Presented by Dr Kelly Jaunzems, Researcher and Lecturer, Edith Cowan University What’s covered? An Edith Cowan University (ECU) study has confirmed what many workers have long lamented: health and safety information, while vital, often fails to engage employees. Dr Kelly Jaunzems’ study investigated occupational safety and health (OSH) information in the workplace and whether it was read, understood, taken on board, internalised and enacted. The study found most companies use email to convey OSH information, but it is not the most effective method or preferred by employees, and social media’s potential remains virtually untapped. Kelly will discuss How to tailor OSH Communication to reflect urgency, amount and type How other industries use social media platforms for their advantage How to create and engage with meaningful two-way conversations

1. BORING: it could be
life or death but
workers tune out to
health and safety
info
Dr Kelly Jaunzems
Edith Cowan University
Connect to slido.com
Participation Code: 938208

2. 2
How do you/your organisation communicate
safety and health information?
ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.

3. Lets start at the beginning…

4. The social side of health safety
• OSH is a social construction
• How a person perceives OHS
depends on a range of factors
• Influenced by how an
organisation manages OHS
and the way in which
information is communicated
4

5. 5
On average, how many emails do you receive
per day?
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6. Information Overload!
• Communication channels have
not changed over the past 20
years
• Reliance on email
• Copious amounts of information
• Ineffective and potentially
dangerous
6

7. 7
How often do 'mass emails' end up in your unread, or even junk
mailbox? Why do you think this is?
ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.

8. “It gets to the stage where they become ad nauseum, and you
don’t read them if you get too many of them”
“they see the document, they see it’s legal, and then they
[management] wonder why they treat it like it’s an arse covering
exercise”
“I don’t do that work, so I’ve
got licence to ignore that
because that’s nothing to do
with me”
“you can’t rely on one medium
anymore, you can’t send out an
email and think ‘oh everyone will
get that’”
Where did we go wrong?
8

9. “it doesn’t matter how well it’s constructed in
here, if we don’t package it and market it
appropriately and communicate that package out
effectively– it can crash and burn real easy”
9

10. Here’s the problem…
10
No single channel works successfully for all employees, and no single channel works
effectively for the same employee all the time.
Not all channels are appropriate for all employees. Nor are all channels appropriate for all
industries or organisations, or all working arrangements
Employees’ individual communication preferences are influenced by a range of different
factors, including age (generation), background, experience, industry, job title,
responsibilities, duties, physical locale and working environment.
Email is often the easiest, most convenient channel for organisations

11. What is the first thing that people do when they
want to know something?
11

12. • Short, sharp messages
• Straightforward
• To the point
• Relevant to them
• Meaningful
• Quality information
• Easy to read format and language
• Less negativity
• Real-world implications
12

13. Questions you need to ask
13
How important/urgent is this
information?
How much detail do I need to give?
What is the best format and language
to use for this audience?
What are the real-world
implications?
What do I need to communicate
and to whom?
Who am I communicating to?
What channels are going to be
the most effective to this
audience?
How can I make this information
relevant to this audience?

14. Unexpected initiation of detonator and detonating cord: Summary of incident
14
WHAT
WHO
HOW MUCH DETAIL
RELEVANCE
FORMAT AND LANGUAGE
REAL WORLD
HOW
IMPORTANCE AND URGENCY

15. “what’s effective for you, might not be effective for me”
15
Employ Employ different approaches to communicating information
or starting conversations
Think about Think about the use of social media to engage a younger
generation
Encourage Encourage two-way communication
Tailor Tailor information to employee positions/levels
Use Use multiple channels
Choose Choose channels that reflect the urgency, amount, and type
of information being communicated
Investigate Investigate alternative channels
Consult Consult and actively engage with employees

16. But How?
1. Review current OSH communication strategies
2. Develop a database of current and available OSH communication
channels
3. Consult with employees around communication preferences
4. Whole-of-organisation approach
5. Develop an employee-led OSH communication strategy
6. Regularly review OSH communication strategies
7. Investigate alternative channels
8. Develop and implement a social media OSH communication
strategy
16

17. #WAITWHAT?
17

18. Tips for using social media
18
Don’t use social media
just because you think
you have to
If you are going to use
social media, you need to
invest time, money and
expertise
Need to post and
respond on a regular
basis.
Structure of posts needs
variety – creates
individuality and ability to
target different audience
segments.
Need to encourage 2-way
communication and
interaction, cannot use
this channel just to ‘push’
information out,
interaction is important
Messages need to be
clear, concise, easy to
read and understand.

19. Why so serious?
19

20. But safety is
serious…?

21. 21

22. Dr Kelly Jaunzems
k.jaunzems@ecu.edu.au