Communication Safety
Communication Safety
With the RA 11058, employers are now required to comply with occupational safety and
health standards including informing workers on all types of hazards in the workplace and
having the right to refuse unsafe work, as well as providing facilities and personal
protective equipment for the workers, among others.
What is communication safety?
Communication is the most effective tool in any face of business, and workplace safety is
no exception. In order for a truly safety-centric workplace to be in effect, safety hazards,
area guidelines, rules, regulations, warnings, goals, and progress reports must be made to
employees across an array of media.
Why communication safety is important?
Communication is the key to a healthy, safe and productive workplace. It is needed to
ensure roles and directions are understood; to warn against dangers to avoid unsafe
practices, to promote critical emergency response and particularly to learn about the
concerns and hazards that workers encounter.
Tools for Communicating Safety
Proper communication and safety go hand in hand. If there is no communication for a given
work task then safety is also missing. These are some common tools for communicating a
safety message at work:
Training
Job Safety Analysis
Signs and Labels
Training
Training is a way to communicate how to do a task and how to do it safely and is one of
the first methods of communication used when preparing for a work task.
Job Safety Analysis
Job Safety Analysis are important tools to communicate the steps of a job task, the
associated hazards of each step, and the mitigation actions to be able to work safely
Signs and Labels
Labels are found on almost every piece of equipment, tool, and chemical in the workplace.
Manufacturers put these labels on for a reason. They often relay some of the most
important information regarding the hazards and safeguards of that product.
Safety signs give a specific message to those who may be exposed to hazards in the
workplace. The message may be to prevent accidents, signify health hazards, indicate the
location of safety and fire protection equipment, or for giving guidance and instruction in
an emergency.
Color Coding
Color coding is a visual reminder system to warn, inform and guide employees. Each color has
specific meanings therefore colors can be a warning of a particular hazard or give information
or directions.
A. Red – indicates danger, stop or presence of fire protection equipment.
B. Orange – marks the dangerous parts of machines or energized equipment which may cut, crush,
shock or injure employees.
C. Yellow – warns of physical hazards and means caution. A striped or checkered pattern of yellow
and black may be used to help attract attention.
D. Blue – denotes caution and its use is restricted to marking out-of-service equipment which
should not be used.
E. Green – indicates either the location of safety equipment such as first aid materials or conveys
safety information.
Why use safety symbols at work?
One of the main advantages of using an organized safety symbol system is that it’s
universal and recognized across languages and levels of experience. Using images and
symbols warns people of dangers faster and easier than words.
The basic use of safety symbols is to prevent people from getting into accidents.
Inside a workplace, signs are also placed as reminders to workers of the hazards
surrounding them. Despite the training that workers have, there may be times when they
forget the immediate risks around their work. Using safety symbols and signs, they can be
consistently reminded to take more precaution. Safety symbols can also be utilized in the
workplace to inform people of certain dangers and how to avoid them.
Tips to make your signage more effective
In order for a safety sign to be effective, it needs to be in the right place and for the right
reasons. Make sure that it is clear to all your employees what exactly is meant by the sign.
Make the language simple, clear and standard. It must be understandable by the general
public
Make the signs stand out for easy recognition even from a good distance.
Make the signs and their purpose known to your workers.
Modify your signs to fit the needs of your workplace. It is important that your signs
perfectly fit what you are trying to impart to the public.
Make sure your workers know how to react to safety signs. Unfortunately, accidents can
still happen despite the available signs when workers are not aware of the steps they need
to take.
Online sources:
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ns-Your-Workplace-Needs
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