OSHA Scrutinizes Safety Programs

We all know safety incentive programs are widely used. Over the last several years however, they have come under OSHA's scrutiny and have been criticized by safety management professionals who claim that there is no place for incentives in a company's overall effort to promote a safe, accident-free work environment.

Has OSHA Really Banned Safety Programs?

The question that gets most frequently asked however is whether OSHA has banned Safety Incentive Programs. Basically, NO. OSHA has investigated safety incentives to determine if there is validity to charges that they cause injury hiding. The answer is that at times they can, but OSHA has provided guidelines on how best to use incentives to eliminate this problem. Search a selection of Safety Incentives and Awards here.

Use Rewards to Incent Behavior, Not Stop Behavior

Actually, OSHA's guidelines and recommendations for safety incentive programs at its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) sites emphasize the value of psychological rewards over large monetary ones. According to the guidelines, programs which recognize employee involvement in safety-related activities and reward safe behaviors are more acceptable to the agency than those that are based upon reducing injuries and accidents.

What about Injury Hiding?

Since so much of the criticism about safety incentives revolves around the issue of non-reporting of accidents and injury hiding, the question is what safety incentive practices might foster an environment where injury hiding may become a problem. Here are several of the most frequently cited causes:

• Use of big ticket prizes (new pickup trucks, $1000 cash per person, etc.)
• Relying totally on group performance as the sole method of awarding a gift (while ignoring proactive individual achievements). This sets up an "all or nothing" mentality where one person's injury impacts an entire shift, workgroup or plant.
• Awarding 100% of all safety incentives based exclusively on an accident or injury-free time frame.

Combine Awards for Greatest Success

The best and most successful safety incentive programs are ones that incorporate a combination of individual awards based on accident/injury-free time frames and discretionary awards for recognizing safe work practices, participation in safety meeting/seminars and reviewing and understanding safety program guidelines and procedures.

Special Thanks to Partners for Incentives, and their article 'Safety Incentive Program Update' November 2002.