7 Steps to a Successful Safety Incentive Program

The goal of a successful workplace safety incentive program is to get all employees to repeat safe and productive behaviors, to decrease workers comp, accidents and injuries, and increase overall job satisfaction and productivity. These seven steps will help any organization reach that goal: 1. Keep the program simple. Promote it often, if not weekly. Have all employees engaged in the process. Connect with local community programs to match donations that will resonate with employees. 2. Make sure the goal is clear. That goal is improvement of measurable safety indicators. What is your safety incentive program rewarding? Is it behaviors, outcomes, or both? Think it through. 3. Ensure rewards are genuine and meaningful. Connect with professional award distributors so employees are not given keychains or awards nobody wants. Make sure there’s a variety of brand-name, good awards, delivered in a timely manner. 4. Encourage active participation at all levels. A work-order safety system can do the trick. In most safety corrective actions, maintenance departments are the ones who make the repairs. Your maintenance department must be a vital player in any safety hazard incentive program. 5. Provide adequate training. Thorough training while maintaining a safety incentive program results in greater employee responsibility and sense of achievement, without it, your program will run out of steam. 6. Communicate written and verbal feedback. Personal engagement with supervisors and employees is key. How many times has the supervisor personally communicated with his or her employees about best safety practices? 7. Reward everyone and often.   Make sure all stakeholders get an equal chance at rewards. Make a big deal about the program and get everyone excited—use teasers, special announcements, poster-creation rewards, or weekly meetings. A successful incentive program is only one part of your organization’s overall health and safety program. The end goal is to reduce accidents and injuries , and getting the entire organization onboard. Contact us today to learn more.