Technical communication in workers’ health and safety training
Introduction
Technical communications encompasses an array of means used to convey scientific or technical information, that is, the information that has both the qualitative and quantitative aspects as shown by Mehler, Romary and Gibbon, D. (2012). As such, the mobile team division involved in this type of communication is quite diverse with such variations as age, profession, education level, gender as well as experience among other diversities. For instance, the mobile division team will include labor union officers, nurses, safety specialists, health officers and communication and information technology technicians. Therefore, the pre training will have to address the diversity among the mobile division management members to maximize the group synergy in training the target audience.
Similarly, the target audiences, which include managers, subordinates as well as non-staff, are also highly diversified in the factors noted above. Hence, the researchers alongside the technical communicators will create relevant information and present it to the target audience in different forms such as brochures, videos, life demonstration, uploading on organization’s web pages and focused discussion groups. Besides, the mobile division management team will undergo pilot training in order to horn its delivery skills in the field. For instance, the group will use collaborations in the technical communication to increase the degree of reception and retention among the target audience. Therefore, the study will discuss the process of identifying target audience and its characteristics. Moreover, the paper will illustrate on the procedures of training by the mobile team. Thereafter, it will address the technical delivery methods and rate the success of communication methods and collaborations.
Target audience identification and preparation for training by the mobile division management team
The study will focus on two organizations in the technical communication on the work place health and safety program training. Thus, the team representatives will visit the company with the most effective first aid programs in the city. This will give the team a firsthand chance to identify and gather information on policies, facilities and corporate culture that was cultivated to achieve high-level safety and health among the workforce. Thereafter, the team will conduct a pilot study to target the company, with the least effective health and safety measures, to build a rapport and collect the basic information that would aid in the field training. Accordingly, the technical communicators will prepare a training script by comparing the information from the two companies. In addition, they will analyze and make recommendations from data collected from the least and most effective firms. Consequently, training of the entire mobile division management team based on the analysis-conducted will ensued. Moreover, the team will upload the information stored in written form, graphical represent ion in computers, videos from both companies as well as analysis will be submitted to the company’s website.
Characteristics of the target audience
The entire workforce in the company with effective health and safety measures were more satisfied and felt a sense of belonging to their company. Moreover, its records showed few cases of employees’ turnover and higher performance. The communication flow was clear and safety and health of employees was a pillar in the corporate culture evidenced by high spending on the employees’ protective gears. There were easy to follow directions and instructions in the event that an emergency occurred. On the other hand, employees from the ineffective organization expressed dissatisfaction and recorded poor performance. Besides, the health and safety budget was insignificant. The corporate culture was scarcely established and the communication between the management and subordinate ineffective. Instructions concerning emergency were both unclear and wrongly placed. However, in both companies, workers believed that both safety and health measures are paramount factors in a working environment. This belief is essential since it aligns with the objectives of the technical communication carried out by the team. Similarly, they were aware of the parameters that constitute a safe environment.
Message of the technical communications
The message on the workers’ health and safety is quite important to the shareholders, management, employees and the entire society due to couple of reasons. Firstly, it minimizes the cost incurred on injuries and health issues. For instance, in the event that workers are injured, they are required to seek medical assistance. This drastically reduces their working hours as well as the productivity. Besides, fellow workers become distracted especially if the incident seems probable to reoccur. Therefore, the message would help the company save direct costs as well increase the output of the workers by creating awareness on safety and health.
Secondly, health and safety measures substantially increase the employees’ satisfaction and fulfillment as indicated by Tiraboschi (2014). Specifically, making a significant budget on the safety equipment, creating a healthy corporate culture that esteems workers’ welfare and taking reported risks with professionalism will win the employees trust. Factoring the employees’ input; feedback from technical training, focused group discussions and reporting, in making policies that cater for their health will build loyalty. Consequently, the employees will respond to the actions with integrity, high productivity, sense of empowerment and motivation that will boost the organization’s performance. Thus, the message will increase the company performance.
Finally, safety is a prime factor in improving quality of the products offered by a company. Factually, employees working in a place with safety assurance are more effective and efficient. Similarly, they concentrate on the tasks without distractions of potential risks. Subsequently, the output produced will be competitive and highly priced in the market. Thus, health and safety has ripple effects on winning customers and retaining them through quality products, which increase the profit margin.
