Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the.value.placed.upon.job.safety.and.health.by.all.workers..Granted,.this.is.a.very.
negative.view.but.it.is.also.a.very.realistic.view.if.you.honestly.consider.it.
Although. consequences. are. strong. determinants. of. job. safety. and. health. per-
formance,. seldom. can. you. achieve. performance. solely. through. a. negative. factor..
All.of.us.must.have.a.path.or.direction.that.provides.us.with.an.ultimate.outcome..
The. strongest. positive. motivators. are. goals.. Sufice. it. to. say. that. almost. anything.
worth. anything. has. been. achieved. by. us. because. we. set. a. goal. to. accomplish. it..
Most.sports.that.we.play.have.a.purpose,.a.“goal,”.or.an.ultimate.outcome..Thus,.to.
have.an.effective.safety.and.health.initiative,.the.company.must.have.speciic.safety.
and. health. goals.. Once. a. goal. is. achieved,. then. other. goals. must. be. formulated.
and.worked.toward..Care.must.be.taken.to.ensure.that.these.goals.are.realistic.and.
achievable..Safety.and.health.goals.can.have.the.same.positive.outcomes.that.pro-
duction.goals.have.
When.goals.are.set,.or.safety.and.health.performance.monitored,.it.is.imperative.
that.workers.receive.feedback.on.the.progress.they.are.making.toward.those.goals.or.
the.quality.of.their.safety.and.health.performance..It.is.always.best.if.the.feedback.
is.of.a.positive.nature..It.is.wiser.to.provide.positive.feedback.on.small.gains.than.
no.feedback.at.all,.and.negative.feedback.is.better.than.no.feedback.at.all..The.use.
of. negatives. should. be. the. route. of. last. resort. and. not. standard. practice. whenever.
possible..All.of.us.need.to.know.where.we.are.in.relation.to.what.is.expected.of.us.
A.kind.of.feedback.that.is.instantaneous.is.the.development.of.a.self-monitoring.
system.that.allows.workers.to.track.their.own.progress.toward.goals.and.outcomes..
Most.of.us.feel.more.involved.and.in.control.when.we.are.able.to.keep.score..ourselves..
A.feeling.of.control.over.one's.destiny.is.always.more.comforting,.and.self-monitoring.
systems.provide.the.mechanism.to.do.this.to.some.extent.
A.self-monitoring.system.is.a.type.of.reinforcement.process.that.lets.workers.know.
when.they.are.performing.in.the.desired.fashion..But,.apart.from.this,.most.of.us.desire.
to.receive.recognition.of.some.sort.when.we.are.doing.something.the.right.way..Workers.
need.to.hear.from.someone.else.that.they.are.performing.work.in.a.safe.and.healthy.
manner,.and.that.it.is.recognized.and.appreciated..This.is.reinforcement..If.someone.
does.some.task.in.a.safe.manner.and.you.call.attention.to.that.safe.performance,.then.
it. is. more. likely. that. the. worker. will. repeat. the. task. in. the. same. safe. manner.. It. is.
important.for.workers.to.have.that.personal.touch.that.supervisors.or.others.can.give.
when. complimenting,. rewarding,. and. reinforcing. a. worker's. safe. .performance.. Safe.
performance.is.reinforced.by.something.as.a.simple.pat.on.the.back..It.does.not.have.
to.be.an.award.or.reward.
In.combination.with.the.previously.mentioned.plan.to.motivate.workers,.a.system.
of. rewards. or. an. incentive. program. has. its. place. if. all. the. other. components. of. an.
accident. prevention. program. are. in. place. (i.e.,. written. safety. and. health. program,.
training,. and. accident. investigation).. If. we. reward. individuals. for. high. production.
with.bonuses,.then.why.not.reward.safety.and.health..Care.must.be.taken.that.reward.
systems.do.not.end.up.with.workers.not.reporting.hazards.or.injuries..Peer.pressure.
can.cause.similar.behavior.if.a.group.or.team.award.exists..Because.every.work.envi-
ronment.is.unique.and.each.work.population.is.unique,.what.works.in.one.workplace.
may.not.work.in.all.of.them..Let.the.workers.tell.you.what.is.of.value.to.them.and.
how.such.a.program.might.work.best..Some.individuals.will.suggest.money.but.that.
