Value of Safety Incentives and Rewards on Construction Outcomes

Abstract

Workplace safety continues to be a primary source of concern to construction stakeholders. Injury data have consistently indicated that construction is one of the top hazardous occupations in the United States in terms of fatalities and injuries. In efforts to improve safety performance, construction companies have started to design and implement different types of reward programs. It is presumed that the implementation of safety rewards leads to improved employee behavior/moral and enhanced performance outcomes. The research objectives were (1) to review and identify possible safety rewards in construction and (2) to assess the implementation frequency and effectiveness of these safety rewards based on the views of construction personnel. To achieve these objectives, a survey targeted construction employees actively engaged in the jobsites carried out. The sample was a convenient sample in which 52 responses were collected, but only 39 responses were determined valid for analysis. The results of the analysis yielded different types of safety rewards used in construction, and their implementation frequency and effectiveness for achieving improved employee behaviors and performance outcomes were assessed. This study contributes to the body of practice by determining the perceived effectiveness of these rewards from the perspective of construction employees themselves and providing practical recommendations for construction organizations interested in designing effective safety reward programs or upgrading their existing programs.