Safety first – rewards follow

27 January 2009

Michael C. Fina, the world’s first global reward and recognition company, is launching a robust employee reward solution focused on promoting workplace safety through incentives.
The programme, entitled Safety Recognition, is designed to use recognition and non-cash rewards to reinforce safety goals and initiatives within an organisation.

Safety first – rewards follow

On demonstrating compliance with heath and safety training objectives, employees will be eligible to receive an incentive reward from Michael C. Fina’s extensive range of gifts, which include premium electrical, ornamental, leisure and household goods.

The workplace Safety Recognition programme is particularly suited to industry sectors such as transportation, manufacturing, healthcare and construction – where safety is of paramount concern, but is applicable to businesses across all sectors as health and safety in the workplace becomes increasingly regulated.

Health and safety will demand even greater attention from UK employers from 2009 onwards. Firstly, The Health and Safety (Offences) Act has come into force, increasing the maximum fine for minor breaches by 400 per cent. Also, organisations applying for or renewing ISO 9000:2008 certification will need to comply with new health and safety measures in order to qualify, highlighting the increased importance of compliance.

According to The British Red Cross, around six million working days are lost each year through work-related, reportable injuries, costing UK organisations a massive £5–8 billion a year in lost work. These huge expenditures can be crippling to businesses’ operations and profitability. Safety Recognition has been specially developed to provide a cost effective solution to this that also promotes improved employee engagement through staff incentives.

Sheila Sheldon, director of European operations at Michael C. Fina, commented: “Employees don’t want to get hurt or purposely hurt others, but in a pressure-filled world full of distractions, accidents will undoubtedly occur. Therefore, recognising employees’ efforts to comply with safety procedures not only establishes a culture in which employees themselves help promote safety procedures while on the job, but will also cut the associated costs when health and safety standards are not met. Reward and recognition is a proven method of re-enforcing safety lessons and ensuring that they remain a primary concern for all staff.”

Michael C. Fina’s web-based solution will seamlessly integrate with the customers’ HR systems and databases so programme usage, participation and results can be tracked effortlessly. As with all Michael C. Fina recognition solutions, every critical component of Safety Recognition, from the programme design to its implementation, reward redemptions and results measurement will be managed by Michael C. Fina.

Sheldon finished: “We have all experienced health and safety meetings and training at work, but how much of what we are told can we actually remember afterwards? Do we then translate these lessons into the workplace? Safety Recognition encourages staff to really incorporate their training into day-to-day activities and helps to prevent costly accidents.”