New possibilities in safety performance and the control of workers' compensation costs

This article describes successful behavioral interventions that improved safety performance and reduced workers' compensation costs in two corporations. The development of a four part program that: (1) shifted the paradigm for positive performance by workers and managers, (2) strengthened the community of work, (3) managed the crises of accidents, and (4) accelerated the return of injured employees to meaningful work is presented. In the two companies, lost time accidents were reduced by 95% and 87%, and accident costs were reduced by 90% and 70%, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of the critical roles played and choices made by managers in establishing a meaningful work culture, and the ethics which guide workers' and managers' behavior in decisions related to the use and abuse of the workers' compensation system.