Safety Program Guide

Step One ## Define the Goals

Safety hazards lurk in all areas of the workplace##the office, warehouse or plant. Workers as diverse as machinists, truck drivers, engineers and administrative assistants can be affected by this issue. If the safety risks in your workplace are not immediately apparent, an outside consultant such as an ergonomics, medical or chemical specialist can help you isolate the danger areas.

Once you pinpoint the safety hazards, you can clearly define the objectives of your safety program. The stated goals should always be:

• Simple. It's best to focus on just one or two goals and keep the communication simple since most objectives must be easily understood by all participants.
• Specific. Objectives should contain four critical elements:
  1. The desired activity
  2. The units of that activity that will be measured
  3. The expected performance level
  4. The time allotted to achieve that performance level
• Attainable. Goals should be realistic for participants to achieve. Take into account the number of people on staff, the workplace conditions, how much support you will receive from management and the amount of training required.
• Well-timed. Program objectives must correspond with peak injury periods in the workplace or with the seasonal nature of some jobs.
• Measurable. Objectives should relate directly to an activity or performance that can be accurately and consistently quantified.
• Acceptable. Goals must be approved by top management as well as by the people who oversee the daily operations of the company.

Some common objectives of safety programs include:

• Proper use of safety equipment
• Correct use of safety clothing
• Appropriate storage of tools and machinery
• Proper techniques for lifting
• Suitable handling of hazardous materials
• Keeping work spaces and walkways clear of traffic
• Eliminating damage to vehicles or machinery
• Eliminating chargeable driving accidents
• Replacing faulty or outdated equipment
• Establishing safety-training programs
• Reducing lost-time accidents

Step Two ## Plan the strategy

Decisions you will have to make when planning the strategy will include:

• When and how long the program will run. Most safety campaigns run at least six months since they usually require some kind of training.
• Who is eligible to participate?
• What will the participants have to achieve to earn the awards?
• What are the awards?
• How will workers be disqualified?
• Decide whether the participants work in teams or as individuals. If you run a team-based program, make sure that:
• The workers feel they have an investment in attaining the goals.
• The workers have the chance to be recognized for outstanding achievement.
• The teams consist of no more than eight members.
• The teams are made up of both supervisors and workers who perform tasks with the same risk levels.

Step Three ## Build the budget

When determining the budget of a safety incentive program, consider the following factors:

• Number and type of objectives
• Number of participants
• Demographics and preferences of potential qualifiers
• The frequency of program communications
• The risk factors of the tasks performed

Divide the budget into these categories:

• 60 percent to 70 percent for awards. The value of each award should represent 2 percent to 5 percent of the recipient's annual salary.
• 10 percent to 20 percent should be spent on training.
• Promotion should take up another 10 percent and another 10 percent should be allocated for administration of the program.

Step Four ## Create a measurement system

The measurement system should employ a simple point structure that will translate worker's achievement's into awards.

Step Five ## Select the awards

• Group Travel. A first-class group incentive trip fosters camaraderie and provides a forum to recognize your top achievers with plaques and public presentations. The negatives: It's expensive, and sometimes the travel conflicts with other commitments the participants my have.
• Individual Travel. This option allows the participants to travel when it is convenient for them. The negatives: Winners miss out on the networking and peer recognition possibilities associated with group travel.
• Merchandise. This type of award is available in a variety of price points that makes it easy to reward people at all performance levels. The downside: Little opportunity for networking and peer recognition.
• Debit and stored value cards: This type of award gives the recipient the ability to purchase their own award. The downside: No opportunity for peer recognition or networking.

Step Six ## Promote the campaign

Once you've set up the program, you'll need to get the message out and drum up enthusiasm.

• Develop a theme that is short simple and memorable. It should detail the program objectives in as few words as possible. Examples: "Safety First," Together We're All Better," or "Safety Saves Lives."
• Come up with a communication strategy that has the following elements:
• Teasers, such as a letter from the president encouraging employees to participate in the program.
• A special announcement meeting in which managers hand out training materials and describe the programs goals and awards to the participants.
• Weekly team meeting held by managers to maintain focus and enthusiasm for the program.
• Posters, which can be placed around the workplace to remind employees of the program.
• Qualification mailers such as congratulatory letters to participants who have met the goals.

Step Seven ## Administer the program

To run the program, follow these steps:

• Enroll your employees. Create a participant database.
• Send out promotional mailings.
• Send out performance statements.
• Track the awards. The system must keep track of award credits or points, notify participants when they qualify and deliver the award.
• Give management timely information about the progress of the program.
• Analyze the program results. Set up a system that will help you assess the success or failure of the program.