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Safety incentive programs or the practice of recognizing employees for safe work behaviours have been the subject of debate that boils down to two opposing views: one that says safety incentives motivate people into working safely, and another which argues safety rewards encourage non-reporting of incidents, rendering the program ineffective. It is widely accepted that recognizing safe work practices among workers encourages people to consistently do the right thing. Too much emphasis on the prize rather than the spirit of the program, however, seems to be the bone of contention on the issue.
An employee working towards a big bonus for good safety performance at the end of the year, for example, might hesitate to report an injury or near-miss incident for fear of losing out on the financial reward.
One company that seems to have found a middle ground on this debate is Mississauga, Ont.-based EllisDon Corporation. Their philosophy: instant gratification. [Video: COS goes on location to EllisDon's job site in Woodstock, Ont.]
When it comes to safety of its workers and recognizing safety performance, EllisDon is a big company that celebrates even the smallest things.
“We do a lot of instant recognition and we have found that that’s a good way to positively reinforce good behaviour,” says Kari Lynn Harris, vice-president of health and safety at EllisDon.
“So if we see somebody doing something above and beyond, or even just something like, ‘Hey, you’re wearing your fall protection equipment, you’ve got the scaffolding set up the way you’re supposed to. Good job, thanks!’”
The instant recognition of a job well done could come in the form of a hardhat sticker or deco, a ball cap, t-shirt or a jacket. It can even be as simple as a pat in the back reminding the worker that he or she is doing a great job. When a worker realizes that his efforts are appreciated, even the smallest gestures can have the biggest effect, says Harris.
Like many safety professionals, Harris has seen the downside of giving away big-ticket items or big financial rewards as a safety incentive.
She explains: “If you’re working towards a big prize – and I have seen companies give cars away – or there are big things that you work towards over X number of months or a year, it has in the past, certainly from my perspective, driven information underground so therefore incidents may not be properly reported. And consequently, they are not being investigated properly, people are not learning from those incidents and then you get all the negative run-off issues because of that.”
Smaller tokens with safety messages given when a positive behaviour is exhibited are the kind of safety incentives that have worked for EllisDon, says Harris. A big reason for that is the culture that exists throughout the company.
Business of people
For nearly 60 years, EllisDon Corporation has been in the construction business. With a workforce that grew from four employees to 2,200 scattered across the globe today, the company believes it’s as much in the business of people as it is in construction.
Because the construction industry is an inherently dangerous workplace, EllisDon’s safety management approach goes far beyond just safety recognition. The company currently employs 54 health and safety professionals dedicated solely to ensuring that safety programs are effectively working across the organization, from the regional level down to the individual jobsites, Harris explains.
The company’s health and safety philosophy is rooted in two important elements –leadership buy-in and employee engagement – and based on an internal responsibility system that essentially says everybody plays a part in ensuring safety in the workplace, says Harris.
“I have always said that it’s easy working in safety for EllisDon because I’ve come from various backgrounds and this is the first construction company that I have worked for. The big difference for me is seeing such buy-in from top down. Our president, our senior managers will not compromise safety 100 per cent of the time,” explains Harris, who has worked for EllisDon for 13 years.
For two consecutive years (2008, 2009), EllisDon has occupied the top spot in the annual 50 Best Employers in Canada study by Hewitt Associates and the Globe and Mail Report on Business magazine. A big part of this study is feedback from employees on what they think about their employer.
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