Management system guidance
7.4 Communication
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7.4.2 Internal communication
Clause 7.4.2 requires your organization to communicate information relevant to the OH&S management system internally, between its various levels and functions, including changes to the OH&S management system where appropriate. It must also make sure its communication process(es) enable workers to contribute to continual improvement. Internal communication is therefore two-way: information flows down to workers, and concerns, ideas and hazard reports flow back up to management.
What to communicate internally
OH&S topics that commonly need to be communicated internally include:
- The OH&S policy and OH&S objectives, and progress towards them;
- Hazards, OH&S risks and the controls that apply to each job or area;
- Incidents, near misses and the outcomes of investigations;
- Changes to processes, equipment, materials, the workplace or the OH&S management system (see 8.1.3);
- New or changed legal requirements and other requirements;
- Emergency arrangements, first aid and welfare provision;
- Results of inspections, audits, health surveillance programmes (in anonymized form) and management reviews;
- Workers’ ability to remove themselves from imminent and serious danger without suffering undue consequences.
Effective communication methods
- Verbal – toolbox talks, pre-start briefings, shift handovers and team meetings;
- Health and safety committee meetings and minutes;
- Safety alerts, bulletins and newsletters;
- Posters, safety signs and notice boards;
- Intranet, email, messaging apps or digital signage;
- Hazard and near-miss report cards and suggestion schemes.
Remember the diversity requirement of 7.4.1: use pictograms, translated material and demonstrations where language or literacy is a barrier, and plan how you will reach shift workers, lone workers, remote workers and temporary staff.
Communicating the OH&S policy
The OH&S policy must be communicated within the organization (5.2). Workers do not need to recite it, but they should know where to find it and be able to explain what it means for their own work. A quick way to promote it is a shortened version of the policy – five key words or a couple of short sentences – posted on notice boards or printed on the back of ID badges. Awareness inferred only from knowledge of procedures is weak evidence (see 7.3 Awareness).
Enabling workers to contribute to continual improvement
Your organization should encourage the two-way flow of information between the workforce and management. Workers’ concerns about health and safety, and their feedback on how the OH&S management system could be improved, are vital. Practical mechanisms include:
- health and safety representatives who raise matters on behalf of the workers they represent and feed back decisions and practices;
- a health and safety committee whose agenda covers hazard identification, incident investigations, OH&S objectives and action plans, operational changes, new plant and equipment, contractors on site and information requests from interested parties;
- hazard, near-miss and improvement reporting systems that are easy to use, acknowledged promptly and closed out with feedback to the person who raised them;
- removing barriers to reporting, such as fear of blame or reprisal (see 5.4).
Communication and consultation should take place both formally and informally. Keep workers informed of matters affecting their health, safety and welfare through health and safety representatives, supervisors and managers.
You should seek and record evidence that OH&S information, including changes to the OH&S management system, is communicated between all levels and functions of your organization; that the methods used suit the workforce; and that workers have practical, working means to raise concerns and suggest improvements. Look for committee minutes, toolbox talk registers, safety alerts and hazard reports showing actions taken and feedback given, and interview workers at different levels to confirm the messages have been received and understood.
More information on PDCA
Planning
Context
Planning
Support
Doing
Support
Operations
Checking
Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
Acting
Improvement
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