Safety incentives scrutinized: Now what?
June 27, 2011 by Fred HosierPosted in: enforcement, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, OSHA news, safety incentives, What Would You Do?, What's Working in Safety
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If you’ve been thinking recently that a large part of your company’s injury prevention program has been turned upside down, you’re not alone.
Once again at the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) 2011 conference, OSHA administrator David Michaels reiterated his stance that giving employees safety incentives for zero injuries is a bad idea.
So bad, in fact, that Michaels’ statements come with a compliance warning: If OSHA finds an incentive program causes a company to under-report its injuries, the agency will issue fines.
ASSE attendees also heard from Daniel Pink, author of the book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Pink’s basic message: To get workplace incentives, employees will eventually cheat.
Pink says motivating employees with external rewards such as money is a mistake. He says the secret to getting good performance from employees is the deep human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better.
After hearing from Pink and Michaels on the first day of the conference, some safety managers were wondering what to do with their safety programs.
In a session on the third day of the conference, one safety manager explained his frustration this way: Employees view their safety bonuses as a benefit. Taking away the safety bonuses for no injuries would be like taking away another benefit like their health care or paid vacation time. He wondered aloud what he should do.
So here’s the question: Are there other ways you can incentivize workers for safety for something other than zero injuries? Does your company have such a plan? You can share your safety incentive solution with others in the Comments Box below.
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Tags: American Society of Safety Engineers, Daniel Pink, David Michaels, motivating employees, safety incentives
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June 21st, 2011 at 10:06 am
“Catch” somebody working safely and reward that individual with a gift card or some other token of appreciation. You are still rewarding the individual for working safely, they just don’t get a lump sum or “grand prize” after a certain period of time has passed with no injuries.
June 24th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Incentive programs are not bad. Its the way people use them. You should never have incentives for not having an injury for an allotted time! This forces people to not report their injuries… Instead reward them for reporting injuries (actual injuries) and near misses so that you are able to rectify the problem as soon as possible. Reward them for following OSHA and other regulatory agencies regulations!
June 24th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Another good idea Jason!
June 28th, 2011 at 8:36 am
We must reward the behavior we need to help ensure injuries and illnesses on the job are prevented. Recognition and/or rewards for submitting safety suggestions, handing in near miss reports, being proactive on maintenance objectives, participating in safety training or becoming a trainer to deliver safety training will ncourage safe behavior.
Rewarding or encouraging team members not to report injuries (no matter how insignificant they may appear) is unacceptable. This type of activity can and most likely will result in higher injury and/or illness events.
June 28th, 2011 at 9:16 am
We have safety and quality gas card rewards given out monthly for people who are “caught” like Jason says or also for submitting safety suggestions. This has been a big hit! The names go onto a list which are then put into an online “fruit machine” which randomly draws names from the list.
June 28th, 2011 at 11:42 am
We reward recommendations for corrective action - PROACTIVE safety awareness.
June 28th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I agree with Ken, Ryan and Iowa whose programs are awarding safe and proactive behaviors. Our organization has similar programs; a “free vend token” is randomly awarded to associates who are working safely, valid safety suggestions are rcognized and have a $ award and a celebration is held whenever a safety milestone is reached. On the other side of the coin, an injury must be reported immediately or discipline for “failure to report an injury” could result.
June 30th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
About 15 years ago we had a program that rewarded departments for number of days without injuries. We also had a very high injury rate that neatly coincided with reports coming in the day after the awards.
We changed it up and now we reward in 3 ways. First to the individual for reporting hazards, telling us about near misses and bringing up ideas on ways to make things easier and safer. T-shirts, $10 gift cards, small things but consistently given out publicly along with the reasons why.
The second way is to the departments for meeting preset goals. Things like updating training, improving targeted systems and policies that we’ve seen issues with, everything proactive and nothing to do with injuries. The managers are lumped in with the departments and some of their pay depends on meeting those goals. The third is if all departments meet their goals, everyone in the company gets a bonus. It’s worked well for us.
Now when injuries happen there is no linkable pattern to the incentive program. Our injury rate is less than half our industry average.
July 1st, 2011 at 9:26 am
We have experienced similar results as those enjoyed by Michelle’s organization; four years ago we were above the industry stand of 6 and now have a number 78% lower than the standard - these approches work.
July 5th, 2011 at 9:54 am
I think that it should not be random. People get missed and then there are hard feelings. It is often the quiet and safe worker who is missed because they do not draw attention. Our incentive programs are surprises but they cover everyone. We also do a safety jacket that shows that a worker has worked for 3 years without a safety violation. The honor for the doing it right appeals to many. I think that company gratitude and identifying examples of doing it right works well for us.
There will always be someone who cheats the system but we cannot put constraints on all because of the bad acts of a few. Punish those caught cheating, not those who try to do it right.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:55 am
I agree with Mr. Safety, everyone who takes the time to do it right first time every time should get something to show them we care about are employees. We want them to go home the same way they came to work. Giving them something will go a long way and if someone gets around it, take care of that employee don’t flock shoot every one to make apoint.
