A safety communications plan I wrote for LARGECO, the mock name of a real company that requested that I write this plan as part of the application process for a corporate communications position.

1. LARGECO Safety Communication Plan
F. Renee Griffin, MBA, APR
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2. CONTENTS
Section Page
SCENARIO 3
INFORMAL RESEARCH 4
FORMAL RESEARCH 6
PLANNING 7
IMPLEMENTATION 10
EVALUATION 13
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3. SCENARIO
LARGECO, a large U.S. energy transmission and distribution organization, has several
business units, each with a focus on employee safety with their own themes and logos.
There is not a central safety organization or cohesive message. The business units are
open to a “one company” campaign and theme.
How would you implement a companywide safety communication plan? Outline your
communication plan and tactics.
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4. INFORMAL RESEARCH
Interviews
• Elected officials in communities where LARGECO has operations
• Chambers of commerce
• Civic leaders
This is to see how community leaders feel about LARGECO and assess attitudes
and beliefs of key decision makers/publics.
Focus groups
• Corporate employees
• Employees who are residents in the immediate areas of operations
• Residents living close to pipelines and T&D operations
• Residents in other areas of the town where operations are located and in
neighboring areas
Since formal research questions will need to be constructed, information on issues
raised in focus groups will help identify topics that should be included in the formal
research phase. Focus groups are a good way to reach targeted publics and take their
pulse.
Mail and telephone logs segmented into contact categories
• Employees who are residents in immediate area of operations
• Customers
• Community contacts
• Corporate
• Community influencers and elected officials
This is to identify topics with levels of concern strong enough to prompt people to initiate
communication with LARGECO. Probe for underlying values and attitudes. Data can be
used to identify which publics need information on specific topics.
Trends and analysis
• Online searches by related topics
• Industry data banks and bibliographies from trade and professional associations
Determine the level of focus within the industry and potentially identify companies
that have successfully addressed safety issues. Determine how much of the “public
mind” is focused on safety issues, and identify resources and experts who may be able
to help.
Benchmarking
• Competitors
• Members of trade associations
This may provide baseline data for future measurement.
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5. Historical Research - Review of safety complaints made against the company
• Public files
• State and federal regulatory agencies
• National, state and local associations focusing on safety issues
Determine the nature and source(s) of complaints and if most complaints are coming
from the same people. What specifically the complainers are upset about? And what, if
any, solutions/remedies would be acceptable?
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6. FORMAL RESEARCH
Media content analysis (print, broadcast, online using positive, negative, and neutral
sort categories and a predetermined sample of media coverage)
Examine all references to LARGECO and/or safety for the past 12 months. Determine
what, if anything, in the media has contributed to the public perception of the company.
Determine if past messages have gotten out. Also, potentially identify news outlets
sympathetic/unsympathetic to the company on safety.
Telephone survey
• Random sample of employees who are residents in natural gas and T&D
operational areas and nearby communities
• Random sample of residents of communities where operational facilities are
located and in nearby communities
Determine the extent to which residents are aware of efforts LARGECO has made to
promote safety. Find out what changes and remedies would improve their perception of
safety efforts by LARGECO.
Formal online survey
• Random sample out of LARGECO’s overall base of natural gas/T&D customers.
Find out if customers have positive perceptions of safety by LARGECO and awareness
of all the efforts the company has made to advance safety.
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7. PLANNING
Potential Publics
• Employees
• Community influencers and elected officials
• Residents in communities where natural gas/T&D operations are located
• Resident in communities surrounding natural gas/T&D operations
• Local, state, federal regulators (e.g. OSHA)
• Local, state, federal elected officials
• Media
• Customers
• Stockholders
• Industrial safety groups
Potential Objectives/short-term
Within three months X percent of all employees will articulate support for
LARGECO’s position as an industry leader in safety,
including ability to state at least three of the
organization’s key messages.
Media coverage of LARGECO’s safety efforts will
increase X percent compared to original content
analysis.
Within six months X percent of residents near natural gas/T&D
operations -- given a list of actions that could be taken
to improve safety -- will be able to identify at least two
that LARGECO has taken.
X percent of LARGECO stockholders surveyed will
confirm support for companywide safety efforts.
Within nine months X percent more customers than in the original online
survey will identify LARGECO as a company that acts
to improve and advance safety in another online
survey.
Potential Objectives/long-term
Employee opinion survey questions related to safety will retain or improve score over
previous year.
