Hazard Alert, WorkSafeBC, 2011-2013

My role: I wrote approximately 12 of these one-page alerts and bulletins while working at WorkSafeBC as a technical editor in its investigations division. These were based on detailed incident reports produced by WorkSafe BC’s incident investigators and report editors, which were sometimes months in the making. Each of these alerts had to be approved by one of WorkSafeBC’s lawyers and engineers before it could be published and distributed to employers. Obtaining these approvals often required me to collaborate and negotiate with all the involved subject matter experts. I also collaborated with the incident investigator and the in-house graphic designer to conceive and obtain approval for the illustration that was included in each alert. These negotiations were sometimes challenging because of the many considerations that had to be weighed, which included providing clear, concise and accurate preventative information to employers and workers, sensitivity to the impacts of each alert on accident survivors, and WorkSafeBC’s regulatory role.

Skills used: Plain language writing, editing, collaborating with subject matter experts and graphic designers