Jill You are undoubtedly right to write 'I just feel that they should be so much more than this' since safety communications can play a premier part in expressing the identity of an organisation. Whether she or he intended to do so or not, he/she has given you permission to be creative in how you 're-mind' employees at all levels about the protection they need and deserve at work. While there are a hot of methods of triggering recall, their effectiveness relies on a. evidence of the specific risk you address and of needs to bring it back to the attention of your viewers and listeners b. intelligence design of whatever media you use, including adoption of mnemonics and simple visuals and c. a cycle of presentation of safety messages throughout the calendar year to generate expectations d. social inclusion with regard to the personal characteristics detailed in The Equality Act 2010 e. the right blend of brevity, humour, liveliness and clarity f. an annual competition g. stimulating use of every centimetre of any noticeboard and poster you use h producing a quarterly newsletter that gains a reputation for quality and challenge within your organisation and industry as an example of great marketing communication

Chris is right that employee involvement is essential. If an employee has suggested a control measure, they are more likely to make use of it once it is incorporated into a procedure. But I unwittingly mentioned the key to the risk assessment (RA) at the end of the last sentence. I work on a nuclear site where the operator is handed a work pack consisting of the RA, method statement and maybe a work order. The operator can review the RA to see what risks have been taken into account, but it shouldn't always be a requirement for the operator to see it, because all the control measures recommended by it should be in the procedure. Once the RA has been suitably and sufficiently completed, refer to it while compiling the procedure and make sure the controls are built in. Then hand the procedure to the ops for review and file the RA in the filing cabinet. I don't think it's reasonable to expect the op to stop the job every few minutes to check the RA for the control measures as well as a procedure for the next step, so just give them the (risk assessed) procedure. I've always thought of a RA as essentially a foundation or support document, there for fundamental safety and legal reasons but once the job is underway, it's work is done and it can happily sit in the filing cabinet, available for review and to prove to the HSE that you did one.

Totally agree with the good comments made, the risk assessment is the hazards identification tool, the work methods are the structure that is identified for safe working practices. This followed by good communication and good supervision equals legal compliance. Involving staff is paramount once involved they feel involved and more likely to raise any concerns when operations are ongoing.