To: Professor Priscilla Sneff

From: Robin Luo

Subject: Rhetorical Analysis OSHAs First-Aid Guide
Date: January 26, 2016

The purpose of this memo is to present my analysis of OSHAs (the Occupational Safe and Health
Administration) Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program. This guide
seeks to establish the necessity of a first-aid program in workplaces, inform readers on the supplies and
equipment required to be readily accessible for first-aid, and ultimately advise readers to receive training
for first-aid in order better ensure the survival of peers when an accident does occur. I will use Markels
six characteristics as a basis for determining whether or not the guide effectively reaches its goals.
Summary
Upon reading OSHAs guide, I was impressed by the organizational structure of the document and the
information it presented. While this guide is certainly not written to educate its readers on performing
first-aid duties, it is definitely effective in communicating to the reader the importance of securing a safer
workplace through the employment of first-aid techniques, because it follows Markels six characteristics
for technical communication, namely addressing particular readers, helping readers solve problems,
reflecting an organizations goals and culture, being produced collaboratively, using design to increase
readability, and consisting of images.
Addresses Particular Readers
The readers do not need to flip the pages of the guide more than once to determine the intended audience
of the document. Indeed, from reading the second page, it is easy to tell that the guide is meant to address
employers who wish to comply with the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
for a safe and healthy workplace as well as the employees who would like to learn about the hazard-free
workplace that they are entitled to work at. OSHAs guide further demonstrates the importance of its
subject to employers by stating in one of the earlier sections of the document, The Risks: Injuries,
Illnesses, and Fatalities, that To cover the costs to employers from workplace injuries, it has been
calculated that each and every employee in the country would have had to generate $1,010 in revenue in
2004. As employers seek to maximize the amount of money they make, the threat of these potential
workplace injuries serve as a powerfully direct appeal to their professional goals since they would not
want to worry about the hefty costs of such injuries. Additionally, this guide even presents the
approximate amount of injuries and illnesses in specific industries using bar graphs in the section Assess
the Risk and Design a First-Aid Program Specific for the Worksite. Such information is effective in
implying that employers working for industries that have high amounts of injuries should be more
concerned about the issues presented in the guide, as it is more particularly addressing them. All of the
previous points demonstrate OSHAs guides sufficiency in satisfying Markels first characteristic.
Helps Readers Solve Problems
The aforementioned bar graphs propose both the severity and frequency of workplace injuries. Therefore,
the following sections explain OSHAs requirements for safer working environments and necessary firstaid-related procedures to prevent such injuries from occurring. In the section OSHA Requirements, the
guide lists trained first-aid providers and CPR training as standards that, if met, will ensure better chances
of survival for employees should a tragedy occur at the workplace. Then, in First-Aid Supplies and

Automated External Defibrillators, the employers are advised to designate a person with the
responsibility of choosing and maintaining first-aid supplies, such as automated external defibrillators,
because Using AEDs as soon as possible after sudden cardiac arrest, within 3-4 minutes, can lead to a
60% survival rate. The importance of CPR is also noted. Finally, in First-Aid Courses and Elements
of a First-Aid Training Program, the participating organizations and appropriate components (such as
proper teaching methods involving the utilization of mannequins for CPR) of first-aid programs are
revealed. With the application of the recommended supplies and implementation of the first-aid training
by employers, OSHAs requirements will be met and safer workplaces shall ensue. Since the guide is
providing requirements for a less hazardous workplace and then essentially explaining the means of
meeting the requirements, this document succeeds in helping employers solve a problem.
Is Produced Collaboratively and Reflects an Organizations Goals and Culture
Several sections in the guide contain references to other OSHA programs or different organizations. For
instance, mentions of the OSHA First Aid Standard (29 CFR 1910.151) and the American College of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine are found in sections OSHA Requirements and Automated
External Defibrillators, respectively. Additionally, in the section OSHA Assistance, the guide states
that OSHA can provide assistance through programs such as strategic partnerships and state plans. Such
references and suggested collaborations lead me to believe that more than one person worked to produce
this guide, because it is quite possible that one or several people found OSHAs supporting organizations
and researched the different OSHA standards, while more people organized and prepared the document.
Due to the seemingly obvious collaboration in producing this guide, I am led to believe more in its
accuracy. Furthermore, the second to last page of the document states that, OSHAs role is to assure the
safety and health of Americas workers Although the entire document is written to ensure the safety of
employers and employees in Americas workplaces, this statement at the conclusion of the document
serves to truly cement OSHAs goal. It is essential in proving to the audience that OSHA is an
organization that exists to protect American workers and live its culture of caring for people.
Uses Design to Increase Readability and Consists of Images
OSHAs guide is constructed to help readers understand the document in the simplest way possible. The
big bold section headers underlined in red are crucial in helping the readers to navigate the document. If a
reader only wants to read a certain section they found in the table of contents, that reader can easily go to
the page number and locate that specific section, rather than having to skim through the page to find the
section in the case that the section headers do not contrast from the rest of the text. Additionally, the logo
of the organization with its website printed underneath is present on the top corner of every page of the
guide, thereby making the document look professional. Although I have personally never heard of OSHA,
I am led to believe that the organization is credible. Finally, this guide included four bar graphs in the
section Assess the Risk and Design a First-Aid Program Specific for the Worksite to illustrate the
different kinds of injuries that may occur at the workplace and the different industries where workplace
accidents happen. The writers of this guide could have simply wrote in words, for instance, the percentage
of all injuries that consisted of fires and explosions, or how many fatalities came about in the construction
industry in 2004, but clearly, the graphs are much more interesting to comprehend and appealing to the
eye. The design and images used in the guide assist the readers in apprehending the document much more
efficiently.