Should You Incentivise Safety In The Workplace?

We all know the reasons why we need to wear safety clothing in the workplace, but practice doesn’t always follow theory with your workers. As an employer, it’s part of your responsibility to ensure your workforce take the appropriate precautions, stopping at not just supplying them with safety gear and high visibility clothing, but also enforcing that it’s used while on site.

How though is the best way to achieve this? One school of thought is that you should incentivise employee safety by rewarding good practice. It’s something adopted by many companies in the UK already, but studies by the National Safety Council in the US show that those companies who recognise and reward good practice are ones where “employees see improved morale, increased productivity, lower costs and, most importantly, fewer injuries”, according to Occupational Health & Safety Online.

On your part, you need to focus on best practice for rewarding safe employees, as recognition and rewards are a key factor in keeping staff turnover as low as possible. OHS Online suggests rewards must be given in a timely manner - either on the spot or during key events, so that workers receive it in front of their peers, helping to spread the message that good safety practices are valued by the company.

Their study also finds that while cash incentives are popular, something like a gift card is a better treat for workers. They’re more likely to buy themselves a treat, rather than use money to stretch their monthly income and pay bills.