Within one year X percent of surveyed residents near natural
gas/T&D operations will report that they believe
LARGECO is trying to promote safety.
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8. Within 18 months X customers will volunteer to write testimonials about
LARGECO’s safety efforts.
Within two years Media will have reported X percent more stories about
LARGECO’s safety than evidenced in the original
content analysis.
Within three years Local, state and federal regulator reports and public
statements will identify LARGECO as a leader in
safety.
Within 36 months LARGECO will receive a significant industry award for
safety.
Potential Strategies
For all audiences, use two-way communications that respond in genuinely sincere way
to real concerns.
Employees
• Use existing internal communication channel to highlight safety efforts. If
none exists, set up a two-way feedback channel on corporate intranet to keep
employees up-to-date with news and activities. Employee communications
should be posted before communications with other audiences, if lawful and
within regulatory compliance.
• Engage select sample of employees who reside in targeted communities as
opinion leaders on safety initiatives.
Residents (including community influencers and elected officials) of communities where
natural gas/T&D operations are based and nearby communities
• Use an information/education campaign that relies on both self-published and
self-distributed communication vehicles.
• Use a media relations strategy that includes stories with third-party credibility.
• Use a community-engagement strategy focused on opinion leaders.
Local, state, federal regulators, elected officials
• Build relationships through informal, closed-door briefings and other frequent
contacts complemented by regular dissemination of related information.
• Couple personal interaction with factual data presented verbally and
graphically.
Media
• Increase contact with all local news outlets as well as industry/trade media.
• Provide opportunities for media to become knowledgeable about the
company through facility media tours, editorial boards, media breakfasts,
invitations to community education events, technical reports and availability of
knowledgeable experts.
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9. Customers
• Make customers a part of the solution by giving them written and verbal
opportunities to learn more about the company and give the company
feedback about their satisfaction or concerns regarding its performance.
Stockholders
• Inform them through existing communication vehicles, as well as special
graphic and visual presentations that quickly convey the messages.
Potential unified messages/themes
• good corporate citizenship
• contributing to the local economy, energy efficiency
• importance of safety to quality of life
• collaboration of employees, community members, regulators, others to
enhance our efforts, improve our communities
• everyone’s help is needed for continuous improvement
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10. IMPLEMENTATION
Tactics, Tools and Spokespersons
Employees
• Employee Advisory Committee — select group of front-line employees who
reside in targeted natural gas/T&D operational communities; two-way, face-to-
face efforts to monitor and anticipate community opinions, concerns, questions
and opportunities; engage friends and neighbors within community, sample for
community sentiment; provide educational/informational material; enlist in
ownership of plans and company’s reputation in the communities.
• Employee newsletter/intranet (Sharepoint) — dedicated-space stories focused on
LARGECO’s safety efforts, care for health, life, etc.
• Supervisor meetings/management briefings (e.g. “brown bag lunches”)
advancing series of key messages over time.
• Create specific channel(s) of communication with employees who reside in the
natural gas/T&D operational areas and surrounding communities.
Residents of natural gas/T&D operational communities and nearby communities
• Community newsletter describing efforts to improve safety.
• Electronic newsletter to opinion leaders in operational communities focused on
LARGECO as corporate citizen; safety efforts/plans; testimonials/quotes from
employees engaged as opinion leaders.
• Web site/microsite dedicated to safety efforts; include long-range plan; senior
safety officer’s blog, FAQs; Interactive element emphasizing “how citizens can
take action to improve safety.”
• Speakers’ bureau and video — available to civic groups, schools, city councils
and other organizations interested in environmental topics, showing how citizens
can take action to improve safety and how LARGECO is doing its part.
• Series of posters -- displayed in mass transit system (e.g. buses) and on public
bulletin boards in the local areas. Content will be a different slogan on each with
actions being taken within the service area to advance safety. Prepared jointly
with the corporate safety division/department.
• Image advertising/infomercials — (three per month for first six months, two per
month for the next six months, one per month for balance of campaign) in all
local media outlets, telling LARGECO’s safety story.
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11. • Safety and community improvement events - Partner with the communities and
work with safety groups, community influencers and elected officials to hold
safety-based community events focused on improving communities.
• Spokespersons: CEO, senior safety officer(s) and staff, external corporate
communications staff.
Local, State, Federal Regulators, Elected Officials
• Meetings with senior safety officer(s) and staff to discuss safety trends, issues,
complaints, new developments, etc., and LARGECO’s public service efforts to
increase public awareness and participation in safety improvements.
