COURSE DESCRIPTION: Safety professionals develop incentive and reward programs with the best of intentions. The end goal: To save lives and reduce injuries.

But in the real world, such programs can be so abused they have just the opposite effect. Used incorrectly, incentive programs designed to create a safer workplace end up jeopardizing the very people they should help protect. One common example, workers rewarded for fewer injuries simply stop reporting them. The result: Hazardous conditions aren’t addressed and injuries continue.

Fortunately, there’s a better way. This audio conference will explain why the most common uses of safety incentives do more harm than good -- and will give you concrete examples of how to use incentives and rewards effectively. 

The proper use of safety incentives and rewards can increase the occurrence of safe behaviors and reduce at-risk behaviors -- as well as boost self-esteem, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging. This audio conference will teach you practical ways to make this happen.

The following specific topics will be covered:

• The wrong and right way to use safety incentives
• Why some safety incentive programs can be insulting
• Critical differences between incentives, rewards, and positive reinforcers
• Why safety leaders should stop using the term “positive reinforcement”
• How “intrinsic reinforcement” can be used to direct and motivate behavior
• When rewards should be used without incentives
• Why rewards sometimes stifle performance
• How to deliver (and receive) safety recognition
• How to celebrate the achievement of safety milestones

E. Scott Geller, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech (VT) is Senior Partner of Safety Performance Solutions, a leading-edge organization specializing in behavior-based and people-based safety training and consulting.

He has authored or coauthored 31 books, 43 book chapters, 38 training manuals, 234 magazine articles, and over 350 research articles addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-change interventions to improve quality of life. He is senior partner of Safety Performance Solutions, a leading-edge consulting firm for behavior-based and people-based safety. 

He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality Sciences.  He is past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1989-1992), current Associate Editor of Environment and Behavior (since 1982), and current Consulting Editor for Behavior and Social Issues, the Behavior Analyst Digest, the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and the Journal of Safety Research. 

Registration - Teleconference plus CD: $308.00