Performance Management and Occupational Safety

Abstract

Instructional techniques used by the author to teach a performance management (PM) approach to occupational safety are reviewed. Post-workshop safety programs were implemented at several plants without consultation from a PM specialist; however, the PM strategies were not evaluated systematically unless they targeted vehicle saftey belt use. Thus, a Case is made from starting with a safety belt program, not only because such programs can reduce the most significant cause of lost work time (ie.e., the vehicle crash), but also because the behavior change success of a corporate safety belt program can be readily assessed by company personnel and therefore reinforce the PM approach to occupational safety.