What are Safety Cards?

Safety cards are part of a system that I released this month to help companies in the transportation industry with their safety programs. With new regulations, budget obligations, and the nature of the industry finding ways to promote the safety message are even more important. An effective way of doing that is safety cards. This works on a variety of different levels. One the cards are inexpensive so any company can afford them, two the cards are brightly coloured so they catch the eye and attention of the recipients, three they have a humorous cartoon on the front that people will read helping to reinforce the message. On the back of the card is a story related to the particular safety topic with a specific safety message stated underneath. For added value the company logo can be added for orders of 100 cards or more. So I have talked about the cards, but the cards don’t make a system, so what is the system?

The system is three other low cost items that make the system complete. Additional items that go with the cards are a poster of the sized image of the card and an article with a story relating to the topic. Posters are $9.95 each and if you buy the poster and cards the article is free, otherwise the article is $10. The last item is up to you, it is a company piece supplied by your safety team. So how does all this work you ask?

Safety information is best handled in little chunks, little bite sized pieces. Too many companies try to hold one or two meetings a year and shove all the safety information they have down the throats of their employees in one sitting. it doesn’t work, the best way to handle safety information is ongoing, in short durations, and timely to your operation. This system meets all of that criteria and makes you look good in the long run. Here is how you set it out, every month decide the topic you want to promote. Lets use speeding, the first week you put up a poster in key locations where your employees will see it. The next week you hand out or include the safety cards in your employees statements or communications. The third week you send out the related safety article to your team either by mail or email. The fourth week you send out your own communication from the company, possibly outlining related incidents, statistics, and so forth to your employees. The next month you start at the first week with a different topic and follow the same routine. Why does this system work? As the cards and posters are humorous, the message is serious so both factors weigh into the topic. The cards stand out that the message will be kept longer than an email. The cards are small enough to be used as bookmarks and other at hand items. They may get pinned up on bulletin boards, kept to collect or handed to kids that love cartoons. Either way the safety message is getting out there. So if safety is of interest to your organization then this is a great addition to your existing safety program. There are currently twelve cards in the group and more to be added on CSA, and leadership. To preview and order the cards please visit https://shop.bruceoutridge.com or visit www.bruceoutridge.com

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is an artist, author, business consultant, and leadership speaker for the transportation industry. For more information on Bruce or his businesses and other products please visit www.bruceoutridge.com or www.outridge.ca