Site Control Program - Site Communication (Signals)

There should be two systems of communication on the work site:

1. Internal communication among personnel on site
2. External communication between onsite and offsite personnel

Employees and managers must always remember that many factors can impede verbal communication on a work site (such as difficulty hearing words spoken through a ventilator, background noise affecting one's ability to hear spoken words, or problems hearing due to personal protective equipment). To communicate effectively, personnel must use pre-arranged communication and include visual or audio signs to further communicate a message.

In this chart, you will see some of the common internal communication devices. OSHA notes that the site should have both a primary and a backup system in place for communication, and that personnel should decide upon this communication system in advance.

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