Canadian Occupational Health Center Launches Plain Language Toolkit

The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has released “Spell It Out,” a new toolkit intended to help create safer workplaces through plain language. The toolkit stresses the need for clear, simple, inclusive communication related to occupational health and safety. CCOHS recommends health and safety professionals, employers, and others avoid unnecessary jargon, spell out acronyms, use active voice, and organize information logically when sharing information with workers. Complex language and technical terms can cause workers to feel excluded, CCOHS cautions, but plain language helps foster a welcoming work environment.

“In today's diverse work environments, using acronyms, jargon, and complex words can create barriers and make it hard for everyone to understand important health and safety guidance, including people who are new to the workforce or those who speak a different first language,” CCOHS states in a news release. “These misunderstandings may lead to confusion, errors, injuries and feelings of exclusion among employees.”

The “Spell It Out” resources, which include videos, posters, and infographics, are available for free on the CCOHS website.