Safe Worker Recognition
Safe Worker Fast Facts
Program Rationale: All safety initiatives, including Safe Worker, whether at the site or corporate level, all share one basic goal: reducing the amount of injury; accident exposure at the place where people interact with equipment, facilities and procedures. Comprehensive safety improvement relies on the right mix of enabling systems (e.g. hazard recognition, training, procedures) and sustaining systems (e.g. organizational structure, management systems, employee engagement).
Program Objectives
-Reduce accident expenses
-Reduce insurance premiums
-Reduce lost productivity
-Improve customer/public perception
Program Tax Advantage
In 1986, the government recognized the importance of positive reinforcement by exempting the value of Service and Safety awards from the incomes of individual employees and making the company investment in these programs tax deductible under specific guidelines.
To be free of taxes as described these programs must:
1. Fall into a qualified plan that does not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees
2. Be items of tangible personal property awarded as part of a meaningful presentation
3. Fall under an average award cost of $400 with an upper limit of $1,600. Awards over $1,600 are taxable to the recipient for the amount above $1,600.
4. Service awards may be given every five years beginning at five years of service.
5. Safety awards must be given to fewer than 10% of eligible employees. Management, administrative, clerical and professional employees do not qualify.
Safe Worker Program Overview
Program Design: A well-designed Safe Worker Program encompasses both a recognition and reward/incentive component. Both the recognition and the reward/incentive components are centered on events. The events are time-based (e.g. hours, days, weeks, months etc. accident and injury free). The individual recognition is very often tied to effective Team recognition practices.
Supplementing and supporting these recognition events are interim reward/incentive opportunities such as completion of training units, certifications, and safety employee of the month as well as special recognition for unique situations such as Heroism.
Program content: The make-up of a Safe Worker Program is necessarily based on the most effective motivation for a unique, and often diverse, population. There are three key elements of program content; the Awards/Rewards themselves, the Category of the awards/incentives and the Need being satisfied.
The Awards/Reward options range from Buckles /Pins/Rings, Plaques; Certificates, Patches, Merchandise, Clothing to Cash/Cash equivalents.
The Category of the prize may be Compensation (bonus) Incentive (something to focus activity and behavior) and Recognition, (something to sustain and enhance appropriate behaviors and results).
Need refers to the personal/intrinsic requirements of those for whom the program was established. Money, Status, Security and Respect are the "Needs" most often considered in Safe Driver Programs.
Program Measurement: The ability to effectively measure a Safe Driver Program is one of the most attractive features of this type of recognition and reward. The most common Output measure is Injury; Accident Free Time.
Finally, measurements may be by Segment: Occupation (Type), Industry, Position (management, administrative etc.) and/or work shift are common segmentations. These forms of measurement are not mutually exclusive.
