Safety professionals constantly provide written information for various purposes. Written documents should be accurate, efficient, and clear. As safety professionals, we write to inform rather than to entertain or to invite differing interpretations. Because actions or decisions are based on our written documents, our writing is categorized as "technical writing." Technical documents are about actions, recommendations, or summaries of facts surrounding specific issues--not about us (the writers).
Technical documents should be concise in communicating specific information. Efficiency is achieved by providing:
accurate, relevant content
helpful organization
clear style that promotes accurate and rapid understanding
visuals that clarify concepts
sufficient supplements to back the summaries provided.
Although it is beyond the scope of this presentation, e-mail communication underscores the importance of and need for good technical writing. Clarity and accuracy are the minimum standards for acceptable e-mail communications.
The most important facet of technical writing is accuracy. It is better to have no information than to provide wrong information. Wrong information can cause errors and even injuries over long periods of time. The serious potential damage that wrong information can cause is reason enough to spend extra time and effort ensuring that your document is correct before it is released.
Verify that your material is accurate by searching out original or "source" documents. This step ensures that your statements are correct, based on fact, and are not a result of hearsay.
For example, if your material is based on observations or laboratory results, have your document reviewed by the original observer or lab technician to ensure that your facts are correct. Never forget to credit those who contribute to your document.
If you need to offer conclusions or recommendations based on background information, make sure that you can justify your choices. Do the facts support alternate conclusions as well as or better than the conclusion you favor? Your document should show why your recommendation or conclusion is the best one based on the facts presented.
Obviously, more definitions are needed for a less technical readership than for a more specialized audience. In all cases, terms that are possibly new to the reader should be defined either in a glossary or in the body of text where they are used. Acronyms and abbreviations should be similarly defined on first use. After the sentence that contains the definition, the acronym or abbreviation may be used repeatedly without further explanation. The exception to this rule is on charts, graphs, or tables. If a reader chooses to review a graphic, key terms should be defined on the same page.
If you want to cite a study, event, or another professional, include documentation on the information's source. This makes it possible for the reader to obtain additional information.