Safety Language
By Linda Richardson
Plain English Leads to
Savings & Safety Compliance
P
lain English is a form
of writing that has been
used since the 1970s. This
article is written using
the guidelines for Plain
English. You will notice the use of
bullets, short sentences and graphics. These tools enhance the learning experience for the reader and
increase understanding and retention
of the information. Including Plain
English in your safety training can
make a difference. I hope you, the
targeted reader, have an enjoyable
experience, possibly learning new
methods and ways to increase your
reader’s comprehension level.
The purpose of this article is to
inform consultants of the benefits
of Plain English
Plain language and why there
is movement
(English) enables toward Plain
writing
better commun­ English
in government
ication, reduced and business. It
differentiate
costs and better will
you from your
memory competition,
reduce price comretention of parisons, increase
perceived
safety rules for your
value and save
all employees. money for your
client. Safety consultants who use Plain English are
writing reader-centric communication to increase comprehension and
retention of safety procedures.
Creating documents with less
content increases communication.
Safety consultants who use Plain
English are noticed by client companies because of the impact on their
bottom line. Often, writers are valued for the amount of content they
deliver. After all, we were taught that
to communicate well means more
words, detailed descriptions and
more technical information, right?
Producing less content may seem
less educational. Plain language
(English) enables better communication, reduced costs and better
memory retention of safety rules for
all employees. English is a complex
language.
Listed in the U.K.’s Oxford
and the U.S. Webster English
Dictionaries are about 1.5 million
words. In comparison, the French
dictionary word count is about
100,000. This article discusses the
history of Plain English, its impact to
industries and who uses this form of
communication.
Following is a brief history of the
plain language (English) movement
in the U.S.:
•1970s: President Nixon decreed
that the Federal Register be written
in layman terms.”
-Citibank converted promissory
notes to Plain English to improve
consumer relations.
-President Carter issued executive
orders to make government regulations more cost-effective and easy
to understand.
•1980s: President Reagan rescinded those orders.
•1991: Eight states passed statutes
related to plain language.
•1998: President Clinton issued
a memorandum to the heads of U.S.
federal executive departments and
agencies directing them to begin
using plain language.
•2010: President Obama signs
into law the Plain Writing Act of
2010, which states writing with Plain
English can reduce agency costs.
What Is a Plain English
Document?
A plain english document
features:
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•reader-centered writing;
•short sentences and paragraphs
free of clichés;
•consistent terms with no jargon
or acronyms;
•economical use of words, making more understandable content;
•formatting using bullets and
small paragraphs.
What Makes a Document
Hard to Read?
•bold font in long sentences;
•sentences with all capital letters;
•centered text;
•use of passive voice;
•use of verbs like nouns like
saying “conclude” instead of
“come to a conclusion;”
•cultural references;
•run-on text and long sentences;
•abbreviations and dashes.
Who Uses Plain English?
Companies and agencies,
including:
•American Council of Life
Insurance;
•Shell Oil;
•Caterpillar;
•Boeing;
•Target Stores;
•General Motors.
•OSHA and all government agencies.
•SEC regulates Plain English.
Why Plain English?
•Streamline manuals, processes
and paperwork.
•Easier to train staff of all language skills and backgrounds,
including ESL staff and consumers:
-4% of the workforce is Latino;
-Asians are the biggest gainers in
workforce demographics.
•Increases productivity.
•Reduces confusion and claims.
Figure 1 End User & Client Benefits
of Using Plain English
•Increases memory retention.
•Increases compliance.
•Decreases injuries.
•Saves money.
Communication has been cited
as the biggest stumbling block to
compliance. Communication may
not work for several reasons, such as
jargon, confusing terms and lack of
understanding. Using Plain English
increases understanding and the
value of the consultation. No longer
is a long, wordy safety manual considered more informative and comprehensive. The safety consultant
is not evaluated on the volume of
content and safety manuals created
but on the ability to enhance training, retention and save companies
money.
What does Plain English mean to a
safety consultant? We have found that
companies are reaching out for help
in creating a document that better
communicates to all of their employees. Consultants must rethink their
communication methods and include
the client in how they communicate
their safety requirements. In conclusion, the benefits are great when
using Plain English training manuals, safety manuals and operating
manuals. Readers strongly prefer a
plain-language document because it is
faster to read, easier to use and better
understood. Companies strongly prefer Plain English because it increases
compliance, improves safety, decreases injuries and saves money.
