Safety
Incentive Program Update
OSHA Scrutinizes
Safety Programs
We all know safety incentive programs are widely used. Over the last several
years however, they have come under OSHA's scrutiny and have been criticized
by safety management professionals who claim that there is no place for
incentives in a company's overall effort to promote a safe, accident-free
work environment.
Has OSHA
Really Banned Safety Programs?
The question that gets most frequently asked however is whether OSHA has
banned Safety Incentive Programs. Basically, NO. OSHA has investigated
safety incentives to determine if there is validity to charges that they
cause injury hiding. The answer is that at times they can, but OSHA has
provided guidelines on how best to use incentives to eliminate this problem.
Use Rewards
To Incent Behavior, Not Stop Behavior
Actually, OSHA's guidelines and recommendations for safety incentive programs
at its Voluntary
Protection Programs (VPP) sites emphasize the value of psychological
rewards over large monetary ones. According to the guidelines, programs
which recognize employee involvement in safety-related activities and
reward safe behaviors are more acceptable to the agency than those that
are based upon reducing injuries and accidents.
What
About Injury Hiding?
Since so much of the criticism about safety incentives revolves
around the issue of non-reporting of accidents and injury hiding,
the question is what safety incentive practices might foster an environment
where injury hiding may become a problem. Here are several of the
most frequently cited causes: |
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Use
of big ticket prizes (new pickup trucks, $1000 cash per person, etc.) |
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Relying
totally on group performance as the sole method of awarding a gift
(while ignoring proactive individual achievements). This sets up an
"all or nothing" mentality where one person's injury impacts
an entire shift, workgroup or plant. |
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Awarding
100% of all safety incentives based exclusively on an accident or
injury-free time frame. |
Combine
Awards For Greatest Success
The best and most successful safety incentive programs are ones that incorporate
a combination of individual awards based on accident/injury-free time
frames and discretionary awards for recognizing safe work practices, participation
in safety meeting/seminars and reviewing and understanding safety program
guidelines and procedures.
Special Thanks
to Partners for Incentives, and their article 'Safety Incentive Program
Update' November 2002.
Learn
which employee incentive programs works best and why.
Contact
us today for help in designing an incentive program to bring the results
you want and to reward your employees.
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