Plain language, Safer Workplace

Clear Words, Fewer Accidents

Workplace accidents often trace back to something surprisingly simple: workers not fully grasping safety instructions. Jargon, acronyms, and dense wording in policies, procedures, training materials, and hazard labels create gaps that lead to mistakes, near-misses, or worse.

In February 2025, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) released the Spell It Out toolkit, a free set of videos, posters, infographics, and guides urging employers to ditch unnecessary technical terms, spell out acronyms on first use, prefer active voice, and organize information logically. The push comes as awareness grows that unclear communication disproportionately affects non-native speakers, new hires, and workers with limited literacy—groups overrepresented in injury statistics.

The stakes are concrete. Miscommunication plays a role in a significant share of incidents; globally and in North America, unclear instructions factor into preventable injuries that rack up direct costs in medical bills, lost productivity, and insurance premiums, alongside indirect human tolls. In high-hazard sectors like construction, manufacturing, and resource extraction, a single misunderstood step can mean severe injury or death. Regulators like OSHA already require that training and hazard information be delivered in a manner and language workers understand, though enforcement often focuses on broader compliance rather than linguistic precision.

Tensions arise between efficiency and clarity: technical fields rely on precise terminology to avoid ambiguity, yet over-reliance on it alienates parts of the workforce. Critics argue mandating plain language could oversimplify complex risks, but evidence from the toolkit and related studies shows that clear rewrites maintain accuracy while boosting comprehension and adherence. Meanwhile, broader workforce shifts—rising immigration, aging employees, and gig-economy roles—heighten the need for inclusive communication without waiting for fresh mandates.

No universal deadline forces overhaul, but momentum builds from voluntary adoption in Canada and parallel calls in the U.S. for plain-language safety materials, especially as hazard communication standards evolve and states tighten local rules. Employers ignoring this risk higher incident rates, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational damage when accidents tie back to preventable misunderstandings.