Like any good business operator, you probably are willing do just about anything to reduce your firm's number of job site injuries. One way to do this might be to offer incentives to your employees. As it turns out, however, having such a program potentially could cause you more trouble than it's worth.
Recently, Eric Hobbs, partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, outlined in a blog entry for National Law Review the risks employers take with certain safety incentive programs, pointing to OSHA's two-year-old memo "Employer Safety Incentive and Disincentive Policies on Practices.
In an article for REMODELING, Lauren Hunter shares the most important take-aways from that memo, as well as four questions that Hobbs suggests employers ask themselves when they revisit their safety programs.
"Whether employers believe OSHA’s policy to be reasonable or not, OSHA’s compliance officers are reviewing safety incentive programs as part of inspections of all kinds," Hobbs writes. "It would be wise to review any safety incentive program ... for any elements of the kind OSHA hates and, to the extent feasible, modify the program."
Do you have a safety incentive program at your pool or spa firm? If so, you may want to rethink your approach to ensuring job site safety. Read More
