Workplace safety: a review of best practice for mass media campaigns

Abstract

Mass media campaigns can play an important role in promoting safe behavioural practices to a large part of the population. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge regarding best practice for workplace health and safety (WHS) mass media campaign design and evaluation. While this review primarily focused on workplace safety, findings relevant to road safety are highlighted. An industry review was undertaken to investigate the specific role of mass media in promoting WHS issues. Interviews with key personnel involved in WHS communications campaigns provided insights into the processes involved in developing and evaluating mass media campaigns. Australian and international public health literature published during the last decade was also reviewed to examine what elements make a WHS mass media campaign effective and how future campaigns might be enhanced. Recent WHS campaign evaluations were reviewed to highlight current key issues in WHS campaign evaluation research. The paper concludes with some principles for best practice in mass media campaigns promoting safety in the workplace and within the road system