nutshell, these are the recommendations that has has improved marine safety even for today:

 

1. Lifeboats for everybody (rather than basing lifeboats on tonnage, it has to be based on the amount of people on-board).

2. Improving ship design to include watertight compartmenting schemes.  This is to reduce the likelihood of a ship's sinking, and to keep the ship on an even keel if watertight compartments filled.

3. Proper staffing and training of boat crews, with frequent drills.

4. Wireless installations on all passenger ships, with a 24-hour wireless watch (wireless telegraphy saved the lives of those on lifeboats, as without it they would not have been found by RMS Carpathia).

5. Careful navigation in areas of ice.

When the Titanic was built, she was the largest ship of her time.  She was touted as being unsinkable, due to her construction design.

Alas, she wasn’t.  But her sad legacy is that the huge loss of life in such devastating circumstances, has brought about safer marine travel for the last 100 years.

Photo credit: Flickr, Artshooter

 

Breaking News: Live Safety Expert Interviews today

 

Melbourne, Australia (18 April, 2012) – Digicast Productions, a safety and induction training video production house, today announced it will be filming safety expert video interviews and streaming them live on the Internet from the Safety in Action show in Melbourne.

On Wednesday 18 April at 2pm, from stand G23 at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Digicast will be filming the following lineup:

1. Kevin Jones freelance writer, health and safety advisor, editor of the SafetyAtWorkBlog, safety advisor to the Department of Transport will discuss some of the latest trends in safety from safety communication in the workforce through to safety in design.

2. Dr Angelica Vecchio-Sadus, from CSIRO Process Science and Engineering, will discuss the importance of safety communication both at CSIRO and with its international client companies.  She will talk about the issues with safety communication, what’s working and what isn’t and safety communication best practice.

3. Marilyn Hubner from the National Safety Council of Australia and currently working on her PhD on “Investigating attitudes and perception of Construction Workers towards Safety Training”, will discuss how companies are wasting their money on safety training and other issues with current training practice.

Any-one interested in the latest information about workplace safety communication and the latest safety trends are invited to view the interviews, which can be seen live from http://www.digicast.com.au/live from 2.00 - 2.30 pm Eastern Standard Time.

There is no registration and viewing is free.  Those who can’t make the live viewing can sign up at http://info.digicast.com.au/free to receive links to the edited videos post-event and to get the free “Safety Communication Toolkit”.

About Digicast Productions

Established in 1991, Digicast is a communications agency that specializes in both internal and external communication.  Our communication programs work to change behavior from aligning staff with your culture, launching new initiatives and training staff to keep them safe and productive.  For more information, visit Digicast at www.digicast.com.au or The Workplace Communicator blog for training tips, www.digicast.com.au/blog. 

Contact Marie-Claire Ross
Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au

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How to Grab Attention with your Workplace Safety Communication

As a safety professional, designing a safety communication campaign can be a difficult task.  After all, being an expert in safety requires different skills than being an expert in communication.

To streamline the process of putting a safety campaign together, we have assembled some important tips to include when creating your safety messages.  Use these every time you sit down to write and plan your communication campaigns.  They are:

1. Be clear on who you are writing for and why.  Make sure you know what your main objective is first and who your audience is.  Keep these in your mind while designing your campaign.  It can often help to have a picture or a photo of the person who represents your target audience.  Master communicators find it very useful and inspiring to look at these photos, while trying to come up with the right wording.  You can even label them and refer to them affectionately, as “Cam the Construction Man” or “Glen the Glass Worker”.

2. Work out your core message – Often, it’s tempting to believe we have lots to say and we feel that we need to talk about everything around that topic to communicate safety.  Yet, research has proven that too many messages confuse people.  Write your communication with one clear message in mind.  Every time you add content question whether it is part of your core message.  Remember, simple clear messages are easy for people to understand and recall.  Steve Jobs was a master of the core message in each of his famous Apple presentations.  Think “1000 songs in your pocket” for the iPod.

3. Use simple language – Once the brain has to work hard at what communication is trying to say, it begins to lose interest.  Always ensure your communication is clear and people don’t need to work at trying to understand what you are trying to say.  Use short words, sentences and even paragraphs.  Write at the reading level of a high school student.

4. Use lots of visuals – Humans recall and understand visual information much faster than words.  And they grab our attention.  Always include a photo or picture that best represents your information.  Where possible, use human faces, as we are very drawn to looking at other people.  Emotional imagery also is more likely to get people to change.  Always consider including different colours, video, diagrams, infographics and pictures whenever you need to create high impact communication materials.

5. Repeat your message in many different ways – Advertisers know that for humans to even recall a television ad they need to see it at least six times.  And the more they are exposed to the ad in different formats such as radio, bus posters and magazine ads, the better the results.  With any campaign you create, you will also need to create a calendar of communication events.  Ideally, you must plot out a different communication activity every week for the next 2-3 months with the same consistent message.  Include posters, toolbox meetings, video content, personal letters from the General Manager, email newsletters, stickers and staff stories.  Remember, frequency is key and using a variety of communication formats.

By incorporating these tips into your workplace safety campaigns, you will experience better productivity, camaraderie and safety.

Good communication is about standardizing your messages and keeping everyone on the same team.  Being able to communicate clearly and in an engaging way is central to the process of good health and safety.

 

Companies losing billions from poor safety, says Professor

According to a recent article in IndustrySearch, it was reported that companies lose about 10 per cent of their turnover as a result of poor safety.

Professor Patrick Hudson, based at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, made the comments at a briefing with journalists on Wednesday in Melbourne."I have an estimate that a company may be losing up to 10 per cent of its turnover as a result of poor OHS and E (occupational health, safety and environment) performance, that is usually a whack of money," Prof. Hudson said.

