Receiving and acting on updated hazard and safety protocols is critical to ensuring safe workplaces. But poor communication is causing problems. Nearly 1 in 5 workers (19%) have missed a safety protocol or hazard update, and 14% have missed OSHA or compliance-related information, according to a new survey, The Communications Crisis in Manufacturing Report from Firstup.

The report, based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. factory workers, found that nearly 8 in 10 had learned about policy changes, procedure updates, or safety protocols only after those changes had already gone into effect.

Communication failures were also behind the decline in employee satisfaction. The survey found that 77% have experienced workplace issues such as burnout, disengagement, or decreased teamwork as a result of miscommunication from leadership.

About one-fifth (21%) say poor communication has made them want to leave their current facility. Furthermore, 15% say it has made them want to leave manufacturing entirely.

The survey suggests five ways to improve factory floor communication.

1. Target by role, line, shift, and location

Not every update belongs everywhere. When workers receive too much information that does not apply to their role or line, important updates become easier to miss. Thirty-one percent of workers say they skip updates because they do not feel they are relevant to their role or line.

2. Make critical information easier to find during the flow of work

Workers shouldn’t have to stop production to hunt for a safety procedure, equipment manual, or current policy. In the survey, 23% spend at least 15 minutes searching for critical information, or give up entirely. In manufacturing, time spent searching for information can quickly become downtime, rework, supervisor interruption, or inconsistent execution.

3. Equip supervisors to communicate clearly and consistently

Supervisors remain essential communication partners because they’re closest to the work and trusted by their teams. Manufacturers can strengthen that role by giving them timelier information, clearer talking points, targeted updates, and easy-to-share materials they can use across crews, shifts, and sites. The goal is to help supervisors reinforce important information without making every critical update depend on manual follow-up.

4. Build visibility before missed updates become operational problems

Manufacturers need more than proof that a message was sent. They need visibility into whether critical updates were received, understood, and acted upon—and where follow-up is still needed. That gives leaders a better chance to address communication gaps before they show up as safety exposure, compliance issues, inconsistent procedures, or production disruption. 

5. Communicate automation as workforce change

Automation rollouts are change-management moments, not just technology deployments. Workers need to understand what’s changing, why it matters, how it may affect their role, and how the organization will support them. With 54% of workers concerned that automation or new technology could replace their role, and only 28% feeling fully supported and informed about new technology introduced on the floor, effective communication becomes central to adoption.