By S. S. Suarez
When I started writing this blog, I said that safety can be fun. American writer Dale Carnegie once said, “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” Promoting safety poses unique challenges for the safety officer. Indeed, most workers don’t want to sit through a safety meeting with a boring speaker. It should not be a grind to go through this motion.
It’s a pity if safety officers don’t realize or just callous to accept this fact. We can’t blame them. Management also contributes to the problem. They lack support from management. Budget for rewards and incentives have been always an issue. But when it comes to penalizing workers for safety violations, management has been quick to the draw.
Where is justice there?
That’s why penalties should be balanced with rewards. To create world order, there must be balance in everything. There is the yin and yang, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Penalize those who violate but reward those who comply. Like sports, implementing safety rules should be governed by fair play.
So how do you motivate safe behavior? There are many ways to promote this, but safety gimmicks must be unpredictable and unexpected. Health and Safety committees have their jobs cut out for them. It is their role to be imaginative, creative and fun. They are not there to investigate accidents and conduct administrative hearing. They are there to create policies and programs, promote them with creativity and innovation. Most importantly, they are there to be an inspiration for a culture of safety.
I have listed 10 ways to promote safe behaviors, not necessarily in a chronological manner. A word of caution though to safety officers -- don’t overdo them. Anything extreme can be counterproductive. Do everything in moderation.
Safety Share - What’s a better way to start meetings? Share a safety experience. This is a good habit that should be embraced in every toolbox meeting, operation meeting and management review. This should be part of the meeting agenda so that no one will miss out the safety experience you want to share.
Rewards/Incentives - Rewards and incentives for safe behaviors should not be excessively expensive. Such approach is not sustainable. Instead, I recommend small tokens as rewards. When rewards become too expensive, the workers’ motives change. Their goal is no longer about attaining 100% safety compliance. It is now focused towards that prized incentive. Small tokens such as ballers, shirts, caps, meal stubs among others would still serve their purpose. Rewards should be given immediately to the workers otherwise they will lose their impact if you prolong or wait for the Christmas party to award it.
Skills Competitions - How about spicing up your emergency drills and test with a little bit of competition? If you are a large organization, you can organize first-aid and fire-fighting competitions among the first-aid teams and fire brigade teams. You can tap Red Cross and the Bureau of Fire as judges. You don’t only increase awareness on emergency preparedness but you also improve relations with the local government and non-government organizations in your community. For small companies, you can join local competitions organized by BFP and Red Cross. Quiz bees about safety is also a creative way to educate the workers.
IEC (Information, Education and Communication) Materials - There are many ways to channel your thoughts and ideas across the organization. Use IEC materials to drumbeat your safety campaigns. You can use comics, a safety jingle aired during exercise breaks, the lntranet, newsletters, posters and flyers among others. Lessons learned from accidents can be shared via company email.
Penalties - Who says that penalties are excluded from this list? Definitely no. Handing out penalties has its own benefits that will promote safe behavior. Like I always say, penalties should be balanced with rewards and vice versa. Disciplinary actions may vary depending on the organization’s table of offenses and penalties.
E-learning - You could use the latest innovation brought by E-learning. People360 is the only accredited safety training organization that offers E-learning. The benefits of this tool bring a new dimension to safety education. It cut costs in terms of organizing safety trainings in a classroom set-up. Interactive games and tests make E-learning more fun.
Off-the-job Safety - Safety should begin at home. Studies show that most accidents occur outside the office. Organizations should extend their safety programs to the worker’s family members as well. A safe home environment will result to a productive and satisfied workforce. Companies can invite family members to a seminar on home safety. Another way is you can organize safety seminars in your communities or local barangay.
Slogan-making Contest - Catchy safety slogans can drive one’s motivation to embrace the culture of safety. Slogans should be short and easy to remember. If you make it longer, it becomes forgettable. Slogans should be able to explain the company’s commitment to health and safety. And lastly, the slogan should highlight the key benefits why safety is important.
ON-THE-SPOT Poster-making Contest - Poster-making contests should be always on the spot. I put emphasis on “on-the-spot” because it is easy to cheat in this contest. I’ve seen contestants submitting posters created by “ghost” artists. Clarity of the mechanics is extremely important if you want to hold such contest. The type of medium and materials should be clear to all the contestants. Any use of additional art materials can be basis for disqualification. The theme for the poster-making contest will be revealed only during the actual time of competition. There is also the element of time pressure making the contests really exciting.
Snacks - Snacks can be an effective way to increase worker attendance to health and safety meetings. Tell me someone who doesn’t want free snacks, I will tell him that he is hypocrite. I repeat it’s snacks and not some heavy meals. I used to hold coffee breaks with hot “pandesal” during toolbox meeting. It’s a simple way to allow workers to talk about work and exchange ideas on safety programs. Try also healthy snacks like fruits for a change.