Success of the technical communications
The training and demonstration to the workers on health and safety will be effective due to a couple of reasons. Firstly, the technical communicators and the researchers will evaluate firsthand information from two institutions to prepare, compile drafts and finally review and prepare adequately in advance in order to address the needs of the target audience effectively. Moreover, the fact that communicators will analyze and beak the information down to easy to follow procedures and clear instructions will increase reception and retention. The pilot study to the target company will help the technical communicators in selecting the appropriate communication methods and collaborations. Thus, video and life demonstrations as well focused group discussions will aid to collect the employees’ inputs and hammer important emergency tips. The comparisons between the two companies in graphical forms in all their relevant aspects will also help the target audience to weigh their contributions. In addition, videos will help in showing the potential risks that are susceptible to face workers in unhealthy and insecure working environment.
Technology is an effective tool especially if integrated with communication methods. Thus, it will be an information creation tool, animated illustrations to make complex analysis interesting, and information distribution mechanism through company’s website. The mobile division team will also have functional specializations to increase their productivity. For instance, nurses will handle the first aid tips, health officers will address the standards required of all the companies while the information technicians will use animation to present the analysis of the two companies, to name a few. Therefore, the technical preparation and clarity will guarantee the success of the field training of the target audience.
Key steps in the workplace health and safety training
The first step will be gathering of relevant data from the two specified companies in the study through prior visits and pilot study. After that, there will be an analysis of the collected data using statistical software and presenting the information in simple and easy to follow procedures. The records of this information will constitute the draft of the training exercise. Similarly, the information created by technicians will represent videos, documents and animations. All the team members will receive the drafts, and their training will commence. It is at this stage that review and revision of the draft will take place to make the fine copies of the information. Finally, the field-training day will be set.
On the field day, the grouping of the workers in accordance with their areas of specialization will be the starting point. Accordingly, training and demonstrations to different groups will take place where each of the facilitators will give information related to their functional specializations. Finally, the entire organization will receive general health and safety information through various communication methods. The information technicians will also upload videos made during the workers training on the company’s website for the purpose of reference and educating the absent workers.
Adoption Cohen-Bradford Influence Model communication model in training
After collecting the data and analyzing it, the following communication practices will form the basis of training strategic employees who will, in turn, train others on health and safety measures. The model has several distinct steps and uses the concept influence without authority as discussed by Cohen and Bradford (2013).
The first step is creating the assumption that all people in the organization can help create healthy and secure environment by heeding to the instructions given and applying the required guidelines. Secondly, the team will give priority objectives to the selected employees. They will, in turn, use them when influencing their fellow workers. They include increasing productivity and avoiding the suffering because of hospital admission. Thirdly, there will be the facilitation of strategic employees’ understanding of their working areas and the risk involved to deliver effectively.
After that, they will identify the health and safety measures that are most applicable to their situations with the help of the trained team. The factors that are most appropriate for the employees are their healthy days, increased payment and commissions from sales as well as increased profits and competitive edge for the management. The highlighted situations will be the motivating factor when influencing their peers to contribute to the organization’s health and safety. The next step is to analyze the kind of relation that the strategic employees have with their target peers. Most often, horizontal relations will yield high results since the peers can deliberate without reservations. Ultimately, the employees will exchange ideas on health and safety, and this will lead to increased quality of health and safety.
Explanation
The influence model is the most appropriate because it is more effective at low budget. Besides, the employees will deliberate among themselves upon training a few strategic workers who will influence their peers on best practices of health and safety. Furthermore, the practice will be reason-oriented. Thus, they will create immediate response and build a corporate culture since the exercise will be voluntary and indefinite.
References
Cohen, A. R., & Bradford, D. L. (2013). Influence without authority. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley
Mehler, A., Romary, L., & Gibbon, D. (2012). Handbook of technical communication. Berlin [etc.: De Gruyter Mouton.
Tiraboschi, M. (2014). Labour law and industrial relations in recessionary times: The Italian labour relations in a global economy.