• Quarterly letters outlining activities the company has taken internally to promote
safety and areas of cooperation/collaboration with communities to improve
safety.
• Tours of natural gas/T&D facilities each time new, industry-leading safety
equipment/technologies are installed.
• Hold regular open forums with LARGECO senior management team and public
safety liaisons.
• Spokespersons: CEO (as signatory of letters), senior safety officer, corporate
communications officer and staff (for meetings, tours)
Media
• Establish one-on-one media relationships with reporters covering the company
and the industry.
• Set editorial board meeting(s) with newspapers, industry journals in the
company’s service areas. CEO, senior safety officer, corporate communications
staff will attend.
• Tours of operational facilities, including Q&A sessions with corporate executives
after the tour; special tours for media when new safety technologies/equipment
are operational with lots of description of how safety is enhanced, how much it
cost the company, etc.
• Insider interviews with senior safety officer and employees “on the line.”
• Testimonials from residential, commercial and industrial customers who praise
the efforts of the company.
• Feature stories on the natural gas pipeline/T&D industries, the efforts to provide
energy efficiency and work for safety.
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12. • Backgrounder/fact sheets, including benchmarking data; industry trends;
LARGECO’s leadership efforts; leading-edge technology/equipment installations;
long-term safety plan; contact information of third-party industry experts.
• Online newsroom with fact sheets; quotes; links to third-party research and
experts.
• Spokespersons: corporate communications/media relations officer for meetings.
Internal experts on safety, equipment, operations for facility tours. CEO and
senior safety officer for Q&A session.
Customers
• Customer newsletter with information about people in LARGECO, new
developments at natural gas/T&D facilities, other highlights that show what
LARGECO is doing to be a good, safe corporate citizen.
• Feedback e-mail address in every newsletter asking for suggestions on safety
and improvement programs customers have seen or think might work, and
general feedback on the operations and people of LARGECO.
• Customer service training/speaking points on LARGECO as an industry leader in
safety; feedback line for customer service team and corporate communications to
monitor customer feedback, identify possible testimonials.
• Set up interactive feedback mechanism on the LARGECO Internet site.
• Spokespersons: corporate communications and head of customer service, using
key messages.
Stockholders
Potential message: You can be proud of LARGECO’s natural gas and T&D operations
and services. Success in safety initiatives is good for business and profits.
• Annual report can have a shaded box on page one for the duration of the
campaign, providing information on what LARGECO is doing to promote safety.
• Special direct mail to all stockholders consisting of photo essay showing
LARGECO promoting safety and helping communities be safe. Charts, graphs
and pictures predominate; little text.
• Spokesperson: Chairman of the Board and CEO.
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13. EVALUATION
Short-term objectives
Use internal communication channels to survey select sample of employees who reside
in targeted service areas on their interactions in the communities, including an open-
ended question inviting feedback identifying three key messages that they believe to
have been most important.
Attend all public meetings where safety is an issue and/or the senior safety officer might
attend or speak. Assess comments on a scale of 0-10 with zero representing no
comments made. Piggyback on content analysis.
Conduct a content analysis using the same methodology and audience as the first one
during the research phase (print, broadcast, online media).
Obtain intercept interviews at post offices, banks, supermarkets, other locations in
various LARGECO service areas. Ask every 10th person to review a list of safety
actions and identify two that they believe LARGECO uses to promote safety at its
natural gas pipeline/T&D facilities. See how many of those interviewed can correctly
identify two actions that are actually being taken by LARGECO.
Survey all stockholders to determine how many say they support the company’s safety
efforts.
Re-survey natural gas distribution customers via an online survey. Be sure to re-ask all
questions, especially those that deal with whether LARGECO acts to promote safety.
Compare original pre-communication plan results with current results.
Long-term objectives
Repeat research section’s formal telephone survey of LARGECO natural gas
distribution service area residents using the same sampling method. Compare results of
pre-communications program survey with the one-year survey to see if a targeted
percent of residents view LARGECO’s safety efforts positively.
Review letters, faxes and e-mails to see if there are customers who have commented
positively on the company’s operations and efforts to promote safety. Ask them if they
will allow their words to be used as testimonials.
Conduct another content analysis drawing on the same media. Compare positive
coverage figures.
Attend key public meetings of local, state, federal regulators and elected officials and
review minutes, news, annual reports and related records every six months. Focus will
be on determining that LARGECO is not viewed negatively and, more importantly, that it
is being cited as a good example of a safe corporate citizen.
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