Safety has become one of the greatest gauging factors for organisational success, within the mining and construction industry of South Africa. This is due to the fact that organisations and their employees are expected to adhere to safety legislation, or risk permanent shutdown. Notwithstanding this importance, methods of communicating safety information to employees have not yet been widely researched – especially not within the unique context of the combined mining and construction industry of South Africa. In the light of the above, this study focused on researching those internal communication methods most suited for the communication of safety information. The systems theory as meta-theory, and the stakeholder relationship theory, the excellence theory and dual-capacity model were used to frame the study. An extensive literature review was firstly conducted, identifying and discussing internal communication methods, their use within the South African mining and construction industry, and specifically their application to safety communication. The concepts of communication satisfaction and communication effectiveness of internal safety communication, as well as employee relations were investigated. Secondly the application of these internal safety communication methods was then further researched empirically within the Gautrain project – specifically its Precast Yard –which is seated within both the mining, as well as the construction industry, as it has to adhere to safety legislations from both industries. This empirical research was done by means of questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, as well as a discussion of the communication channels employed by the organisation. This accounted for a triangulated approach of using quantitative, as well as qualitative methodologies. From this empirical research it was seen that the Precast Yard of the Gautrain project adheres to the guidelines set in the literature in some circumstances, whilst in others it does not. From these shortcomings, seven recommendations were formulated for the improvement of safety communication in this organisation. These include the proposal that safety communications should be strategically managed by integrating all forms of communication, so that external factors that may impact on this communication are factored in. Furthermore, the communication of safety information should strive to reflect the diverse viewpoints of the employees, as it endeavours to foster a relationship with them. Briefly, this study, therefore, focused on identifying and reporting on those methods and techniques suited for the internal communication of safety information, specifically within the South African mining and construction industry, thereby expanding the field. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Safety has become one of the greatest gauging factors for organisational success, within the mining and construction industry of South Africa. This is due to the fact that organisations and their employees are expected to adhere to safety legislation, or risk permanent shutdown. Notwithstanding this importance, methods of communicating safety information to employees have not yet been widely researched – especially not within the unique context of the combined mining and construction industry of South Africa. In the light of the above, this study focused on researching those internal communication methods most suited for the communication of safety information. The systems theory as meta-theory, and the stakeholder relationship theory, the excellence theory and dual-capacity model were used to frame the study. An extensive literature review was firstly conducted, identifying and discussing internal communication methods, their use within the South African mining and construction industry, and specifically their application to safety communication. The concepts of communication satisfaction and communication effectiveness of internal safety communication, as well as employee relations were investigated. Secondly the application of these internal safety communication methods was then further researched empirically within the Gautrain project – specifically its Precast Yard –which is seated within both the mining, as well as the construction industry, as it has to adhere to safety legislations from both industries. This empirical research was done by means of questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, as well as a discussion of the communication channels employed by the organisation. This accounted for a triangulated approach of using quantitative, as well as qualitative methodologies. From this empirical research it was seen that the Precast Yard of the Gautrain project adheres to the guidelines set in the literature in some circumstances, whilst in others it does not. From these shortcomings, seven recommendations were formulated for the improvement of safety communication in this organisation. These include the proposal that safety communications should be strategically managed by integrating all forms of communication, so that external factors that may impact on this communication are factored in. Furthermore, the communication of safety information should strive to reflect the diverse viewpoints of the employees, as it endeavours to foster a relationship with them. Briefly, this study, therefore, focused on identifying and reporting on those methods and techniques suited for the internal communication of safety information, specifically within the South African mining and construction industry, thereby expanding the field. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Ämnesområdet säkerhet har kommit att få mer utrymme inom verksamhetsområden som ett resultat av det omvärldsläge som förefaller idag, där kriser och olyckor tycks bli en del av det vardagliga sammanhanget snarare än extraordinära händelser som inträffar då och då. Samhället är en dynamisk plats som ständigt utvecklas, vilket innebär att såväl förebyggande arbete som åtgärder inte kommer att vara detsamma för alltid. Begränsad forskning på hur systematiskt säkerhetsarbete bedrivs och förstås utifrån teoretiska utgångspunkter utgör ett incitament att undersöka detta vidare. Universitetet kan likställas med mindre samhällen, sett till exponering och omfång och kräver således ett gediget systematiskt säkerhetsarbete för att säkerställa en trygg och säker tillvaro där risker såväl bedöms som värderas och åtgärdas. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur systematiskt säkerhetsarbete bedrivs och ter sig vid universitet i Sverige och genom detta skapa en uppfattning om såväl framgångsfaktorer som hinder. För att ge svar på studiens syfte har styrdokument samlats in från tre mellanstora universitet i Sverige, för att skapa en kunskapsöversikt och förståelse för hur säkerhetsarbetet bedrivs. I tillägg till detta har yrkesverksamma inom säkerhetsområdet vid samma tre universitet intervjuats. Studiens resultat visar på såväl hinder som framgångsfaktorer vid ett framgångsrikt säkerhetsarbete. Komplexitet föreligger i att nå ut till den stora skalan, och studenter tycks vara den målgrupp som är svårast att nå. Ett intressant fynd i kontrast till detta är att riskmedvetenheten förefaller sig vara lika hög hos studenter som anställda, om än högre. Vidare visar studien att lagar och förordningar sätter ramen för hur det systematiska säkerhetsarbetet bedrivs vid universitet, utöver de universitetens egna ambitioner, och bidrar till en ökad riskmedvetenhet. / Safety has come to gain more attention in operational areas as a result of the current state of the world, whereas crises and accidents seem to have become part of the everyday context rather than extraordinary events that occur every now and then. Society is a dynamic place that is constantly evolving, which means that both prevention work and measures will have to evolve along with society. Limited research on how systematic safety work is conducted and understood based on theoretical starting points constitutes an incentive to investigate this subject area further. The university can be compared to smaller communities, due to risk exposure and scope, that requires systematic safety work to ensure a safe and secure environment where risks are assessed as well as valued with relevant measures being taken. The study aims to investigate how systematic safety work is conducted at universities in Sweden, and by doing so create an understanding of successful factors as well as obstacles and challenges of conducting a successful safety work. To provide answers to the purpose of the study, documents from three middle sized universities in Sweden have been collected to gain knowledge of how the systematic safety work is being conducted. In addition to this, professionals in the security field at the same three universities have been interviewed. The results of the study show both obstacles and success factors in conducting a successful safety work. Complexity appears in reaching out to the large scale, and students seem to be the most difficult target group to reach. An interesting finding in contrast to this is that risk awareness appears to be just as high among students as employees, if not higher. Furthermore, the study shows that laws and regulations set the framework for how the systematic safety work is conducted at universities, in addition to the universities' own ambitions, and contribute to an increased risk awareness.

No description available.