Hazmat 101 News - February 12, 2002

Safety Incentives Tips

By Brian R. Shmaefsky, PhD

The idea of safety incentives causes much debate among safety professionals. Regardless of the contrary views and opinions, planning safety incentives can lead to many sleepless nights. The following excerpt was extracted from a safety officer's mind while she was lying awake in bed reflecting on work:

"The Production 3 group went four months without an injury. Should we reward them? What do we get them for an incentive? Should we throw a party? Production 2 still has accidents, but they went from an average of eight accidents a year to an estimated 4 this year. Should they be rewarded for this? What about Joe in Production 1? He went five years accident-free even though the group has several reportable incidents this year? What kind of gift would match his individual exemplary performance? How much is all of this going to dig into my budget? Do they really need incentives?"

Finding the appropriate incentive for safety performance is not a capricious decision. Psychological investigations show that incentives must be carefully thought out if they are going to reinforce desired behaviors. Incentives are also nothing to ridicule. They promote desired behavioral changes better than disincentives and punitive actions. However, incentive programs must be designed in such a way that the "grand prizes" do not tempt employees to hide accidents and injuries. If done properly, incentives are consistent with behavior based safety practices. 

Always keep in mind that effective incentives raise an awareness of safety practices with the outcome of reducing injuries. Below are some researched tips for effective safety incentives:

1. Encourage and solicit incentive suggestions from employees.
2. Set ground rules for acceptable, but meaningful, safety incentives.
3. Set a compensation schedule that promptly rewards desired behaviors.
4. Provide corporate, group and individual rewards to discourage false injury claims.
5. Reward measurable goals.
6. Reward "growth" toward safety behavior and not just accident-free periods.
7. Provide small incentives for reporting incidents followed by corrective training.
8. Have long-term and short-term incentives rewarded proportionally. 
9. Do not underestimate the value of praise and recognition in place of numerous monetary and material rewards.
10. Think of creative incentives: concert tickets, discount coupon books, gift certificates, hotel stays, lottery tickets, restaurant meals and sports tickets.
11. Avoid "Big Ticket" prizes that may encourage the hiding of accidents and injuries.
12. Have a consistent reward policy that is open to modification through employee and supervisor feedback. 

About the Author
	Brian R. Shmaefsky, PhD is a professor of biology at Kingwood College in Texas. He spent four years in industry as a production chemist serving on safety training committee. He has performed safety and hazardous materials training at the college level and as an independent consultant. He has written various publications on safety training and industrial hygiene. Email: Brian.Shmaefsky@nhmccd.edu