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Safety Incentive Programs for Employees

Safety programs require and encourage the participation of both management and employees to make the programs an effective workplace strategy. By creating incentive programs, employers give their staff positive encouragement to participate in current and future safety program initiatives rather than simply reprimanding employees who refuse to comply with safety rules.

  1. Vacation Time

    • One incentive program for complying with ongoing safety programs is to provide employees with extra vacation time. This can be a day of paid leave or even just a few hours of flexible time to allow an employee to leave early or come in late on a certain day. All employees can be eligible for this program, and it can take place over any period of time to encourage employee participation. For example, if there are no lost time accidents in the facility for six months, all employees will earn extra vacation time. This positive reinforcement provides employees a non-monetary reward for staying safe at work.

    End-of-the-Year Bonus

    • An end-of-the-year bonus for maintaining a safe work environment throughout the calendar year gives employees an incentive to work toward all year. The bonus can be nullified or lessened in the event of a lost time accident in the workplace, encouraging workers to participate in safety initiatives and to keep other workers motivated to do the same throughout the year. An end-of-the-year bonus can be added to another scheduled bonus, such as one awarded near the holidays, or take the place of that bonus as a further incentive to create and maintain a healthy working environment.

    Company-Paid Health Insurance

    • Increasing the amount of company-paid premiums on employees’ health insurance provides a very motivating incentive for employees to maintain a safe workplace. This incentive program must be included in the company’s yearly budget and may entail negotiating with the insurance company to include a set amount of time, such as a year or more, for the best rate. Employees would be recognized for the hard work that they put in to lessen the amount of lost time workplace accidents, and the resulting reward would mean less out-of-pocket expenses for them in the event that they have to go to the doctor on their own.

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