Please read this before using presentation

1. Please read this before using presentation • This presentation is extracted from content presented at the 2005 Mines Safety Roadshow held in October 2005 • It is made available for non-commercial use (eg toolbox meetings) subject to the condition that the PowerPoint file is not altered without permission from Resources Safety • Supporting resources, such as brochures and posters, are available from Resources Safety • For resources, information or clarification, please contact: ResourcesSafety@docep.wa.gov.au or visit www.docep.wa.gov.au/ResourcesSafety

2. Toolbox presentation: Communication strategies October 2005

3. What is a communication strategy? • A set of rules • Agreed document • An understanding • A method of improvement • Dispute resolution point

4. Types of communication • Verbal • talking to each other • Documented • letters, emails • minutes of meetings • instruction books etc. • Directives • must-do processes and procedures

5. Communication line • Manager • Supervisors • Safety and health representatives • Employees and in reverse order

6. Verbal • Talking directly to the person (supervisor, employee, manager) • No true record kept of discussions • When passed up or down the management line, information can become distorted • Emotions can distort discussions • Becomes informal and can be ignored

7. Documented • Provides written evidence of requests and discussions • Can be given timeframe and person for action • Legislation requires management to answer on how it will deal with the issue • Stays on minutes until actioned

8. Directives • Procedure that must be followed • Are the safest at the time of issue • May be updated as required

9. Meetings • Tool box meetings • Safety and health committee meetings • Impromptu meetings • Pre-job special task meetings • Post-job special task meetings • Monthly business meetings

10. Documented minutes • Minutes allow: • all items discussed to be documented • an item to have a person identified as responsible for the action to be taken • an item to have an action timeframe • an item to stay on the minutes until addressed

11. What can assist you? • Training • Management commitment • Safety and health representatives • Safety and health committee • Meetings

12. Training • Request training when deficiencies are recognised • Training is not just formal SHR training • Training is not just for SHRs • Training may include: • negotiation skills • minute taking • report writing • investigation skills

13. What’s in a good communications strategy? • An introduction – where and to whom does it apply? • Reason for the strategy • Objective of the strategy • Methods of communication • Timelines for introduction • Evaluation and review program • Commitment

14. A strategy at your workplace • Ask: • do we need it? • what will it do? • when can we get it? • where can we get it? • will we need training? • Where can we get examples? • Go onto the internet and type “communication strategy” and “workplace” into your search engine – there’s lots of publicly available information that can be used as a starting point