OSHA, Injury and Illness Prevention and the Role of Communications

In another place we discussed the concept of training as the “chicken soup” of organizational development. Every time a problem emerges, one of the first responses is to scream, “we need training”.

One area where training seems always relevant regards injury and illness prevention. The material from the text for this lesson focuses on the federal safety requirements under OSHA and a description of a variety of employer-sponsored safety and health programs. In this context training programs become a common vehicle to communicate not only standards and expectations, but to develop knowledge and skills that help someone avoid injury and/or illness.

A quick review of YouTube videos illustrates the range of training that exists. For example the following is a presentation regarding blood borne pathogens created by a company, Federal Safety Solutions, LLC, to help small businesses educate their workforces.

Dupont created another more lighthearted approach to communicating safety standards and practices, titled “Wrong Way, Right Way”.