The Benefits of Tracking Your Safe Days

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According to the American Psychological Association, tracking your goals is a key component to successfully reaching them. The APA’s research found that “If you are trying to achieve a goal, the more often that you monitor your progress, the greater the likelihood that you will succeed. Your chances of success are even more likely if you report your progress publicly or physically record it.”

What does this mean for your safety program? It means that you shouldn’t just work towards “being safer” but set a concrete goal. Whether it’s one month without a reportable accident, one year or 1,000 Safe Days, it gives you a target.

Track Safe Days

How do you track your progress? By adding a digital safety scoreboard for tracking safe days in one of your common areas, you bring attention to your goal and help to keep that safety journey top-of-mind with your employees. Besides the psychological boost, it can give your team, tracking safe days has other benefits as well:

  • It boosts confidence – Both your employees and visitors to your facility can see that number and feel confident that they are in a place that takes safety seriously. That’s peace of mind.
  • Record-Keeping – While OSHA doesn’t require employers to track accident-free days, it does require them to report all accidents. A digital scoreboard can help keep these policies top of mind for management.
  • Transparency – Employees appreciate leadership that is open and transparent. A scoreboard that tracks safe days helps to do just that. If they see that number bump back down to zero, they’ll know that something happened. If they want to find out more, they’ll know enough to ask.

Create a Safety Hub

It’s far more than just a number on a digital board; it’s your mile marker and can become the centerpiece of a motivational safety hub!

Use your safety hub to:

  • Track your days without a reportable accident
  • Recognize employees who have helped to make your workplace safer by their actions or ideas
  • Post seasonal safety tips and reminders
  • Promote safety with trivia contests or other fun competitions

Take your tracking to the next level with an LED digital safety scoreboard. Digital scoreboards make it easy by automatically counting each day for you, eliminating a daily chore, and guaranteeing accuracy. Choose from dozens of safety messages or create your own custom safety scoreboard design! 

Find a design that works for your space or upgrade to a scoreboard that uses interchangeable faceplates to give it a fresh look every so often. Today’s digital scoreboards are guaranteed to work indoors or out – regardless of your climate. 

A safety scoreboard is an eye-catching motivational tool for your safety hub that can help your team stay inspired and on target!

Tips for Success

Now that you know about the benefits of tracking your goals, here are a few tips that can boost your chances of success even more:

  • Focus on the Positive – A “day without an accident’ is good. You avoided something bad, right? But if you change the language to “safe days,” you’re not avoiding something bad, but accomplishing something great! Focus on the positive and keep that “safe days” count climbing!
  • Be Careful About Incentivizing Safety – While it may be tempting to add bonuses or rewards for safe day streaks, it can be a double-edged sword. While incentives may make some employees put forth more effort to follow safety protocols, they may also create an environment where the staff is reluctant to report incidents for fear of losing out on those perks. Some employees may even pressure others to stay silent. While safe days are the goal, you still want your employees to feel comfortable reporting incidents when they do happen.
  • Get Creative with Your Safety Hub – Add more to your safety hub than just your scoreboard and change it up periodically. People tend to stop seeing things that don’t change. Have fun with seasonal themes and fun decorations to bring attention to your safety hub. 
  • Encourage Employee Input – Ask questions and listen to what your employees have to say about your safety program. Their insights can help you discover things you wouldn’t otherwise find. It could be as simple as the location of your safety hub to finding ways to motivate the team towards your goal. Employees want to stay safe!