EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS LOUISE BREAREY – PRINCIPAL ADVISOR WORKSAFE NZ

2 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Communication and Health and Safety Culture Theory Communication and new legislation Examples Lessons DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND

3 WHY IS COMMUNICATION IMPORTANT? High performing organisations have A positive health and safety culture – not a blame culture Leaders who demonstrate commitment Engaged workers Learning Culture Effective risk management DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND

4 CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS Respect Trust Open Empowered Clarity Assured tions/pre-conditioning-for-success-analysis-of- human-and-organ.php DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 5 COMMUNICATIONS – PART OF THE SOLUTION BUT alone will not manage health and safety Needs to be part of how health safety is managed ation-and-action-for-a-safer-london-2012-olympic.php Human beings will make mistakes – telling them not to doesn’t work

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 6 NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT 2015 Primary Duty of Care (s36) - information, training instruction Same Duty (s34) - Consult, co-operate with and co-ordinate Designers, Manufacturers, Importers, Suppliers, Installers, Constructors, Commissioners (s39-43) Officers (s44) Worker engagement, participation and representation (Part 3)

7 AVOID THIS RISK – NOT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 8 DESIGNERS - CONSTRUCTION

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 9 BIM – FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 10 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH WORKERS Clear message Why as well as what Fresh – keep updating Specific Usually positive Consistent

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 11 HOW TO COMMUNICATE Not just written Face to face often best Suitable for the audience - language, content and media Always seek feedback Use multi channels New media

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 12 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Two way – listening - You said – we listened Report back – Coloured Boards, Committees, personally Need communication skills Tone – vary it Body language (93% when delivering a verbal message) Actions – particularly leaders - conversations - availability

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 13 GUIDING RULES 1.Simplify, simplify, simplify 2.Always put yourselves in the end-user’s shoes 3.Make it engaging and appealing 4.Keep it ‘short and sweet’ 5.Focus on excellent basics (but provide onward direction for more)

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 14 EXAMPLES Inductions – site specific in construction Videos of how to do a task – what good looks like Visual methods/task analysis SOPs with symbols and pictures Posters Celebrate success

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 15 VISUAL STANDARDS

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 16 VISUAL STANDARDS – REDEFINE THE NORMS Single topic Limited text Pictures speak for themselves Positive branded Used by all contractors on site Prioritised topics Used by everyone (assurance, directors, supervisors etc) tions/benefits-of-using-visual-standards.php

‘Tool Box Talks’… 17

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 18 DAILY ACTIVITY BRIEFINGS Brief, but don’t rush Open questions test understanding Have the right equipment – white board Summarise key points - handouts Benefits beyond health and safety munications-toolbox-talks.pdf

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 19 POSITIVE MESSAGES

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 20 CELEBRATE SUCCESS

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 21 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS Teamwork Honest feedback Information flows Buy in Innovation Value Efficiency gains unication-and-action-for-a-safer-london-2012-olympic.php

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 22 MY EXPERIENCE – INDICATORS COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO IMPROVE Rules posted, but clearly not followed Mainly negative – don’t messages H&S minutes trivial matters Workers told, no role in decisions Accident reports that blame employees Near miss/hazard reporting system not used Communications one way Briefings are endured - boring Unsafe behaviours not challenged

Effective?

DECEMBER 2014WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND 24 SUMMARY Keep it simple What good looks like Variety of channels - consistent Check understanding/effectiveness Requires skills Benefits beyond health and safety