Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Figure 4.4 Typical example of a fi re alarm call point notice
Figure 4.5 Health and safety poster
authority and the local offi ce of the Employment Medical
Advisory Service (EMAS).
In addition to written material, the fl ow of information
within an organisation is supported by face-to-face
communication. Face-to-face communication is said to
be a ‘rich’ source of information, in that it conveys not
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only the technical content, but also the more subtle
messages relating to the importance of the information
and the people it is being communicated to. The
opportunities to reinforce safety messages in this way
are extremely valuable, as they will often allow for the
fl ow of information in a number of directions, e.g. from
shop fl oor to stores, and from sales to management.
Face-to-face communication will also reinforce the
successful organisation’s ethos of employee involvement
at all levels which directly affects the safety culture.
Examples of opportunities to achieve all the
benefi ts of effective face-to-face communication
of safety information include:
➤ Safety tours and inspections
➤ Team briefi ngs
➤ Management meetings
➤ Tool box talks by supervisors
➤ Problem-solving workshops
➤ Appraisal interviews.
A common problem with face-to-face communication
results from the communicator simply passing the message
without stopping to check that it has been received
and understood. This can result in confusion and inevitable
confl ict where the communicator thinks that they
have passed the message, the receiver thinks that they
have received the message but the message has been
confused in the processing stage. To avoid the harmful
effects of misinformation it is useful to build in a feedback
loop, where the person receiving the information
explains what he/she has understood.
Outputs
It is necessary for safety information to be communicated
to external bodies. For example, certain specifi ed workrelated
injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences
must be notifi ed to the enforcers as soon as practicable
after they occur (see Chapter 12). Other information relating
to the safety performance of an organisation will need
to be provided to insurance companies and potential customers.
In the public services, information has to be provided
to governing bodies or other government agencies
responsible for monitoring public sector performance.
It is a requirement of current UK legislation that
employers ensure that they make arrangements with
external services, in particular with regard to fi rst aid,