Safety Handouts

Have you ever designed safety handouts at the last minute before a safety meeting? We often design them without considering that a high quality safety handout can make a successful safety meeting even better.

Why Provide Safety Handouts?

So that attendees will remember your safety meeting.
Display info visually, which meets the needs of visual learners.
So that participants can concentrate on your meeting instead of writing down everything you say.
So that participants will have a guide for future research.
To give you something to refer back to when planning future safety meetings.

Safety Handouts: When to Design Them?

Safety Handouts should be created at the same time that you’re planning your safety meeting. This ensures that the facts you include will be tailored to that specific meeting.

It’s a really good idea to make copies of your safety handouts ahead of time to avoid possible problems (like having the photo copier jam ten minutes before your safety meeting begins.)

Safety Handouts: When to Distribute Them?

Recommendations differ greatly with respect to the best time to distribute safety handouts. Some experts think it is best to distribute safety handouts at the beginning or end of the safety meeting, and experts prefer the point at which the info is most relevant.

Just remember that your attendees will most likely look at safety handouts right when they get them and will most likely miss no matter what you say in the next a few minutes.

Safety Handouts: What data to include?

Make certain to an outline of the main topics in your safety meeting.
Make sure to include specific information that attendees will want to refer in the future.
Make certain to include safety illustrations, charts and graphics
Make sure to make part of your safety handout an activity guide.
Do not forget that with safety handouts “less is more” so be brief.

Safety Handouts: Design Tips?

Make certain to set off important information using italics, bolding and/or underlining.
Use bullet lists because they are easier to scan and understand.
Attempt to leave at least a 3/4 inch margin on each side.
Try organizing info into a two-column format.
Serif fonts (Times New Roman) are more impressive than sans serif fonts (such as Arial).
Make certain to use fewer than four fonts in a handout.
Make sure to leave plenty of white space for easy reading.
If you have several safety handouts, make them individually discernible by using different colors.
When you are safety handout is complete, ask yourself the following:
- Do the safety facts flow well?
- When a attendee were to forget everything you presented, would the data included in the safety handout help them remember the main ideas?
- Is your personal contact info included?
- Are there helpful safety websites or applicable safety tips are needed/included?