401 - 4 - Know How to Develop and Implement Communications

4.1 How to develop and implement effective communication systems for health and safety information.



Information should always be pitched to the audience it is intended for. If your intended audience is
operatives that would require a different type and level of information than if it was the senior
management team.

The same information can be delivered in a variety of different ways depending upon the audience it
is intended for, for example it maybe in short headline format so it can be read in an email or on a
smart phone for the sales staff or in a toolbox talk which is more in depth for the shop floor staff.

4.2 Principles and concepts of:

a. Written and verbal communication


Written communication is normally the means of communicating information within a business.
Written documentation is auditable and can be used as evidence in a court of law, these are usually
documents such as Safe Systems of Work, Risk Assessments, Business Policies, business Procedures
etc. These documents can be handed out to individual employees for signing and copies kept on file.
Documents such as SSoW or work instructions can also be displayed in the work area for employees
to refer to if needed.
Some of the advantages of written communication

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Highly technical topics can be presented using words and diagrams.
Written material provides a permanent record that can be referred to from time to time and
passed on to others.
It is fairly easy to distribute written material to many people,
Written material is good for getting the same information to a group of people.
Written records and reports are sometimes useful in legal matters.

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Out-dated documents need to be removed and replaced with current versions.
The preparation of written documents is time-consuming.
Written material provides little feedback for the sender.
Technical documents can sometimes be too long and/or complex for the majority of readers.
Some of...