From 1992 to 1995, a consultant
worked with the technical writers at costs that flow from getting wrong
Federal Express to reorganize and
answers.
revise the company’s ground-operaNow imagine using a Plain
tions manuals. The team conducted
English resource to help you create
a field study of users, tested the old
your safety manuals. What can you
manuals for usability and compared offer in savings and compliance to
the manuals to benchmark standards. your client? Using Plain English
The team identified the following
provides your client with a safety
needs (among others):
manual that will save them money.
•an organization based on user
Safety can be looked at as a savtasks rather than on formal job
ings measure more than a necessary
titles;
cost. Your client realizes savings
•a more accessible and readable
and better cash flow through better
format;
compliance, decreased accidents and
•better tables of contents and
work-related injury time off.
indexes;
Engaging in new innovative solu•improvements in the readability
tions like Plain English will impact
of the text through font changes
your client’s bottom line and will
and writing style;
win loyal customers, referrals and
•Substantially increased use of
increased sales. Plain English can be
graphics and tables.
In the testing, readers of the
Figure 2 Using Plain English
old manuals searched for an
Can Increase Compliance &
average of 5 minutes to find
information and found the corRetention, Reduce Costs
rect answer only 53% of the
time. With the new manuals, the average search time
dropped to 3.6 minutes and
the success rate improved
to 80%. With some further
improvements to the index,
the team estimates, very
conservatively, that the
new manuals would save
the company $400,000 in
the first year, just in the
time that employees spend
searching for information. That is not counting
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Figure 3 Using
Plain English Can
Increase Your Value
& Expert Status
With Clients, Eliminate
Price Comparisons
Examples of Plain
English in Action
an integral part of your process to new and better training systems. Plain English will eliminate miscommunication. Engage supporting services for plain English that
help you communicate in a clear, concise method to your
reader. Increasing your value as a proactive, innovative
safety consultant increases your competitive advantage.
According to OSHA, workplaces with successful
safety and health management systems reduce injury and
illness costs by 20% to 40%. OSHA standards require
that an employer instruct its employees using understandable language.
As a safety consultant, you help a company minimize
risk by offering a comprehensive safety package that
probably includes a variety of training methods, such as:
•manuals;
•classroom training;
•online training;
•on-the-job training.
Today’s business climate is all about decreasing costs
while increasing profitability. Proactively including Plain
English writing in your training will positively impact
your client’s bottom line and cash flow. By increasing
comprehension and retention of training, you will make
a difference in a company’s survival.
Offering another component to a successful safety
plan can increase your perceived value, eliminate the
competition and create your Blue Ocean.
According to the U.S. Small Business Association,
82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow. One good
way to sell your safety program to management is to
tie it into their cash flow. You have increased the value
proposition of being a resource to help complete their
mission by saving costs while increasing understanding.
A winning proposition! Do you communicate outstanding value? x
Linda Richardson is president of All Clear Translations and
partner in All Clear Communication. She may be contacted at
[email protected] or (412) 496-5105.
CO Detector Update: Word Count 72
The Coast Guard has conducted an investigation to determine what carbon monoxide (CO)
detection devices are available to recreational
boaters, such that when installed and activated
could reduce the risk of being exposed to high
levels of CO—that silent killer. A variety of technologies is available for detecting the presence
of CO on boats and should be considered by recreational boaters to reduce their risk of injury or
death while boating.
CO Detector Update (Revised): Word
Count 40
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a silent killer. The
Coast Guard recommends that you use a CO
detection device on your boat to reduce your
risk of exposure to high levels of CO. You may
choose from a variety of devices.
Company Operating Manual: Freeing a
Stuck Vehicle: Word Count 36
When the process of freeing a vehicle that has
been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator
will fill the rut or hole created by such activity
before removing the vehicle from the immediate
area.
Company Operating Manual: Freeing a
Stuck Vehicle (Revised): Word Count 19
If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away.
Resources
•HowTo.gov
•Plain Writing Act of 2010
•PlainLanguage.gov
•U.S. General Services Administration
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