Creating workplace safety poster for improved workplace safety communication

When safety takes a backseat, accidents usually happen. It's just a matter of time. Once a nasty accident happens, the company, shaken by the accident, will be forced to make a concerted effort to improve the workplace safety conditions. Unknowingly, the company will enjoy lots of benefits in the process. What does creating an accident-free workplace involve? Creating large quantities of eye-catching workplace safety poster can be very effective.

For small business owners, becoming accident-free is a huge undertaking. Insurance is expensive. However with the incentives many companies are offering, being accident-free brings down the premium costs. That in itself is a major benefit. But there are more.

Usually, the main concern for a small business owner is productivity. With limited number of headcounts, it's natural for an owner to try to squeeze out the maximum work out of machines and employees. Often, it takes first priority over safety.

Never mind the slogan, "Safety is our First Priority", found in many poster safety sign, production and survival are actually the first priority. How wrong can you get! Effective people and companies focus on "first things first". Important things must never give way to trivial pursuits. The following episode may jolt you back to your senses:

A company was struggling with its small business, trying to drive its productivity with its limited resources.

Then, one of their employees was involved in a serious accident at the workplace. She was hospitalized for weeks and the line she worked on was closed by insurance adjustors for further inspection and repair. It was an eye opener for the owner, and he decided that an in-depth review of their company's safety procedures was in order.

The first thing he did was to conduct an employee survey. The employees were asked to give feedback about the work environment and to pointed out areas where safety concerns existed. This gave them a useful way to help make sure that a similar accident would not happen again.

He also wanted to make sure that continuous improvements were being made to the workplace and that 2-way communications can be established. So once the survey was completed, a memo was circulated to remind employees that their reports of any safety concern at any time were most welcome and appreciated.

Using the feedback gained from the employee survey, he sat down with them to determined which basic safety training areas needed to be revisited. Some of the newer employees had not yet completed the mandatory training, and the long term workers had done it so long ago that they would surely benefit from a review. So he set up a training schedule and everyone underwent job specific safety courses. It took some time, but it was time well spent.

Finally, the employee survey indicated that an employee safety incentive program might go a long way toward preventing future occurrences. The owner considered the cost versus the benefits, and decided that the idea was worth a try. They began with a monthly incentive program that awarded small prizes or gift certificates for employees' workable ideas that can improve the workplace safety. Then he added a prize for workers that were accident-free for a specific period of time.

Some employees felt that they needed to post reminders, and they created workplace safety poster. With their limited resources, they downloaded workplace safety poster that they can create by themselves using the company's own word processor software and started to post them all over the workplace. After a while there was a contest for the most creative industrial safety poster idea and best artistically rendered health and safety posters. As the company was dealing with food, there was also a competition for food safety poster. There were also periodic pop quizzes on safety procedures with prize rewards.

That process of improving the workplace safety resulted in more than just fewer injuries. The sustained effort by the employees and the owner produced a team spirit. The employees found a new joy in working in a safer environment where their creativity was actually put on display. Procedures had been simplified, communications were excellent, and morale received a boost.

The effort to improve on safety has resulted in greater productivity and savings on insurance premiums, and every employee is smiling all the time. Making creative workplace safety poster cheaply has become a major factor in the company's profitability.

Thomas Yoon specializes in cartoon illustrations that will make an impact on people's opinions. More information on Marine and M & E engineering.