Piloting a new radiation protection program strategy: rewarding compliance rather than sanctioning non-compliance

In an attempt to improve compliance with historically problematic radiation protection program requirements, a novel incentive program was created in cooperation with a major vendor of biomedical research products. Researchers using radioisotopes that placed orders from a partnering vendor were afforded an added price discount if verified by the institutional radiation safety program to be in compliance with laboratory contamination survey requirements. The program, piloted for a period of 1 y, resulted in a total institutional savings of approximately $2,200 and a 27% improvement in compliance with targeted objectives when compared with previous years. Feedback from pilot participants was extremely positive, as the program served to shift the perception of the radiation protection program from one that sanctions non-compliance to one that rewards compliance. The relative success of the pilot program suggests that the approach may be broadly applicable both within radiation safety programs and other safety-related settings as well.