It is hard to disagree that the importance and value of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) cannot be overestimated. OHS allows for improved employee productivity, reduced workplace illnesses and injuries, retained workers, and numerous other advantages. Schools are no exception because educators and students need to be aware of the basic safety rules. However, without proper communication, it is impossible to rely on the effectiveness of the Occupational Health and Safety policy, especially in educational facilities with many children. According to WorkplaceNL (2020), in cases when there is no proper OHS communication, the desired outcomes are more difficult to achieve. Employees and students in schools should be informed about the best ways to be safe and promptly and efficiently prevent hazardous situations (WorkplaceNL, 2020). At the same time, poor communication reduces the chances of the OHS professional being understood by the students and the school’s staff, meaning that they will not actively promote health and safety.
Consequently, a question related to the best communication strategy may arise. As noticed by researchers, students should receive “the knowledge and the skills for coping with the hazards they may encounter in their future working environment” and in their school (Şenkal et al., 2021, p. 1). Thus, proper OHS education should be presented to students and employees to communicate the essential information in the most successful way. Adequate training and communication methods will raise “students’ levels of awareness and knowledge and the retention of these effects” (Şenkal et al., 2021, p. 1). Further, it is possible to check how students and employees process the new information, and if the outcomes are not satisfying, the method of communication should be changed. Overall, while schools are considered relatively safe places, workers and children must follow safety and health rules, which is impossible without effective communication.
References
Şenkal, O., Kanık, R., Sezgin, M. E., & Şenkal, Ö. A. (2021). Occupational health and safety education at inclusive vocational schools in Turkey. SAGE Open, 1-9.
WorkplaceNL. (2020). OHS program [PDF document].