Top Ten Tips to Ensure Your Safety Award Program is Rewarding to Participants-Part 1

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration notified more than 13,500 employers nationwide this April that their injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average. Safety incentives are a proven method for combating high injury and illness rates. In order for a safety incentive program to be perceived as a worthwhile endeavor by participants, I put together a list of tips that will be presented over the next two weeks. By taking these tips into consideration, you can ensure the long term success of your safety program and effectively reduce your workplace injury and illness rates.

Ensure easy access to award program info

Often organizations mistakenly assume that safety program participants will be comfortable accessing information online. Depending on the employee demographics at a given company, workers may prefer accessing award program information via regular meetings and through printed communications instead of having the information completely online. In order for the safety program to have a chance at being successful, managers must ensure employees have easy access to information on how they can behave safely in the workplace, what goals they are eligible to achieve and what safety incentive gifts they are eligible to earn.

Make assistance available for those with questions or needing help on accessing the program info

Having on-site trainers available to assist employees who need help logging into an online safety program or who have questions about the program is a great way to ensure the safety program's success. For larger companies, offering workers a safety program hotline or support via email is a great alternative and still allows employees who need help accessing the program to have a helping hand. Human Resource Executive Online recently featured an article on creating buy-in for safety programs and reported that employees feel more confident in the award program if they know the employer is committed to providing training and someone will be there to assist them if and when they need it.

Focus on communication

From the safety program kick off to an end of year wrap-up, communicating the award program information, progress and changes will inspire participation. This also tells the workers that the safety incentive program is something consistently supported by management and not just an empty initiative not worth participating in. Many times corporations will seem to be gung-ho about a new project but fail to maintain communication which has a negative effect on the safety program's momentum.

Incorporate team activities and goals into the safety program

Once the main main goals of the safety incentive program are established, a great way to maintain interest in the program is to introduce new goals over time. Incorporating team activities such as establishing a safety committee or conducting team safety audits motivates employees to get involved with co-workers and reinforces positive safety behavior in the long run.

Make safety training and mentoring opportunities available to those who want to learn more

Some clients of mine have established safety training and mentoring as a major component to their overall safety program. Employees who participate in such activities are able to conduct team safety audits of work areas, coach other employees on safe behavior and even learn about ways to make their lives safer outside the workplace. Offering workers a chance to participate in such safety training and mentoring programs brings about a level of involvement that can really solidify a safety culture in the workplace. This practice also allows employees to show supervisors their managerial skills and can help to foster an effective system for determining possible candidates for future internal promotions.