B.F.Skinner said "Behavior is modified by its consequences

" I never was much of a Skinner fan but I agree with that statement. When an employee suddenly puts on safety glasses because the "safety man" is walking down the aisle, the employee's behavior wasmodified.

Was the behavior modification due to the sudden realization that he was in a mandatory eye protection area? Of course the employee's sudden burst of compliance carried a "taillight guarantee." The safety glasses will have a way of removing themselves when the 'coast is clear'. Employees make trade-offs like this all the time. They trade personal safety for comfort and convenience. An employee's level of compliance rises or falls in direct proportion to their perceived level of risk.

In the aforementioned instance, the employee considered the chances of injury were less than the chances of disciplinary action. Fortunately, for employees such as this, the responsibility for a "level of risk" determination is not theirs to make.

I like the "carrots, stick, carrots" approach to workplace safety. Positive reinforcement first, progressive discipline if that doesn't succeed, and carrots again if it does. Safety Performance plans combined with the above mentioned safety principles, help foster such a positive environment.

Safety performance plans share the same concept as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Profit Sharing plan, in that the participants have a stake in the results. Coupled with a strong injury prevention program (training and workplace design), management commitment, and an employee participant safety committee, success is right around the corner.

I have found it to be more effective to change the themes of the plans on a yearly basis. This maintains interest and allows the performance plans to be directed towards specific areas of concern or focus, such as back injuries or slips, trips, and falls, for example. In addition, continuing the identical plan may be construedas a benefit or other employer provision.

Like the Thanksgiving turkey provided to each employee, Safety incentive awards that are tied to specific targets over established uninterrupted periods may be considered precedent setting. You will notice, while all of these plans reward positive performance, they each differ in theme, number of recipients, types and quantities of awards, etc. None of the Performance Plans discourage accident reporting since they all hinge on reducing a business's real adversary - lost time injuries!

Naturally, you can alter the plans in any way you see fit. In fact I strongly recommend it. Personalizing the Performance plan will make it more attractive and less "pre-packaged." Employees are less interested in some of the "canned" safety incentive programs. If there is initial interest, it will certainly wane after the first year. That is why it important to change the plan annually.