Do rewards affect a company’s safety performance?

What role do rewards and incentives play in influencing safety performance? In an article in the Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie (MAB), Rob de Velde Harsenhorst and Arco van de Ven describe a case in which rewards are used to improve safety performance.

Image: © Nationale Beeldbank

The study was conducted in a company with high-risk activities that uses a system of performance-related pay. Based on an exploratory case study, the structure and perception of the current incentive systems were analyzed in relation to safety. Although safety is a component of the performance-related pay it is not experienced as such by the interviewees. The authors suggest opportunities for improvement to better incorporate security objectives within the current system of performance-related pay.

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Beloning en veiligheidsprestaties: een casestudy, MAB (2015, in Dutch)