Date: February 19, 2007
To: Jane Smith, Health and Safety Manager
cc: Jerry Johnson, Web site Developer
From: Catherine Racette, Content Manager
Re: Revisions to Health and Safety page on Stablex’s Web site
As we discussed in last week’s web content
meeting, Stablex’s plan for expanding to broader international markets in 2007
requires a revision of its Web site
content. The purpose of this memo is to
propose revisions to the Health and Safety page on Stablex’s Web site. These revisions will help our Web site readers
and potential customers, whose primary language may not be English, understand that
we take our health and safety programs very seriously. Revising our Web site is an important strategic
step, as our recent marketing survey revealed that “adherence to health and safety programs” is a major deciding
factor for those who hire hazardous waste management companies. In addition, sixty-five percent of those
surveyed, also reported that English was not their primary language. This memo provides an overview of the proposed
revisions for the Health and Safety page content of Stablex’s Web site. The detailed content revisions are attached
to this memo for your full review.
To address the needs of our Web site readers who
speak little English or do not have an advanced English vocabulary, I applied Simplified
English (SE) rules to the content. SE
was developed by AECMA (European Association of Aerospace Industries) for this
purpose. You can review the SE
guidelines at the Web site, http://www.techscribe.co.uk/ta/aecma-simplified-english.pdf. I also have copies available for your
reference if needed.
I reorganized the content to emphasize accident
prevention efforts and our emergency response plan, as these are central to our
health and safety programs. In addition,
I simplified the Health and Safety Policy and integrated it with the main
content so that it would not be overlooked by readers. The layout on the current Health and Safety
Web site page places the policy at the end, where a reader may easily overlook
it.
Lastly, I contacted the Marketing department to
gather potential photos we can include on this page. The current photo is too large for the page,
interrupts the flow of information where it is currently placed, and is
difficult to interpret. Those who have
not seen a mobile command unit may not understand what that is a picture
of. Clear and appropriate photos are a
very important part of the Web site content.
Web site readers rely on visual content, such as photos, to help clarify
the text-based content of the Web page. When the Marketing department submits photo
ideas, I will contact you and Jerry to discuss which photos to use and where
they should be placed.
If Stablex hopes to attract customers in
non-English speaking regions, it is imperative that we make these revisions to
the content. The potential customers who
read our Web site must have a good understanding of our health and safety
initiatives, particularly as we know through our survey that this is of the
utmost importance when hiring a hazardous waste management company. Through good marketing and clear Web site
content, we can help Stablex reach its 2007 goals. Please review the proposed content revisions and
return your approval and/or suggested changes to the proposed content
(attached) to me by February 26.
Health and
Safety
At Stablex, the health and safety of our employees is very important. Stablex continues to make health and safety procedures and employee training better. Our Health and Safety Policy (located at the bottom of this page) is a necessary part of our programs at Stablex.
Our health and safety programs include:
§ Accident prevention efforts
§ Emergency response plan
We believe that health and safety programs are necessary to successful dangerous material waste management for both employees and the environment. Our accident prevention programs are part of our ISO 9001 quality management systems[1] and our ISO 14001 environmental management systems[2]. These ISO[3] (International Organization for Standardization) programs meet strict international guidelines. As part of their continuing education, our employees participate in the following accident prevention programs & committees:
§ Dangers and Risk Assessment committee
§ Continuous Improvement steering committee
§ Putting industrial cleanliness controls in place at the source
§ Monthly health and safety meetings
§ Specific procedure, trade, human relations and safety training
§ Regular medical check-ups
§ Emergency response and first aid support
Stablex worked together with municipal, provincial and federal authorities to develop our emergency response plan.
We make sure Stablex’s employees are ready to respond immediately to emergencies. Our teams are supplied with the most modern equipment to ensure quick response and safe handling of materials in the event of an emergency. We put together a response trailer that is used as an emergency movable warehouse of safety equipment, which can also be an emergency headquarters if needed.
Stablex
§ To meet applicable laws and adjustments
§ To identify dangers and make an analysis of health and safety risks
§ To improve work conditions and practices
§ To promote and make sure employees go to proper health and safety training
§ To be prepared to respond to any emergency situation
Stablex continues to make its health and safety programs better by setting objectives and performance guides, which are reviewed at regular times.
The Vice President
and General Manager are responsible for the managing this policy.
Our health and safety efforts have resulted in the completion of one year after another for two years without any lost time due to an accident.
At Stablex, we continue to make equipment, training,
education and procedures better to protect the health and safety of our
employees and the environment.