Essay Writer » Essay Blog » Engineering Coursework Writing Service » Worker Involvement and Behavior

Worker Involvement and Behavior

Safety Engineering

This assignment is to be done individually. It should be typed or clearly written. Submit as a Microsoft Word file or pdf file on Blackboard before noon on the due day.Be sure to indicate using quotation marks any direct quotes from the article or class material.

Topic:      Worker Involvement and Behavior

 

  1. For this problem, refer to the incentive programs for Companies A and B described below.Review each of the incentive programs and answer the following questions for each company:

 

  1. What type(s) of incentive(s) does the company implement: outcome-based, behavior-based, and/or activity-based?
  2. What rewards are distributed as part of the incentive program? Are the rewards tangible or intangible? Is the reward progressive or cumulative?
  3. What metric(s) is used to determine distribution of the reward? What level of performance relative to the metric is rewarded?
  4. Are the value and frequency of the reward appropriate for the level of performance rewarded? Explain your answer.
  5. How do you think safety performance in the company is affected by the incentive program implemented? What changes would you make to improve safety performance?

Assignment #6 – Worker Involvement and Behavior

Company A

This small-sized company installs coatings and linings for industrial construction projects. The company is 30 years old and employs approximately 60 workers. Its annual work volume ranges from $3-5 million.The incentive program employed by this firm is based on recognizing good safety performance and positive reinforcement. The company recognizes superior safety performance in a company newsletter that describes ongoing projects.

The name of the employee who performed the act and a description of the safe act are published in the newsletter, which is distributed to all employees. Employees who go “above and beyond” that which is expected are recognized in a Safety Hall of Fame. Each month an employee is added to the Safety Hall of Fame for performance during the month. The monthly winner is heralded in the company newsletter.

Additionally, each year one employee is recognized as the top safety performer for the year. The employee is selected for this award by his or her fellow employees. The yearly award winner is recognized at the annual Christmas holiday lunch, has his or her name added to a Safety Hall of Fame plaque, and is given a savings bond.

 

Company B

An electrical subcontractor with approximately 50 employees, this small-sized company has an annual work volume averaging about $1.5 million. It is a family-owned business with a 25-year history, specializing in electrical construction and maintenance services for the residential and commercial building industry.The company’s incentive program is multifaceted, based on the accumulation of points.

Workers who accumulate points are able to exchange the points for gifts from a product catalog. The catalog includes gifts such as jackets, electronics, household items, and tools. More points are required for more expensive gifts. When ordered, the gifts are brought to the job site and given out by the supervisors.Points are accumulated in the following ways:

 

  1. Hours worked. Each employee receives points for every hour worked as follows:
    1. craft employee: 0.25 points/hour
    2. foremen: 0.35 points/hour
    3. general foremen: 0.45 points/hour
    4. superintendents: 0.55 points/hour
  2. Training classes. Participation and completion of training classes earns 150 points. The classes could be those offered by the company or an approved outside organization (e.g., CPR class, first-aid class). Before points can be earned, the classes must be approved by the employee’s supervisor.
  3. Safety performance. An employee who exhibits outstanding safety performance receives 15 points. Outstanding safety performance is defined as the completion of a project without any accidents or OSHA-recordable injuries.
  4. Safety recommendations. Employees who identify potential safety hazards and find ways to mitigate those hazards are awarded points as well. The number of points awarded depends on the situation. The greater the impact of the suggestion, the more points that are awarded.
  5. Employees can earn points for perfect attendance.

 

In addition to rewarding employees with points for positive behavior and outcomes, the company also deducts points in an effort to deter poor safety performance. Points are deducted for injuries sustained, near-misses, and safety violations. A poor score on a safety inspection and an unexcused absence will also result in deducted points. Generally, more points are deducted for more serious incidents. The same amount of points that are deducted from an employee’s total are also deducted from that of the foreman, general foreman, and superintendent who oversee that employee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Review the following paper (available on Blackboard):

 

Sigurdsson, S.O, Taylor, M.A., and Wirth, O. (2013). “Discounting the Value of Safety: Effects of perceived risk and effort.” Journal of Safety Research, Elsevier, 46, 127-134.

 

How do the issues related to risk discounting that are described in the paper impact incentive programs such as those in Companies A and B described above? What do you recommend that a company do in order to minimize the extent of risk discounting?

 

 

 

Last Updated on March 31, 2019

Don`t copy text!
Scroll to Top