Page 69 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2017

employees to achieve greater business re- sults through a positive system of rewards. This program was fully integrated with monthly safety topics tied to promotions to ensure everyone who played a role in corporate safety was focused on the same areas at the same time. This approach en- ables building a culture of safety, making it a part of the company’s DNA.
This organization had been using a “stick” approach to safety. Safety issues were being addressed through a negative feedback approach that included deferral of raises, disciplinary warnings, and even suspensions. Input from employees at Town Hall meetings was that the all stick and no carrot just wasn’t working:
“Punishing did not move the culture very significantly. We found that once the idea of a safety incentive program was introduced to the executives and human resources staff, it was not difficult to sell.”
— VP of Safety and Compliance
Many of the target employees were not at desks, and some did not have com- pany email addresses. This required using a mix of online and offline promotional avenues, such as breakroom posters, di- rect mail, and banner ads on the com- pany’s website to increase registrations and gather important information, such as personal email addresses.
Monthly themed promotions were used to address behaviors identified in the accident analysis and keep everyone focused on the same issues at the same time. The elements of the monthly pro- motions were:
■ Safety training and an associated quiz
■ Submission of safety improvement ideas specific to the monthly theme
■ Use of a physical “On the Spot” recognition card when the right behav- iors were noticed
■ Quarterly point awards for inci- dent-free drivers
This safety program has shown con- sistent increases and continues to gain positive input from employees. The pro-
motions and associated communications continue to increase safety awareness, de- crease safety incidents, and improve over- all driver engagement. In the first three years of operation, the results prove that a carrot-based approach to safety does work as evidenced by:
■ 25 percent reduction in safety- related claims associated with property damage, vehicular accidents, and injuries
■ 50 percent reduction in the OSHA total incident rate
■ Insurance charge-backs decreased by about 25 percent
■ Active users increased from 65 percent to 83 percent
Best Practices
Effective safety programs are designed around normal employee work processes, and they integrate safety- and health- related decisions and precautions. A suc- cessful safety program should be based on an understanding of employees’ values and the creation of tools to target factors that motivate and inspire.
Here are five best practices to keep in mind as you design your company’s safety program:
1. Acknowledge and understand the current safety challenges and activities of your workers. Collect baseline data from multiple sources, including the employ- ees. Using that information and develop a plan that identifies the trends and behav- iors that require attention.
2. When designing your safety pro- gram rewards, ensure that the awards are meaningful and motivating. Many com- panies have learned cash is not the most effective way to motivate or drive results. The right award options can create great trophy value and improve program en- gagement. Trophy value becomes a walk- ing advertisement for your company, as well as making a great connection with your employee.
3. Training is critical. Safety training is the best way to ensure your procedures are understood and a great way to rein- force safe behaviors. It reinforces your safety goals and reminds participants
about the impacts of not achieving those goals while training employees about what it takes, daily, to ensure a safe work- ing environment.
4. On-the-Spot Awards are a great vehicle for adding a personal element to the program and allow management to recognize and reward employees for reporting unsafe work conditions or for working in a safe manner. Immediate rec- ognition and reward allows you to show- case the safe behaviors you want to drive everyone to adopt. Take pictures of these spontaneous recognition moments so you can showcase them in your various communication vehicles.
5) Ongoing communication is cru- cial to every step of your program. In today’s environment, having a com- munication channel dedicated to your safety program is a great place for your participants to go to for information, reporting, and safety updates. This can be accomplished via a reward website, your company portal, newsletters, social networking, and posters in the break- rooms and cafeterias. This multichan- nel approach helps to more fully engage employees in the program.
Recognition’s Value
At the end of the day, everyone wants to be recognized and appreciated for a job well done. This appreciation is what drives the seemingly unattainable productivity that all companies desire from their workers. A well-designed safety incentive program will create a safe work environment while increasing morale.
When employees are rewarded for practicing safe behaviors, identifying new workplace hazards, or being accident-free for a given period, just to name a few, they will be motivated to stay accident-free and feel appreciated by employers.
Deb Broderson is the Chief Marketing Officer for Perks.com, Member, Incen- tive Engagement and Solution Providers (IESP), a Strategic Industry Group within the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA, www.incentivemarketing.org).
www.ohsonline.com
JUNE 2017 | Occupational Health & Safety 65