Communication is
essential for a safe working environment. With the number of nationalities on the
warehouse floor is increasing, as a company you can no longer assume that
everyone has a command of the Dutch language. Companies that handle this well can
avoid accidents and thus the time-consuming and costly aftermath.
That language differences can lead to workplace accidents,
was proven scientifically back in 1994. Research on migrants who had come to
Australia who did not master the English language showed that the
they were twice as likely to have a fatal
accident than Australian workers. In the first year after migration, the
chance of a fatal accident was even 3.9 times higher.
Since the 1994 survey, language differences in the workplace have only
increased. Warehouses make full use of temporary workers
from eastern and southern European countries. This can even reach warehouses with
20 different nationalities. Nine per cent of companies currently employ
people who have insufficient command of the Dutch language: disastrous for a safe
working environment.
Language differences on the shop floor
Many companies are responding to the internationalisation of
working environment by offering safety instructions in multiple languages. They
often translate instructions into English, German or Polish. Due to the growing
number of nationalities, this selection is increasingly inadequate. What is
wise then? Offer instructions in the mother tongue of all employees?
Global Work Talk website (www.global-work-talk.eu)
can serve as a guide here. It contains information and tips on dealing
with language differences in the workplace. Initiator Jeanette Paul advises
to first identify the language differences. Do not start from the
nationality of the employees, but from the languages they speak or
write. After all, someone with Belgian nationality may speak, Flemish, Walloon or
German. It is also important to ask about the language spoken at home
spoken. Indeed, migrants may not speak their mother tongue at home
speak and therefore do not speak it as well as they used to. Only when the
language differences are clear, cann be thought about
a solution. That solution need not necessarily lie in translating
the safety instructions, but can also consist of offering
language training.
Low literacy
Another area of concern is low literacy among
employees. Safety instructions should be written in clear language
written down. Failure to do so can lead to misunderstandings in warehouses that employ
unskilled workers can cause misunderstandings. If employees come from the Netherlands
come from the Netherlands, it does not automatically mean that their language skills are sufficient.
Solutions to low literacy in the workplace are
found on the website www.taalwerkt.nl, an
initiative of the Reading & Writing Foundation and the Labour Foundation. The
website offers tips, solutions and practical examples to recognise low literacy and
recognise and discuss low literacy. At www.taalmeter.nl and www.nederlandsetaaltest.nl
are online tools that allow organisations to quickly and easily recognise
which employees have difficulty reading and writing.
Visual language
Finally, remember that there is a language that all employees
understand: the visual language. That imagery works is proven by research from the
University of Glasgow. The study showed that employees who had English
had English as a second language remembered safety instructions better when visual material was used
visuals were used. Illustrations, photos or pictograms can
clarify safety instructions. Everyone knows that a blue sign with a
white arrow says something about one-way traffic. Similarly, pictures with a red cross or
a green tick can quickly clarify the right way to perform a
perform a certain action.
TOM van Blom - internal transport expert
