Proactive Recognition Programs
Recognizing employees for working safely is important for reinforcing safe behaviors and promoting a culture of safety in the workplace.
Below are program ideas that have been successful in proactively recognizing employees for working safely.
Safety Buck: Supervisors carry safety bucks and reward employees when they see them doing something right. Employees can use the safety buck at the company cafeteria for lunch or at a local participating store to purchase items.
Bonus Program: When employees identify a workplace hazard that could cause serious physical harm or a fatality, they are rewarded with a bonus check. In some cases, the bonus check is a fixed amount. In other programs, it is a small percentage of the potential direct cost of the accident that might have occurred.
Safety Hero: After an extended period of time, employees are rewarded with a certificate, a day off, a gift card, or a bonus for reporting hazards, making suggestions, or participating in safety activities.
Reporting Injuries: Wait a minute– Do we really mean that employees should be recognized for reporting injuries? Absolutely. If employees report injuries immediately, they not only minimize the physical/psychological impact on themselves but also reduce the direct and indirect accident costs to the company. Both the individual and the company win if the employee reports injuries immediately.
Reactive Recognition Program
"Days (or hours) Without an Accident" Program: This program is reactive because it encourages a behavior that occurs after an accident – failing to report accidents. Our recommendation is that you do NOT use this program.
The 'Days without an accident' banner actually displays 'Days without a reported accident.' Consequently, the company may suffer from the 'walking wounded syndrome' where employees are physically present at work, but hide their injuries or illnesses while working.
This is especially likely if departments compete with each other for tangible rewards. Injured employees will feel pressure not to report, and the longer a department goes without an accident, the greater the pressure will be not to report.
These are just a few of the many ideas available. Companies across the country use various other ways to recognize employees.
For more information on developing a successful recognition program, take OSHAcademy course 117 Introduction to Safety Recognition.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-8. Which of the following is a "reactive" safety recognition program?
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