Motivating employees for safety success

This paper presents an examination of how to motivate employees for success in safety. That raises a two-fold issue: how to motivate employees; and how to apply that motivation for safety excellence. The difference between "motivation" and "motivation for success" lies in an organisation's ability to use motivation effectively. Enthusiasts alone is useless unless it can be harnessed and directed properly to improve safety. Motivating employees to be merely enthusiastic about safety is insufficient. We are interested in how to motivate employees to be SUCCESSFUL in safety. Frequently used methods include motivational speakers; slogans, posters and signs; discipline; gain sharing programmes; and contests, awards and incentives. However, building on the work of Herzberg and Deming, we find that the most powerful motivation for workers to be successful in safety comes from active engagement and participation in safety. When employees are given the opportunity to get involved in the improvement process, in real and meaningful ways, then that engagement becomes a tremendous source of motivation. Behaviour-based safety offers such opportunities.