Do It Right: A Safety Incentive Platform Guide
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The document discusses the importance of workplace safety and the need for effective safety incentive programs to minimize injuries and accidents. It highlights the issues with report-based incentive programs that encourage under-reporting of safety concerns, and advocates for behavior-based programs focused on leading indicators, which prioritize employee training and proactive safety measures. Additionally, it emphasizes compliance with OSHA regulations that require all accidents to be reported and protect employees from retaliation when reporting safety issues.
Do It Right: A Safety Incentive Platform Guide
- 1. Do it Right: A Safety Incentive Platform Guide
- 2. IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE SAFETY All of these issues can be turned around if true workplace safety becomes a focus. MISSED WORK The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States recorded that 2.8 million workplace injuries occurred in 2015, more than half of which resulted in time away from the job.1 COST OF BUSINESS According to the CDC, workplace injuries (and the affected employees’ subsequent absences) amount to well over $200 billion per year.2 EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE Without proper safety procedures in place, employees will experience decreased morale and a general lack of productivity.3 An unsafe work environment poses a serious threat to a company’s financial standing as well as the lives of the workers. Sometimes accidents do happen. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has implemented many regulations to minimize accidents in the workplace.1 www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/osh_10272016.htm 2 www.cdcfoundation.org/pr/2015/worker-illness-and-injury-costs-us-employers-225-billion-annually 3 www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/fy06/46c6-ht21/english_b_10_landscapers_safety_health_programs.ppt
- 3. HISTORY OF OSHA Source: www.osha.gov/osha40/OSHATimeline.pdf
- 4. Sometimes workers need a little help when it comes to following OSHA regulations and avoiding accidents. Over time, safety Incentive Programs started to sprout up, rewarding workers for safe behavior. Unfortunately, programs like these sometimes focus on the wrong factors which causes issues with OSHA regulations. Additionally, OSHA has expressed disdain for certain types of Safety Incentive Programs. While they have narrowed down components to two types of programs, the line between them is slightly blurred. OSHA AND SAFETY INCENTIVES Behavior-Based Safety Incentives Programs Report-Based Safety Incentives Programs
- 5. REPORT-BASED SAFETY PROGRAMS However, this type of incentive program is known to cause issues. When you incentivize positive “lagging indicators,” such as an absence of accident reports, workers tend to under-report safety issues. You may be tempted to incentivize “good” reports and statistics.
- 6. Lagging indicators are events or reports that you review after the fact. Examples of lagging indicators are incident reports and workers’ compensation reports. While these indicators can be used to make future changes, they do nothing to stop the original accident from occurring. LAGGING INDICATORS Unfortunately, such safety programs often encourage dishonesty. Employees know they will be rewarded if they remain quiet, which not only creates false reports to the government, but also decreases the likelihood of correcting safety concerns.
- 7. A main component to lagging indicator-based Safety Incentive Programs is to reward groups for having no reported accidents. As these programs also typically reward groups of people, social pressure discourages workers from reporting safety concerns. For example, if an employee gets hurt on day 49 of a 50-day accident free initiative, the employee might not report the incident in order to appease his or her peers. In the past, there was no protection for employees who reported issues. They would risk losing their job or face other repercussions if they reported a violation. Since employers were not required to keep site logs of all accidents and injuries, it was very easy for companies to avoid reporting accidents. In a 2008 report by the House of Representatives, “as much as 69% of injuries and illnesses” went unreported to the government.4 4 www.bls.gov/iif/laborcommreport061908.pdf THE PROBLEM
- 8. As of 2016, OSHA passed new regulations that require ALL workplace injuries and accidents to be reported, and all work sites must have an accident log.5 The new regulations also stated that employers may not take “adverse action” on an employee for reporting an injury or safety concern.5 Now, with the right guidelines in place, Safety Incentive Programs are only going to improve. These regulations particularly benefit behavior-based Safety Incentive Programs which are driven by “leading indicators.” REGULATION CHANGES 5 www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/interp_recordkeeping_101816.html
- 9. BEHAVIOR-BASED SAFETY PROGRAMS Led by leading indicators, behavior-based safety programs focus on appropriate factors when rewarding workplace safety. Leading indicators are actions, initiatives, or reports that occur before or unrelated to a potential accident, such as training courses or frequent inspections of equipment. These indicators are the driving force behind OSHA-compliant Safety Incentive Programs. When workers feel rewarded for safe behavior, they will be more inclined to report issues ahead of time, minimizing company loss and potentially saving lives!
