Most companies have a safety incentive program. In theory, it makes sense: reward your employees for staying safe. But what we’ve come to learn is that how you administer your incentive program and the factors you base your results on make all the difference in the world. Even OSHA has weighed in on the subject, voicing concern that some programs may actually promote unsafe behavior. For example, if you reward your employees for keeping injuries under a certain number, one could argue that this puts unspoken pressure on them to not report injuries. With this in mind, Genera Energy has created a program based on safety related activities rather than results.
One activity involves a monthly drawing for a gift card from employee submissions of safety “near misses”. Not only are we encouraging the employee to keep an eye out for unsafe behaviors, but we are able to collect data to monitor trends and take any needed corrective action.
In an earlier blog about workplace safety, I discussed various activities that we do to promote safety. One such activity is the performance of safety audits by all Genera employees. We’ve tied this into our incentive program as well by entering the names of employees who completed their assigned audit(s) that month into a drawing for a prize. Again, we are able to collect data but also encourage employees to keep up with their scheduled audits.
A third part of our program involves a contest where an employee is rewarded for penning our annual safety slogan. Employees submit their entries and all employees vote for their favorite. This get the employees thinking about safety and the importance it plays on our campus every day. They consider incidents that have occurred throughout the year and how to prevent them. The successful slogan author is rewarded with a gift card and the slogan is promoted at our bi-annual safety cookout.
Working alongside our extensive safety training program, our safety incentive program is a continual reminder to our employees that we do take safety seriously and appreciate the contribution each employee makes. Keeping our employees safe is a large part of Genera Energy’s success in the biomass supply chain industry.
By Lisa Osborne, Human Resources Coordinator
