Readability

[ErinFitzGerald]

Hello,

I think worker.gov is a great idea. I learned about it from a short article in the Dec. 2016 issue of the ASSE publication Professional Safety.

However, I am concerned about the readability of the content.

For example, on this page (http://www.worker.gov/profiles/all/whistleblower-retaliation.html)

You have the right to be protected from retaliation.

An employer cannot retaliate by taking "adverse action" against workers who report injuries, safety concerns, or other protected activity. You should not be discriminated for exercising your rights under the OSH Act. These rights include:
•filing an OSHA complaint
•participating in an inspection or talking to an inspector
•seeking access to employer exposure and injury records
•reporting an injury
•Request an OSHA inspection, and speak to the inspector
•raising a safety or health complaint with the employer
If you have been retaliated or discriminated against for exercising your rights, you must file a complaint with OSHA within 30 days of the alleged adverse action.

the readability scores are:
Passive Sentences: 25%
Flesch Reading Ease 35.3
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 12.5

Since worker.gov is meant to be very user-friendly, the wording of the content should be carefully considered.

I spent a little time trying to modify the wording and was able to improve the readability scores though they are still a bit too high:

You have the right to be protected from retaliation.
An employer is not allowed to punish workers who report injuries, safety concerns, or other protected activity. You should not be punished for exercising your rights under the OSH Act. Your rights include:
• filing an OSHA complaint
• taking part in an inspection or talking to an inspector
• asking to see the records of injuries and safety problems where you work
• reporting an injury
• asking for an OSHA inspection, and talking to the inspector
• speaking to your employer about a safety or health problem
As an employee, you have the right to do all of these activities. If you have been punished or mistreated for doing any of these activities, you should contact OSHA. You must do this within 30 days or OSHA cannot take any action.

the readability scores are:
Passive Sentences: 66%
Flesch Reading Ease 58.8
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 8.4

worker.gov is a great idea. I look forward to seeing how it evolves.