Example of a safety program

Create incentives that target your most-needed areas. Analyze your workplace culture and determine what safety measures need the most focus. Look for ways to encourage team members who would benefit the most from improved safety standards. Set high standards for safety incentives. Because safety should already be a part of daily work requirements, an incentive program works most effectively to reward behaviors that exceed expectations. Consider making goals team related so employees work together to surpass safety protocols.

Use a safety incentive program to complement, not replace a safety program. Safety incentives should be used in addition to a policy that is already in place for employees. An incentive recognizes the high standards that guide employee safety in the workplace. Make reporting a priority. Even during a safety incentive, make it clear to employees that the top priority is still to identify safety hazards and report any accidents that occur at the workplace.

Consider adding leveled rewards based on the lowest number of incidents but still allowing for reporting of any occurrences. Reward employees on a regular and timely basis. When starting a safety incentive initiative, it's important to give rewards regularly over a predetermined period.

Breaking measures into monthly or quarterly initiatives can help maintain interest in a safety incentive program. Here are some examples of safety incentives you can implement in the workplace to encourage employees to exceed safety standards:. One way to encourage safety in the workplace is to offer time off as a prize for extended periods of incident-free workdays.

This could be a half-day off bonus, passes to leave work early or bonus vacation days. Decide what works best for your workplace culture and daily workload. Before awarding time off bonuses, consider outlining how you will account for time off, who will process the requests and if there will be a specified period when employees must use their reward.

Read more: 15 Examples of Employee Incentives. Choosing the right gift card prize can motivate employees in a safety incentive program. Consider giving gift cards to businesses that most employees can use such as restaurants, grocery stores or online retail vendors. You may even choose to scale amounts based on the goals and length of your initiative.

You could offer one amount of gift card reward for reaching the first safety milestone and increase the gift card value for reaching the next goal. Another thoughtful reward can be offering employees extra break time for meeting safety initiative goals.

Breaks can also act as safety measures to ensure team members are well-rested and focused when they continue their work. You can offer break time as a general reward for the team or as a specific prize for individuals. Consider rewarding individual employees with safety-related company merchandise after they meet specific milestones.

You could start with a coffee mug with a logo that announces the employee's excellent adherence to safety measures. The next step up could be a t-shirt prize. Choose products that are both useful and appealing to most employees. One way to reward team members for safety initiatives is through a raffle system. Every time employees meet a safety goal either individually or as a group, pass out raffle tickets.

You can offer raffle chances to reward employees throughout the duration of the incentive program or do a raffle drawing once you've reached the end of the initiative. Include several large items as a motivation to reach safety goals and earn raffle tickets.

In this type of program, everyone has a chance to win a big prize. Leveled prizes create interest in a safety incentive program. If employees are working together as a team to earn rewards, choose rewards that increase in value and appeal the closer they get to a final goal.

You can use a similar method for giving out individual rewards. Some companies opt to work for the good of a charity organization in their community or elsewhere.

If you choose this method, consider asking for employee input before making the final decision as to where the donation will go.

You could also offer choices where employees or teams who meet safety goals can donate awarded funds to a charity of their choice nominated at the start of the initiative.

Employers should consult the applicable OSHA standards for the specific requirements applicable to their workplaces. Employers can use these sample programs as guidance when developing their own customized programs that are tailored to their specific workplaces.

A number of On-site Consultation Programs provide collections of sample safety and health programs on their Websites, including those listed below. If you are in a state with an OSHA-approved state program , please check with your state agency. These sample programs provide examples of written programs on various workplace safety and health topics.

Employers should consult the applicable OSHA standards when developing their own customized programs that are tailored to their workplace. Help for Employers Sample Programs.