Professor Hudson, who specialises in safety for the health, oil, gas, construction and mining industries later told reporters the figure could mean billions of dollars for large miners.

"When you have a shutdown you lose production, and you just add it up," Prof. Hudson said.

"It is a massive amount of money and most of it goes in relatively small-scale stuff, not necessarily payouts to people who are injured but in the whole way things are run," Prof. Hudson said.

"If anyone disagrees with me, that is fine, but when I challenge them to come up with the real figures I find they don't have any," he said.

Professor Hudson said that while the companies he dealt with did not put a figure on the worth of a worker, a workplace death was usually estimated to cost a company millions.

"It may be an individual is costed at one, two or four million dollars, depending upon what country you are in," he said.

"Really what costs is things like lost production, slowdowns, having regulators all over you, having a lot of lawyers getting very excited," he said.

Prof. Hudson said Australia had come a long way in improving occupational health and safety.

"The old Australian culture, looking back a long way, was pretty rough," he said.

Announcing New White Paper: Eight Steps to Writing the Workplace Safety Speech

Writing an engaging Safety Speech can be Tricky.  This New Report reveals the Key Steps behind writing a convincing Workplace Safety Speech. 

Melbourne, Australia (11 April, 2012) – Digicast Productions, a safety and induction training video production house, today released a new white paper “Eight Steps to writing the Workplace Safety Speech”.  

Effective communication is vital to get staff and contractors aligned and working towards a positive safety culture.  Yet, trying to engage your workforce about a new safety initiative through a safety speech is not easy.  How we communicate about safety influences whether or not people will accept or reject our safety messages.

The main objective of any safety speech is to motivate staff to take safety seriously and to change behaviour.  But how do you encourage behavior change in a workplace speech?

Written for CEO’s, senior executives, safety professionals and communication professionals, find out how in this exclusive white paper, which looks at:

• The secret to developing an emotional connection to your audience
• How to communicate to the left brain, right brain and whole brain
• 3 steps to structuring your safety speech

For a complete copy of the whitepaper, that also includes a free Safety Speech checklist, visit http://info.digicast.com.au/safety-speech/

About Digicast Productions

Established in 1991, Digicast is a communications agency that specializes in both internal and external communication.  Our communication programs work to change behavior from aligning staff with your culture, launching new initiatives and training staff to keep them safe and productive.  For more information, visit Digicast at www.digicast.com.au or The Workplace Communicator blog for training tips, www.digicast.com.au/blog.

Contact Marie-Claire Ross

Digicast Productions

+ 61 3 9696-4400

mc@digicast.com.au

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8 Tips on Designing Attention-Getting Safety Signs

When it comes to warnings about potential dangers or giving people an important instruction on site, you have to rely on labels and signs to communicate.  A sign's message can be communicated effectively with a picture that can be understood across all ages and languages (see Why Using Visuals in your Communication is so Important for more information on why visuals work so well).

Multinationals employing thousands of workers from Boston to Bangkok and even small companies employing just a few, can benefit from a few key guidelines when creating signs, ensuring that messaging and communications are effective.

8 Tips for Creating Effective Signs

They are:

1. Make them application-appropriate. While 9" tall bar code labels are helpful in warehouses, they don’t make sense when labeling test tubes. In either case, print labels at high quality (300 dpi) for readability, and use pictograms to illustrate your message. If conditions are unusual (such as labels that will be subjected to high or low temperatures), select a supply designed to withstand such an environment.
2.  Choose your font wisely.  Graphic designer Sonia Mansfield says, “The best font choices are ones where readers do not notice the font, only the message. Overly elaborate fonts detract from your message. Fonts that are too blocky can also be unreadable.”
3. Wording should be easy to read and concise yet contain sufficient information to be quickly understood. Include contact information when relevant, such as emergency phone numbers for fire department, police department and ambulance.
4.  Make sure the sign is clean and in good condition. They should be free of sharp edges, burrs, splinters or other sharp projections and should be attached securely so that the sign itself is not a hazard.
5. Limit your signs.  A jumble of signs means that people cannot read and absorb all messages while passing by, and the messages will be lost.  Avoid placing too many signs within a small area.
6. Choose colors that will be visible in their intended surroundings.  Color-coded wire and cable markings indicate different uses such as grounding, hot wiring and utility locations. Phosphorescent signs enjoy maximum visibility in no-light conditions.
7. Learn from experience. Often you don't know where to place signs, until poor safety behaviour occurs. Exuberant baseball fans were risking their lives by leaning over stadium railings to catch foul balls. Alert stadium facility managers raised the railings to prevent accidents and placed prominent, heavy-duty safety labels on the railings.
8. Make sure your signs and labels are made to last. Specially engineered supplies provide lasting performance on surfaces like oily drums, near electrical circuits or even on freezing pipes.

When checking your site for the relevance of current signs, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the sign appropriate for the hazard?
• Is it placed in the proper location to inform people of potential danger?
• Has the facility changed layout or equipment placement?  If so, was the effectiveness of safety signs evaluated at that time?
• Has the workforce changed to now include people who speak a different language?
• Is the sign easy to understand?
• Is the sign in good condition and still readable?

If you answered, no to any of these questions.  Then, it's time to replace your safety signs and labels.

Whether you’re a safety manager from Sydney or a facility manager from Forbes, consistent use of safety signs play a critically important role in reducing injuries and saving lives at industrial facilities.

Guest Blogger: Jack Rubinger, www.DuraLabel.com, has more than 20 years of safety and visual communications writing experience. For more information about this article, call 800-788-5572 or email jarubinger@graphicproducts.com.