Environmental Protection Authority
Winner: Best Plain English Document — Public Sector / Non-Government Organisation (NGO) 2013
Hazardous Substances Toolbox
Ralph Brown, Awards judge, with Sarah Luxenburger, Environmental Protection Authority
Judges' comment
The toolbox was a challenging assignment because there is so much content and all of it is essential. Many guides on technical issues talk past their readers. Your Practical Guide engages them. The language is simple, appropriately informal and direct.
Media statement
We are delighted to be recognised by the WriteMark Awards. Our entry, the Hazardous Substances Toolbox is at the heart of the EPA’s efforts to demystify the safe management of hazardous substances.
At the beginning of the project, EPA staff interviewed a range of small business owners who use hazardous substances in order to fully understand their information needs. Business owners were clear that they wanted a single place to find plain English information about safely managing their hazardous substances.
Your Practical Guide: Working Safely with Hazardous Substances is supplemented by a web site, animated videos, a web based calculator, a workbook, an emergency flipchart and posters giving businesses all the tools they need to safely manage hazardous substances at their workplaces.
High demand for the toolbox and enthusiastic feedback from our target audience confirms that we achieved what we set out to do. One business owner went so far as to write to our Minister praising the toolbox and saying that his workplace is safer and workers are more informed about the dangers of working with hazardous substances. During my career in government, getting fan mail for a government publication is somewhat of a rarity.
Rob Forlong
Chief Executive