3 Keys to a Successful Safety Poster Program
Have you ever asked yourself, “how can I incorporate safety posters into my safety program and do it right?” Most safety managers see the value of a safety poster program, but how do you make it successful?
Capturing the attention of others is a common struggle at many companies, but it doesn’t have to be.
Top ways to get the most out of your safety poster program:
1. Keep it fresh
Safety posters are engaging and fun, but employees tend to ignore them once they have seen the same images and slogans a handful of times. Safety posters should be refreshed a minimum of once per month to keep employee interest and engagement high; many best-practice organizations choose to do it more frequently.
2. Location, location, location
Like the old real estate cliché, the location of your safety posters in the workplace matters a lot. Posters should be placed in high-traffic areas where they can be seen easily and frequently by employees. Break areas, training rooms, even elevators are great places to capture a few moments of your worker’s attention. Also, don’t forget to put your posters in places where they are safe and easy for you and your team to replace. Most importantly avoid locations that will create unsafe distractions for your workers.
3. Be consistent with your broader training program
Safety posters are most powerful in driving safe behaviors when they are consistent with the safety messages being delivered in other aspects of your safety training and communications. When the monthly safety meeting is on avoiding slips, trips and falls – your posters should remind your employees of the key takeaways from those trainings and keep them top of mind. Again, best practice organizations strive for “inescapable messaging” for their key safety issues as the best way to reinforce safe work practices – and your safety poster program is key to that goal.
Posters alone will not make up for unsafe equipment, missing guards, poor supervision or indifferent management. But when included as part of an overall safety training, safety posters can be one of the most useful tools you have to improve safety performance and culture in your workplace.