Safety Recognition vs. Safety Incentive Programs
• What comes to mind when you hear the term “safety incentives”? Pizza parties held after 30 days worked without an injury? Prizes raffled off after six weeks without a lost-time incident? Major problems with OSHA because they have made their position very clear on "incentive programs based on accident rates".
• There are many ways to recognize-reward performance that meets or exceeds our expectations that will enhance our Safety Performance and improve the Safety Culture!
• So why not have "Safety Reward & Recognition" that Celebrate what you do right! That will change the employee participation in safety activities that will result in improving your overall Safety Performance!
• Interestingly, small tokens of appreciation have been shown to be more effective than larger rewards in increasing compliance. When positive feedback is moderate and personal, employees know that they are not being safe to earn extra cash—they are being safe because they want to be safe. When the reward is immediate, it causes the behavior to reoccur!!
• The intent to cause the safe behavior to occur again!
• Compliance with standards=non-negotiable, it is required and the bare minimum!
• Nobody is interested in paying employees to follow the rules, or even to work safely for that matter. THAT should already be a condition of employment and is non-negotiable!
• However, immediate rewards that will get people involved will help you to change your safety culture!
• "Safety Recognition" that is based on "leading indicators" of workplace safety, which are recorded and measured before an accident occurs has proven to effectively change the safety culture, thereby reducing work related injury and illness.
• Ideas: "SAFETY BUCKS program", "Bee Safe Recognition", "Step up for Safety Program" (cool safety glasses, cool bandana, cool hard hat, pair of gloves (kills two birds with one stone if you get employees to do something safe and reward them with PPE that you want them to use), Housekeeping contest, Qrtly Safety Quiz=4 gift cards=only $160/year and a Qrtly BBQ or Pizza Party when you achieve successes, Year-end Celebration when achieve the Annual Goals and Objectives
• So your goals and objectives must be assigned and measurable to know what to reward
Author: Deborah Grow, Safety Compliance Specialist
Private Safety Consultant, Sales-Marketing Director Damon Fall Protection and Coordinator EHS Network ~ Kansas.
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