- 10. When rewards are presented for safe behavior instead of positive statistics, workers see a reason to behave safer. Proper training, risk assessment, and other leading indicators allow companies to make adjustments before a risk becomes an accident. Add in protection for employees who fear their job may be at risk, and employees are far more likely to report safety concerns. Finally, if you reward individuals for reporting concerns, you remove the social pressure to remain silent for the benefit of the group. WHY IT WORKS
- 11. HOW DOES IT WORK? We now understand the concepts behind Safety Incentive Programs and why leading indicators create safer environments than lagging indicators, so let’s explore the components that make a great behavior-based Safety Incentive Program.
- 12. Keep a log book on site and make sure employees know where it is, how to fill out reports, and who to go to for issues. Utilize both online and paper reporting options for ease of use across employees. An easily accessible reporting procedure is the only way to get an accurate read on accidents or safety concerns. OSHA has increased restrictions and expectations, requiring all injuries to be reported within 8 hours of learning of event, so accessibility is key here.6 It is also important for employees to know they can report issues without fear of retaliation or condescension. OSHA regulations actually prohibit companies from punishing employees for reporting safety issues. 7 The first step in implementing a top- notch Safety Incentive Program is to: CREATE A PLACE TO REPORT ISSUES 7 https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/interp_recordkeeping_101816.html 6 https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014/OSHA3745.pdf
- 13. Educate employees on proper procedures Provide access to training modules and safety classes so workers are up to date on expectations. Additionally, make certification opportunities more accessible to employees. This will increase overall safety. Set guidelines for • New employee training • Instructions on equipment use • End of day procedures • Required attire (hard hat, face mask, closed-toed shoes, etc.) • Etc.
- 14. Reinforce safe behavior with rewards Make sure to focus on leading indicators! Reward employees for • Reporting potential hazards • Taking the initiative to correct issues that could escalate over time • Encouraging better, safer behavior among peers
- 15. Allow for peer-to-peer recognition of safe behavior You might not see every time someone goes above and beyond to create a safe environment. Sometimes an employee might not even think an action was noteworthy. However, you never know who is watching! Peer-to-peer recognition is the best way to reach those individuals who are silently saving the day.
- 16. IDENTIFY RISKS First, bring in inspectors regularly to survey the work environment. Second, do not wait for workers to come to you! Reach out to employees to get feedback on whether they feel safe, or if they have noticed any potential issues. Third, look at reports and see if there is anything that can be improved. EVALUATE Figure out if there are any changes your company may make to decrease the potential risk. TREAT Implement changes to correct hazards or risks. MONITOR CHANGES Once changes have been made, monitor them to make sure your efforts don’t revert back to old risk levels. Surveys and Risk Assessment Risk Assessment
- 17. In fact, a recent Gallup study showed that the top 25% of engaged companies see 70% fewer safety incidents than companies that are not engaged.8 8 http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/191831/engaged-workplaces-safer-employees.aspx Happy & Engaged Employees Fewer Safety Incidents DRIVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT LEAD TO
- 18. REWARD ZERO INCIDENTS LAST The last and potentially least important factor is rewarding a lack of incidents. We have gone over why rewarding lagging indicators can cause issues. However, if all the other factors we discussed are in place, such as rewarding leading indicators, creating proper training programs, and encouraging peer recognition, you can reward lagging indicators. Just be careful to avoid emphasizing lagging indicators, as that can revert a safety program back to improper safety standards, which violate current OSHA regulations!
- 19. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has spent the last half of a century improving health and safety workplace conditions Safety regulations require all accidents and injuries be reported to the government, and employers may not take “adverse action” against any employee who reports an incident. There are two main types of Safety Programs: • Report-based Incentives • Behavior-based Incentives. Report-Based Incentive Programs lead to issues where employees are discouraged from reporting incidents. Employers should avoid incentivizing the lack of incident. Behavior-Based Incentives decrease risk by encouraging employees to report hazards and rewarding them for safe behavior. By implementing a well-organized Safety Incentive Program, you drastically decrease the chance of workplace accidents, saving your company thousands or millions of dollars (not to mention lives!) in fines and recovery fees. RECAP
- 20. WHAT WORKSTRIDE CAN DO WorkStride Safety is a fully customizable software- as-a-service (SaaS) solution that helps your employees learn how to work safely by recognizing and rewarding behaviors that contribute to the prevention of unsafe working conditions. Configure and customize the platform to suit your business needs Boost program participation with employee recognition Train and quiz your employees about safety protocols Communicate changes to workplace safety requirements Integrate seamlessly with your existing systems Track progress with customized reporting and analytics Submit “Near Miss” reports effortlessly Motivate participants with rewards
- 21. READY TO CREATE AN OSHA- COMPLIANT SAFETY INCENTIVE PROGRAM? Schedule your demo today!