August 16th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Our incentive program is knowledge based. Every quarter we circulate a 10 question quiz based upon our in-house toolbox topics. Anyone with a safety violation in that quarter is not eligible for the incentive. Anyone who fails to attend training sessions is not eligible. We can’t guarantee compliance, but with this system we have established a baseline of knowledge for which we can hold employees accountable. Incentives are called safety dollars and can be used to buy work clothing, boots, and other assorted items purchased by the company and offered to employees at a reduced price (under cost) or for no cost if they have saved enough safety dollars. We also have agreements with several retail outlets on reduced prices for carhart clothing and safety shoes. The stores accept a voucher we provide the employees for the amount of safety dollars they have accumulated and that amount is deducted from their purchases. It has been very popular over several years.
September 8th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Years ago, I introduced a monthly safety newsletter with a contest. Each month, at the end of the newsletter, there were 5 questions, based on the content. Employees would fill out the answers, cut out the entry form and submit it in the contest box. I graded every entry and drew 3 winners from the entries with ALL correct answers. From there, we gave away gift certificates to places like Sears and Wal-mart. All you had to do was read the newsletter from end to end. People stopped sharing (cheating) answers, once they realized that their odds decreased if they helped someone else get all questions correct, because the pool was larger. I also drew a consolation prize for all of the remaining entries. I added a catch, later, that you could not be guilty of any safety infractions that month, in order to be eligible. It turned out to be a huge success.
I also had a contest were employees could write a short, one-paragraph essay about the safe work ethics of a co-worker. I had a random drawing and awarded both the writer AND the subject of the essay. I gave away money orders, fire extinguishers, CO detectors, car first aid kits, etc. ALL entries were posted in the newsletter, as a subtle way of giving recognition from someone’s peers. We ended up with an incredible turnaround in both safety compliance AND performance, which did translate to fewer accidents.
September 8th, 2011 at 11:28 am
Don’t care for random prizes much. “Random” is code for budget management and has nothing at all to do with consistently rewarding consistently positive behavior. Random selection means random reward, i.e.- the person that deserves a reward, recognition, or affirmation may never get it. I’ve known many workers who say they’ve “never won anything,” and so don’t participate. Once they’ve gone there constructive participation declines on too many levels.
Rewarding the positive that does happen (leading indicators), not the negative that doesn’t happen (lagging indicators) is more professional and treats employees as positive contributors, not just lucky winners.
Valuable chat on this topic. Thnx.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Why do my children clean their rooms, do chores around the house, do their homework, etc.? If we are giving them allowance and giving them any indication that there is a reward at the end of the road then we are approaching it all wrong. Much the same as the workplace!
If you have already been giving bonuses then you’ve dug yourself into a hole. There is no easy way out. The only way is to be honest and let them know that it is what is expected of them for the greater good. You may have to elaborate more than that, but like I tell my children (over and over) “you need to do it because it is the right thing to do and the reward is knowing that you are better off.”
Your employees who do not accept or understand that thinking may be better off working somewhere else. You may have to take the hit and rebuild your workforce but it is the right thing to do!
September 8th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
I have been put in charge of coming up with a plan and like ideas above. They gave me food for thought.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:57 am
We have a pretty decent safety program in place.
we call it: “Safety Conversations”. If an employee is doing an unsafe activity, we discuss the hazards involved right away and the consequences it might bring. If the activity is very safe, we do a “Good safety conversation” and follow it up by recognizing the employee in the two following pre-shift meetings, may get a t-shirt or baseball cap, or a pen w/logo…but will be rcognized anyway.
As a bonus I would like to add that, last year(2010) we got “The most improved safety practices” award and this year we followed it up with “The Best Safety Practices” award in the whole Nation, by the National Coil Coaters Association.
Thank you.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:01 am
Thank you for posting my comment!
please be safe out there and do not take “SHORTCUTS”…NO NEED TO RUSH, SAFETY FIRST!!!!
September 12th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Karma,
Anything we can help you with…please let us know.
Is a very tough job to stay safe, but if you have RECEPTIVE employees, the mission becomes easier!
be safe.
Thank you.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
I have never liked the phrase “Safety First!”
Saying that it’s first implies that it is a separate step. Safety should be an integral part of every aspect of a business. Stating that safety is a priority also separates it.
Safety Always!
September 15th, 2011 at 9:28 am
“SAFETY ALWAYS” sounds very safe indeed. Great observation.
September 15th, 2011 at 10:38 am
I believe that rewarding good behavior is always a good incentive as it makes the worker feel appreciated. The worker feels encouraged as they know that their contributions are seen as relevant. It also shows that the Management is committed to the cause and as such is showing an interest.
Rewards however should be for the right reasons and not limited to any predetermined or set times because this can encourage behavior that are influenced strictly by the rewards that one knows is forthcoming. It should be spontaneous where it can capture significant contributions on both individual and group or departmental level and where particular attention is paid to relevant laws, adherence company policies, procedures and practices, work ethic with regards safety in the work place, innovative contributions towards improving safety in the work environment etc,,,,,
I feel a good approach is to make an employee’s safety awareness, participation and contributions in the workplace a part of the company’s Employee Appraisal System where supervision and co-workers share their input. A determination of the type of award or recognition can then be made and highlighted in a public forum- such as a company’s general meeting or safety meeting. The reward or incentive should not only come in the form of bonuses (monetary); but a range things-for instance token, certificates, vouchers, event tickets, paid time off, family outings catered by the company etc,,,,,,,,.