We wanted to share 3 key takeaways with our readers. These takeaways are important for those looking to maintain a compliant, but result-driven safety program.
1) Tim Felmer of SALTed, was the kick-off speaker. His session gave insight on how to be a leader that drives intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.
He explained, for an environment to perpetuate safe activities, it must ideally help individuals be intrinsically motivated to be and act safe. Intrinsic motivation can be driven by several elements: challenge, curiosity, control, cooperation and competition.
Each of these items taps into aspects of the human brain that entices engagement because there are rewards that can fulfill in ways that an external reward (money, gifts, etc…) would not. And thus, an employee receives inherent satisfaction from performing the activity in and of itself.
2) Rachel Banks from OSHA then showed attendees why extrinsic incentives must be set up properly to avoid citations and investigations.
She discussed the risk of structuring programs that do not encourage employees to report unsafe actions that could lead to incidents (EX: entering all employees who have not been injured in a drawing for a prize).
Instead, its key to incentivize employees to be proactive in reporting and engaging in safer activities. (EX: rewarding employees who participate in safety training) Ultimately, the consequences of the wrong incentive program are that employees do not report injuries or hazards that can lead to injuries.
Not only does that cause potential harm to employees but it also creates a liability that OSHA can open an investigation into and issue a citation.
3) Local Safety Coordinator, Marty Schaefer of manufacturing company, Amerequip, expounded on their successful experience creating an environment of continuous improvement with safety.
Using a points driven approach, they have seen a $200,000 reduction in annual insurance premiums due to eliminating unsafe activities that led to incidents. They’ve also seen the majority of their population actively involved in creating a safer environment. For instance, he reported that in the most recent year, they had 67% of their workforce fill out a report of an unsafe act.
How did they arrive here?
One of the practical ways was by creating a scorecard of safe activities in which employees could participate on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis to receive points. The points translated into rewards that they could cash in on, including paid time off.
Additionally, their President was passionate about pushing these initiatives and they’ve reinvested some of those premium savings into the incentive program. The leadership support drove regular discussion which filtered into changed behavior that led to a culture that focused on creating and incentivizing safe behavior.
They realized that safety was not a destination but an ongoing journey. The results speak for themselves. Each of these takeaways highlight principles that can be broadly applied to wellness programs as well.
When employers take initiative to set the tone and motivate employees appropriately, the results are not only bottom line savings but a healthier, safer, more productive workforce.