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Safety Incentives: Do They Reduce Injuries? B Y JIMMIE HINZE |
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Safety incentives have been employed for many years as a means of keeping worker injuries under control. There are many ways that they can be implemented, but firms that use incentives with great success tend to use incentives of low value on a frequent basis. They also emphasize the recognition that goes with the receipt of incentives, and they tend to award entire crews for safe performance, rather than individual workers.Many safety professionals argue that the monetary value of the awards is not as important as the recognition that goes with the award. In fact, some firms try to implement help amplify the recognition of good safety performance. Perhaps, the following question should be asked, “Are incentive awards given on the basis of the occurrence of injuries or on the basis of safe behavior?” The distinction between these approaches is that incentives based on the lack of injuries assume that no unsafe behaviors have occurred. In truth, workers may perform work in an unsafe manner numerous times and still not receive an injury. Theoretically, incentives based on injury occurrence may actually be rewarding unsafe behavior. On the other hand, incentives might be issued to workers who are noted to be performing work in a particularly safe manner. This is a proactive approach to reward the actual behavior of workers and not the results. These are ‘‘spot’’ incentives and require more effort to implement. Safe behavior itself is not always the sole criterion for receiving safety awards, but generally is used in conjunction with established goals related to injury occurrence. Rewarding safe behavior requires a focus on the process of doing the work rather than merely assessing the end result — injury or no injury. Better safety performances were realized when safe behavior was a consideration for the incentives. While the concept of incentives seems straightforward, safety incentives have become controversial. Some feel that incentives are too easy to earn, and some feel they may actually reward unsafe work behavior as long as no injury actually occurs. Others contend that incentives do not alter behavior since workers are not sufficiently motivated to actually change the way they perform their work activities. There are various philosophical arguments about the shortcomings of safety incentives. Despite this concern about incentives among some industry professionals, incentives continue to be widely used. Incentives may indeed be effective in reducing workplace injuries, but this may depend on how the incentives are structured. Firms must be careful when implementing incentives, or they may not generate the desired result. Surveys conducted by the Construction Industry Institute have found that safety performance is better assured when the occurrence of an injury impacts the receipt of an award for a given period, with all workers beginning on an equal basis when the next incentive period begins. That is, the award should not grow exponentially or geometrically when no injuries are incurred. Another aspect of incentives is the frequency with which they are given. The frequency with which incentives are awarded was noted to vary between some of the firms. Results indicate that more frequent distribution of incentive awards is associated with better safety performances. Based on research findings, firms are encouraged to consider rewarding safe behavior; that is, they should endeavor to utilize measures of safety performance that are focused on the positive aspects of working safely. For example, on-the-spot awards for safe work practices clearly reinforce the very behavior that is the focus of most safety programs. Audits that evaluate jobsite safety conditions could also be used to score projects. A goal for the scores might determine when incentives have been earned. The means of qualifying for an incentive award might also be an issue worthy of consideration. For example, an incentive may be offered to a worker who is not injured in a particular time period, or to all workers in a crew when no worker in the crew is injured. Some firms give no awards for an incentive period when anyone on the project sustains an injury. The intent of having incentives based on crew or aggregate performance is to encourage workers to look out for each other. The survey results showed that most large firms consider safety a criterion for giving raises to workers. Firms that evaluate workers, at least in part, on the basis of safety had better safety Records. In addition, safety performance should be included in the overall performance evaluation of workers. When implementing an incentive program, it is important to assess the effectiveness of the program in actually altering or influencing the work practices of workers. Safe work practices can only be assured if company and project leaders enforce the safe work practices on site. This is the beginning of establishing a strong safety culture. FSM Jimmie Hinze is a professor at the College of Design, Construction and Planning at the University of Florida. Printed with permission from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
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