By Forrest Richardson, CSP, ARME
Director of Safety, Fit For Work
When it comes to safety engagement, the very best employee incentive program is a company culture that fosters participation and creativity relevant to health and safety. This can be challenging as company culture requires top-down support, thought, and may require several years to be fully integrated into all departments and processes.
Safety recognition programs, on the other hand, can provide immediate results but often fail due to lack of planning, commitment, and all too often resources becoming the “flavor of the month.” In Part 1 of our Safety Leadership series, Forrest Richardson, Fit For Work Director of Safety, provides four areas of focus for your safety engagement efforts. These require preparation and thought, consensus building from leadership, and commitment to employee follow-ups that are simple, sincere, immediate, and frequent.
Safety Engagement Focus Areas
1. Recognition: Employees are recognized and encouraged to participate in the program and feel comfortable providing input and reporting safety or health concerns. Be sure to select merchandise with brand name recognition. Awards and prizes that break, fall apart, or don’t hold up to normal use can overshadow the reason behind the award. Make sure that awards can be delivered in a timely manner.
2. No Retaliation: The only acceptable initial response to employees when discussing their health and safety concerns is to thank them for bringing it to your attention and set a specific date they can expect to hear back from you regarding their concerns. Follow up no matter what, even if the problem hasn’t been resolved. Be humble and ask for patience as this creates trust.
3. Accessible Information: Make sure they have access to information they need to participate effectively in the program, including inspections, work orders, safety data sheets, and standard work-operating procedures.
4. Contribution Opportunities: Allow workers to be involved in establishing, operating, evaluating, and improving the health and safety program. All workers at a worksite should participate, including those employed by contractors, subcontractors, and temporary staffing agencies.
We Can Help
If your business is in need of assistance with your workplace safety program, Fit For Work can help. We partner with organizations like yours all across the country to prioritize the safety and well-being of your workforce while fostering a culture of proactive risk management and compliance excellence.Â
