Employers Can Develop a Safety Culture with Incentive Programs

A strong safety culture is an essential part of any business. It can help prevent accidents and injuries, improve productivity, and lowering healthcare costs. A safety culture starts with leadership, but it's also crucial that employees feel that they're being rewarded for their efforts toward creating a safe environment. Incentives can be used to reward employees for safety excellence, encourage safe work practices, and even help develop a safety culture. That's where incentive programs come in: they encourage employees to think about safety every day—and get rewarded when they do so successfully!

Getting Started.

Incentive Research in Safety Programs

A study by the National Safety Council analyzed data from 2,000 companies with incentive programs in place between 2009 and 2013. It found that these organizations had fewer accidents and a 54% reduction in lost workdays due to injuries than non-incentivized companies during that period, even when controlling for other factors such as size and industry type. Safety incentive programs can improve employee morale and engagement by recognizing and rewarding safe behavior. However, designing safety incentive programs carefully is vital to avoid unintended consequences such as underreporting injuries.

A well-designed incentive program will include measurements that help you gauge your success in creating a culture of safety within your organization:

• How many injuries did we have this year?
• What was our lost-time injury rate last quarter?
• How many days were employees out due to illness or injury this month compared to the previous month?
• Roughly how many injuries or incidents went unreported?

The Challenge: Results Aren't Easily Measured

Safety culture is not tangible but rather an intangible feeling that employees have about working for your company. You cannot measure it easily with a stopwatch or see with your eyes. This makes it difficult for employers to develop incentives around improving their safety culture because what constitutes "good" or "bad" performance is relative, depending on the company. You can only gauge how well it's going based on employee feedback and observations about how things are going at work (e.g., morale issues).

Develop a Safety Culture by Setting Expectations

If employees see something wrong with the workplace environment but fear retaliation from management or coworkers, then there needs to be an effective reporting system in place. Employers should set clear expectations for employees to report unsafe conditions and behaviors. You can do this through incentives or rewards and penalties for failing to report it.

Here is a quick list of workplace safety expectations that all employees should be aware of:

• Follow all safety procedures and protocols established by the company.
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Keep work areas clean and free of clutter.
• Report any safety hazards or concerns to a supervisor immediately.
• Attend safety training sessions and follow all safety guidelines provided.
• Use equipment and machinery only if authorized and trained to do so.
• Use caution when lifting heavy objects, and always use proper lifting techniques.
• Take breaks to stretch as needed to avoid fatigue and focus on the task.
• NEVER operate equipment or machinery under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• NEVER tamper with or bypass safety devices on equipment or machinery.

Keep It Simple and Effective

Keep your safety incentive program simple, so it is easy to understand and implement. You want employees to spend only a little time learning about your safety culture before they can start improving it. It's also essential that your program is effective by measuring its results. Your system should be easy to implement and work with other systems already in place at your company. This way, all employees will be on board with using this tool as part of their daily routine instead of feeling like they're being forced into something new or unfamiliar. Dedicate at least one person to lead the program to ensure safety goals are being met and for employees to have a designated person to go to.

What Type of Reward Should You Use?

When considering which rewards to offer, ask yourself, "What are the company's values?". A reward program should align with your organization's mission statement, objectives, and core values to reinforce your brand daily. You can't offer every incentive out there, but keeping your core values in mind will help you decipher which tool you can use to achieve safety goals and a positive work culture. Below are examples of incentives and program ideas:

If you want to create an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable speaking up, you can: 

• Fix the problem immediately.
• Give company-wide recognition to departments or teams that demonstrate exceptional safety performance.
• Give positive reinforcement in private but avoid singling out anyone for reporting incidents.

If one of your top priorities is to create a better work-life balance among your team, you can:

• Give material items, such as gift cards or additional time off, and less non-material items, like public recognition or special lunches.
• Give cash bonuses for achieving safety goals or milestones.

If you're looking to build a community, you can:

• Encourage activities that involve everyone, like team lunches and attendance.
• Give safety-themed merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, or jackets.
• Create safety-themed posters or banners to display in the workplace.
• Host safety-themed contests with prizes for the winners.

And That's All for Now.

In conclusion, incentive programs can be a powerful tool for building a safety culture. They are a simple way to reward employees for their hard work and encourage them to remain safe in the workplace. By using incentive programs as part of your overall strategy, you can create an environment where everyone knows they have something to gain by doing their job well, whether winning gift cards or earning bragging rights among their peers!

Sources: National Safety Council Annual Report (nsc.org),