What does OSHA say about Safety Incentives Programs?

OSHA has had quite a bit to say about Safety Incentive Programs over the last few years.  And, although many people act as if it's a murky area for OSHA, what they are saying is really quite clear:

A Safety Incentive Program must incentivize safety!

That's seems pretty straightforward, right?  It's as if they shouldn't even have to say anything at all.  I mean, of course a Safety Incentive Program needs to incentivize safety.  What else would it do?

Herein lies the difficulties with such a program.  Many well-intentioned safety programs can actually do just the opposite of incentivizing safety.  They can actually dis-incentivize safety.  Let's look at the ways this can happen:

1. An employer punishes an employee, or a group of employees, that has reported an injury.  If you're like me you're thinking, "who would do that?"  Like me you're picturing someone being put into timeout or something.  In reality a punishment can be something as simple as withholding an achievement related bonus or reward.  This would actually be considered a punishment and I think we can all imagine this actually happening on a job-site.
2. An employee gets injured and is punished for not following the rules of the Safety Program.  This could theoretically be acceptable if the employer punished the employee(s) every single time the safety rules were not followed, but if the employer is only enforcing the punishments when someone gets hurt, which is much more likely, then it goes against the OSHA regulations.
3. An employer establishes a program that rewards employees that have not experienced any injuries. This is the one that trips everyone up because this is the one where everyone's intentions were good.  Unfortunately, however, by rewarding only the people that have not had any problems you're actually incentivizing everyone to keep quiet about the things that need to be improved.  

OSHA has also observed that the potential for unlawful discrimination under all of these policies may increase when management or supervisory bonuses are linked to lower reported injury rates. While OSHA appreciates employers using safety as a key management metric, they will bring down the hammer on a program that encourages discrimination against workers who report injuries.

The Bottom Line is that OSHA wants to see Safety Incentive Programs that promote everyone to be vigilantly looking for ways to improve safety and to speak up when they see opportunities to make their work environment safer.

For direct look at what OSHA has to say, read this memo on OSHA.gov https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/whistleblowermemo.html

For some help with your Safety Incentive Program, or to simply have us take a look at your program to get an opinion from us, please contact us at allcustomwear.com.

What is an OSHA VPP Certification and how do I get one for my job site?

VPP is an OSHA Program that stands for Voluntary Protection Program.  In the most basic sense, it's a way to recognize employers and workers who have implemented an effective safety and health management system that is actually producing measurably better results.

When a site is VPP certified, you know that OSHA, the management and the workers involved are all working together to make sure that the site is a safe place.  And, the site is re-evaluated every 3-5 years to ensure that it stays safe.  Really everybody wins.

The upside:  VPP certified sites are proven to be safer and more productive.  Everyone is approaching the safety of the workplace from the same unified direction.  The company, the workers, OSHA, and the union when applicable.  When these groups are working together things get done correctly.

And, a site that has achieved VPP certification is exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while the VPP status is maintained.  This is GOOD.

The downside:  There's some paperwork, for sure.  Just the application is a 30 page PDF (download it here) and there's a lot that goes into completing the application.  

And it's way more than just paperwork.  Your organization has to be totally committed to the VPP guidelines and you have to be the type of organization that is used to tracking data and providing transparency to that data for both the employees and OSHA.  But this is just good business so there's nothing to be afraid of, right?!

We can help you through the process.  Our clients typically find that they've been doing what's required all along, they just needed someone that had been through it before to get it all organized and implemented efficiently.

Contact us for more info at www.allcustomwear.com.

Why allcustomwear.com?

Why allcustomwear.com?  The answer to this question starts by answering a more difficult problem, how do you properly integrate the supply chain of uniform programs without the burden of inventory? In 2007, allcustomwear.com answered that question by creating an Ecommerce solution that integrated the multi-vendor supply chain dilemma of blank good apparel suppliers that don’t decorate, decorators that don’t sell apparel, and fulfillment houses that don’t decorate or supply apparel.

The Just In Time (JIT) philosophy provided a wonderful solution to unnecessary inventory, obsolescent product, and narrow uniform options.  Initially, solving problems on the macro level was satisfactory, but we soon discovered the customer really wanted their own custom micro-site. So, in 2009, allcustomwear.com would build its first of what would quickly become hundreds of micro-sites for each specific customer.

As our customers began to understand the enormous flexibility with a JIT model for uniforms, they transferred those principles into employee performance recognition programs, short term marketing campaigns, and direct to consumer merchandise solutions. As these programs continued to evolve, our customers started to request account budget management systems for both individuals and departments, a desire for employees to pay via payroll deduct, detailed reporting, and a single invoice for 1,000’s of transactions. No matter the request, allcustomwear.com continues to meet the needs of solving everyday problems associated with logo branded merchandise.

Why allcustomwear.com? Because, in the end, it’s always about the technology! And our world class team of developers keeps raising the bar with better account management tools, mobile applications, custom integrations for larger clients, and a seamless shopping experience for even the most challenged online shopper.

Is your corporate uniform program burdened with inventory liabilities?

Does your safety program need greater efficiency and mobile applications?

Are you implementing a color-coded healthcare uniform program?

Are your employees tired of receiving gifts cards as a holiday gift?

allcustomwear.com is the answer you’ve been looking for.  Let us provide a custom solution for you!