Watch your language
June 1st 2006

The problem of getting people to take on board the health and safety information we want them to read is an all too familiar problem and a dilemma that is particularly evident on construction sites.

Michelle Aldous, project manager for Constructing Better Health, stresses that effective site communications is both about what you do and the way in which you do it

Not only are workers on construction sites often in noisy, dirty environments that are hardly conducive to periods of quiet contemplation, but the reading matter of choice on sites tends to be the traditional tabloids rather than the serious press. This is something that quickly became apparent to the Sypol team responsible for delivering Constructing Better Health, the occupational support pilot for construction.

Appointed to run the project through a competitive tender process, by a steering group comprising representatives from all areas of the industry, Constructing Better Health was launched with great enthusiasm for the brand new, free and confidential scheme. Marketing packs were created and well received by the trade associations, major contractors and others from the great and good of the construction industry. We congratulated ourselves thinking we had got that bit right from day one.

Lack of interest

The problem, however, was that while these people were and still remain important stakeholders in Constructing Better Health, the true targets of the scheme are micro, small and medium size employers or the self-employed and sole traders in construction. These are people who rarely have any occupational health support systems of their own and whose awareness of occupational health issues is usually negligible. However, it was exactly these people who showed a distinct lack of interest in what we were offering. It became apparent relatively quickly that the style and format of the message being communicated was not reaching our intended audience.

Introduction of a telemarketing campaign partly addressed this issue and has helped us to reach the point where 400+ employers are actively participating in the pilot and more than 750 site visits have been carried out.

Tabloid-style

However, this has still left us with the issue of how to reach the workforce. One of the challenges of working in construction is that it is predominantly a male environment, the style and language used to communicate is, let's say, slightly different to that of an office environment. So began the 'red top' campaign led by the Fitbuilder newsletter in the style of a popular tabloid newspaper. The first edition challenged workers to 'stay on the job longer'; the second offered 'pick up tips' from a lady wearing a Fitbuilder 'on the job' T-shirt. The style of the language, which has been carried through to the website www.fitbuilder.com and the items we give out at toolbox talks, such as van stickers, emulate the on-site banter between workers as well as the tabloid press. We talk about blokes and guv'nors rather than colleagues and managers.

Likewise, the email address for requesting the items we offer through the newsletter is freestuff@fitbuilder rather than any mention of Constructing Better Health.

It's worth pointing out that one of our toughest challenges was not the production of the newsletter, nor the way in which it was received on sites, but 'selling' the idea to the Constructing Better Health board and steering group. Many emails flew through the ether and persuasion skills became paramount in the pursuit of innuendo! A total of 8000 newsletters came off the press in January 2006. On the back of the success of the first issue, we had to print a further 20 000 to satisfy demand.

Words of advice

So, I offer the following advice to health and safety professionals looking to improve their communications?

• Ensure that what you are offering is understandable and engaging to the people you are offering it to
• Acknowledge that your usual way of communicating may not get the message through to the intended recipients
• Look for ways you can encourage your target audience to spread the word on your behalf. A positive message from workers to their peers is usually more valuable that 'corporate communications'.
• Be brave enough to admit when things aren't going as you had hoped and change them.

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