ISBN 978-0-8412-2817-7

Promoting and Communicating SafetyProbably the best way to promote safety is through personal example. Always follow safetyprocedures, protocols, and rules that are required of everyone. Most labs require eye protection,lab coats, closed-toed shoes, long pants or skirts, and no drinking or eating in the lab—complyingwith these requirements sends a message to others that you really do care about safety. This isespecially important for faculty and staff since students will follow their examples.Business and service organizations know the key to building customer loyalty is advertising.Promoting safety at your institution is, in part, dependent upon a continuous effort to advance thesafety program to faculty, staff, and students. Advertising and promoting safety could take manyforms.Today, many faculty, staff, and especially students, tend to do everything online and throughtheir cell phones. One way to promote a safety program might be a safety newsletter or weeklybulletin that is distributed via social networks and campus-wide e-mails. Departments mayconsider having open seminars to discuss topical safety issues or incidents; this might involvean open conversation that focuses on how safety issues might be addressed. Another approachto highlighting safety is to have a “Safety Week” that features various activities associated withsafety. Celebrating a “Safety Day” could also become an important event. Some organizationshave “safety stand-down days” when the time is dedicated to safety issues—special safetytraining, chemical and waste disposal, lab reorganization, cleanup, and so forth.Printed information sheets, or signs and posters may be displayed on campus billboards, inscience department hallways, as well as inside elevators when allowed. However, campuses areoften covered with many of these types of printed materials, so safety materials could be lostunless they are very memorable. Other promotional approaches might involve placing safetyarticles in campus newspapers, or including inserts in orientation packets for incoming students,and newly hired faculty and staff.Recognition of individuals who are doing a good job in safety is an important part of a vibrantsafety program. This recognition usually does not involve any type of monetary award, but ratheran acknowledgement in a public meeting. Send out special postings if there are opportunities torecognize a colleague or student organization for doing a good job in safety. An effective wayto recognize people is by personally thanking them for doing some particular safe action. Ahandshake or a personal note is a great way to thank people—recognition does not always haveto be in the public eye and is often more effective if it is done privately.Establish a procedure for soliciting suggestions for improving safety and identifying safetyconcerns; ideally, this will be an online form, but suggestion boxes are also a great advertisingtool when placed in high-traffic areas.Recommendation Concerning Promoting Safety16. Establish a system to promote safety in an institution or department that encompasses:electronic communications; printed materials; special seminars or events discussing orpromoting safety; a recognition system for good safety performance; and a process tosolicit, review, and act on suggestions for improving safety and identifying safety issues.37