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Here
are the essentials elements of a successful
incentive program to promote safety: |
Assemble
your team. Begin your program with employee input, since employees
can help you pinpoint critical areas as you examine every process in the
workplace to see how safety can be improved. Form a safety committee and
designate a safety manager. Solicit outside input from safety consultants,
insurance companies, workers compensation representatives at state agencies,
and members of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Assign employees to enforce the safety procedures and analyze the program's
results. Schedule regular safety meetings.
Determine the return on investment. Consult with your insurance
carrier to get information on how your safety program can potentially reduce
premiums or qualify you for support services to make your program more successful.
Talk with your tax attorney to find out how you can structure the program
to take advantage of federal tax incentives, something your employees will
especially appreciate.
Develop safety procedures and set goals. Prepare a precise,
comprehensive set of safety procedures that identifies safe behavior on
a task-specific basis, and distribute the details to all employees. Policies
should be broken down by work function and department. Establish, if possible,
a realistic set of goals for improving safety. Goals should be stated in
terms of problems identified and corrected or of reduction in time lost
due to accidents.
Implement a training program. Safety training is the best way to
insure that your procedures are understood and followed. Use this process
to promote the incentive component of the program. Training must be ongoing,
especially as you adjust procedures based on what you learn.
Create an incentive program. Part of your safety policy
should be a clear system of rewards based on safety performance. Behavior
is the means to safety, and incentives are a reliable means of improving
behavior. Since safety is an ongoing concern, the incentive program must
be designed to keep employee enthusiasm at a high level over the long term.
Cash incentives are a poor choice for safety programs since cash has a limited
trophy value and can come to be viewed as expected compensation that is
painful to take away. Individual travel incentive programs work well here.
Provide regular feedback. In prominent locations where employees
will see them, post results, tips, and notices about the people who spotted
safety problems. |
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