Given that safety issues in the workplace can literally be of life or death importance, it makes sense that an organization would do everything in its power to minimize any and all safety risks. Employers have a lot of tools at their disposal to improve and maintain safety in the workplace and plenty of reason to do so. Besides the obvious desire to keep employees free of preventable injury or illness, there’s also the productivity gains that can be had from minimizing employee and machine downtime that happens after an injury. And there’s the issue of employee morale suffering if the workplace is seen as a place where employee safety is not a priority. In other words, there are both human and financial reasons to ensure the safety of everyone in the workplace.
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A safety incentive program is one option for employers to implement to help to improve safety in the workplace.
What Are Safety Incentive Programs?
First off, what are we talking about when we say “safety incentive program”? This type of program may also be called a safety rewards program or something similar, and it’s a program that creates some type of benefit, reward, or recognition for employees who follow the program’s guidelines for staying safe on the job. These guidelines may include things like always following safety protocols or wearing the proper personal protective equipment, for example.
Tips for Implementing an Effective Safety Incentive Program
To create and implement a safety incentive program that works, here are a few tips for employers to consider:
- Work from the executive level all the way to entry level to instill a culture in which safety is valued and prioritized—not one in which safety improvements are seen as just an expense and obstacle. (This is important regardless of which type of safety improvements the organization opts to implement.)
- Reward specific desired behaviors, like reporting potential safety problems and taking steps to improve any safety concerns.
- Be careful when crafting incentives to be sure they do not incentivize the wrong behavior. For example, be careful not to implement any incentive that could make employees consider hiding problems for fear of losing a bonus or other reward. (Consider incentivizing the good behaviors, not just the outcomes.)
- Be sure to give recognition to employees who demonstrate proper safety behaviors. This can be as simple as training managers to give immediate positive feedback to employees when they see that proper safety protocols are being followed.
- Work with all departments to create a real cost-benefit analysis that shows that the costs involved in staying safe are much less than the costs involved when dealing with the aftermath of a workplace injury. The costs of these types of programs can be viewed as investments in the organization rather than simply expenses. A safety incentive program is a great example of such a program where the benefits usually far outweigh the costs.
- Ensure all employees receive proper training, including updates or refresher courses, on an ongoing basis. Training can be critical in minimizing safety problems. (This is yet another tip that is important regardless of what type of safety programs or tools the organization opts to implement.)
- Get feedback from employees on how safety (and the safety incentive program) can be improved, and take that feedback into account when designing or updating the program.
What other steps has your organization taken to ensure that your safety incentive program (or other programs or policies aimed at improving safety) is well received and followed? What has been the role of your HR staff in communicating the safety policies and program details? What other tips would you suggest?