GiftCard Partners Blog

Everyday more than 13,000 workplace accidents occur. Safety incentive programs can be powerful tools for employers to get employees to take safety procedures and protocols seriously and to integrate them into their work routines.

Here are some of the reasons that leveraging the power of incentives can help you minimize the number of accidents and maximize workplace safety.

When you think of employee safety, you may envision hard hats and safety goggles, but modern safety goes well beyond PPE. Today’s most effective safety programs also include wellness components: walk breaks, mental health resources, and a culture of care. The link between wellness and safety isn’t just anecdotal—it’s backed by data.

Employee safety and wellness are fast becoming a top priority for organizations. In a given year, companies spend over $170 billion in costs associated with occupational injuries and illnesses. To reduce these costs, and to keep employees engaged and healthy, you need a successful safety incentives program, but that will not create itself. Employees do not just see a safety program and buy in 100% for an indefinite amount of time. Employees need to be incentivized to engage in the programs that you are putting out there for their, and your, benefit.

An employee safety program can be tough to implement and even tougher to get employees actively engaged in. An effective employees safety program can be a sound investment that keeps your workforce safe and mitigates risk of workers compensation cases. Here are three ways you can ensure the implementation of your employees safety program is effective.

It sounds like a joke. An illegal employees safety program. However, based on recently release OSHA guidelines some employee safety programs can skirt federal regulations. When an employee safety program encourages employees to report incidents it, in some situations can lead to an employer penalizing employees for the incident regardless of who is at fault. Ensure that your safety program is aimed at motivating safe behavior and not necessarily encouraging incident reporting.
Promoting worker participation in the employee safety program is the safest, most effective way to ensure legality and success. Providing t-shirts for employees who participate in employee safety program, small rewards for employees who help strategize safety improvements for the entire workforce, or celebrating with employees when they complete a safety training program are great ways to promote safe behavior, rather than focusing on incidents and reporting. Ensure your safety program is safe for employees and legal for your business by using an employees safety program to promote safety and safe workplace behavior, rather than focusing on when safety goes south. How will you promote your employee safety program in the second half of the year? Leave us a comment and let us know!
For more information on the newly released OSHA guidelines and how to promote your workplace safety program legally check out Safety.BLR.com