The use of incentives/feedback to enhance work place safety: A critique of the literature

Abstract

Because accidents cost employers $33 billion a year, many organizations have been searching for new approaches to enhancing safety. One of these is the use of positive reinforcement and feedback. This paper reports the findings of 24 studies which have examined the effectiveness of this approach in industry. All studies found that incentives or feedback were successful in improving safety conditions or reducing accidents. The limitations of these studies and avenues for future research are discussed.