The Promotional Idea Showcase - Fall 2003 - Updated Quarterly

 

Safety Yields Savings
By Tonia Cook Kimbrough

 

There aren’t many investments that management can make that pay off as handsomely as safety programs. For every dollar spent on fostering safety and promoting wellness, businesses can gain four in return. And promotional products play an integral role in protecting employees and keeping them productive.

If you told your boss or board of directors you knew a way to trim operating costs by making a minor investment, would you be a hero? There’s a good chance that would happen if your suggestion concerned safety programs, because you’d not only be saving the company money, you’d also be protecting employees’ lives. Some sobering stats: 

• In 2001, there were 3.9 on-the-job deaths for every 100,000 workers
• Research shows that every dollar spent on promoting safety saves $4 in lost time, property damage, workers compensation, medical expenses, fines and even lawsuits
• American businesses spend an estimated $480 billion a year on accident-related expenses
• Nationwide, the average cost of workers’ compensation insurance has risen 50% in the last three years.

If you think safety is only an issue for manufacturers and heavy industrial firms, you may want to reconsider. Service organizations such as cleaners, plumbers, electricians – virtually any business that visits a home or office and works with equipment and/or chemicals – poses risks for both employees and customers. 

Office environments are also safety risks, requiring education on ergonomics for those who spend long hours at computers. Some studies suggest carpel tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) may account for as much as 60% of occupational injuries. Then there are businesses such as restaurants, shopping malls and museums, each of which have potential hazards ranging from spoiled food to slippery floors. And institutions like hospitals, schools, community parks, etc., also require safety awareness.

“While most people think industrial or factory-type businesses need safety programs, all businesses pay insurance,” says Bruce Korn, a promotional products consultant in the Northeast, adding that effective safety programs may help employers reduce insurance premiums. There’s also valuable PR mileage to be gained, he says, noting that external safety programs through schools, local law enforcement and fire departments are popular for that very reason.

“Certainly, safety programs are relevant across many environments,” agrees imprinted products specialist Lea Davis, who has handled such programs for numerous companies. “Today’s smart employers, across all kinds of industries, take care to educate their employees about safety. It’s really a matter of driving down liability. Promotional products should be a part of that, because they reinforce messages.”

Getting Started

While the need for an internal and/or external safety program may be clear, you may wonder how you begin to put a plan into place to raise awareness and encourage good safety habits among workers, customers or even in the community at large.

First, understand that promotional products can help a safety campaign in several ways. You can match campaign messages with products that will not only communicate the message, but also reinforce it each time the product is seen or used. 

“There are many possibilities,” Davis says. “Manufacturers or retailers could include a safety-themed giveaway at the point of purchase, or they could follow up on purchases with a special mailing that includes a safety premium. Employers could include safety-themed promotional products in new-hire packages, as giveaways at safety-themed seminars, or as prizes at celebrations of safety-related achievements.”

Your promotional products counselor can help guide you through all the options. She’ll likely have a checklist of points to address. Begin by discussing your goals, the people who will participate in the program and the environment in which it operates. Korn, for example, asks about age, gender, participants’ jobs – all details that can help shed light on what safety issues are being addressed and provide insight into what kinds of products would best work.

Davis says this step is key to a campaign’s success. “If, for example, the product will be used in a factory setting, it will need to be especially durable,” she explains. “If it will be given to kids, it needs to be appealing to and safe for them.”

Length of program, frequency of message and budget will also enter into the equation. Will the program run monthly? Bi-monthly? Quarterly? Bi-yearly? Frequency is a key indicator for promotional products consultant Debra Shafer. She also discusses goals and anticipated results, following an outline to help ensure success:

1. Determine the program type
        A. All employees – imprinted gifts
        B. Point system – imprinted gifts or select gift/catalog programs 
        C. Individual or team approach

2. Design the program’s parameters
        A. Duration
        B. Budget per employee
        C. Method of distribution

3. Program announcement
        A. Posters
        B. Mailings
        C. Web site/e-mail
        D. Paycheck inserts
        E. Corporate/employee newsletter 

“Our goal in designing a program is to include all facets of safe living, [both] in the workplace and at home,” notes Shafer. “Eye and ear protection, auto/driving safety, drinking and driving, boating, water safety, sports and exercise issues, food safety, child safety, home-repair/maintenance safety, travel safety, home security, etc. These elements are all considered when choosing products for a program.”

Promoting Safety

A good example of Shafer’s purposeful planning is an ongoing program she’s doing for Weyerhaeuser Timberland. The safety gifts they chose for the campaign are mailed to employees’ homes and are suited for use by any family member. Products have included everything from logoed hot pads to fire-alarm devices to hands-free cell phone headsets, each with a customized message relating the importance of home and workplace safety. 

“We’ve been providing this service to this client for about 10 to 12 years,” says Shafer. “[The company’s] accident rate is consistently lower than the national average for this industry because of the constant safety reminders. Another benefit of the program is the good will that’s fostered between the employee and the corporation. The gifts range in cost from $5 to $10 per employee, per month.”

If the scope of a similar program seems unmanageable, don’t worry – promotional products experts can help you with every step, from design to distribution. “We provide packaging, labeling, a safety tip insert and mailing services,” says Shafer. “We select items for the entire 12-month program and submit it to the client for approval. Once approved, the client’s only responsibility is to provide the mailing list and pay the invoices. We take care of everything else.” 

Recognizing Record-Setters

Of course, a safety promotion isn’t just about education and reminders. It’s also important to recognize participants when they achieve safety-oriented goals. When the employees of a Kellogg’s plant in Cary, NC, reached a million hours without any job-related injuries that caused employees to miss a day of work, Davis assisted Kellogg’s management in planning a special recognition of the milestone. The firm provided employees with lunch coolers imprinted with, “One Million Hours Without A Lost Time Accident” and T-shirts boasting “Still Working Safely,” referencing the date the milestone was reached.

Sponsoring Safety

Once a firm has made safety a top priority in-house, it may also want to extend the message into the surrounding community. Not only does this reinforce the corporate philosophy that safety is important at work, it also generates positive PR among the constituencies a company serves by placing its name, logo and message in front of current and potential customers.

Davis recalls a local tire company: “For years, elementary-school kids in the Chapel Hill, NC, public schools have taken springtime field trips to WCHL, the local radio station. Chapel Hill Tire Co. helps sponsor the trips, and it’s making traffic safety education and promotional products part of the fun. When kids finish the tour, the WCHL staff sends them off with customized crayons and coloring books courtesy of Chapel Hill Tire. The products help kids learn how to be safe when in the car or near traffic, and their parents see the Chapel Hill name.”

Better Safe Than Sorry

The bottom line is that safety programs – whether internal, external or both – can help your firm save dollars, cut accidents and injuries, and boost your company’s public profile. That’s a lot of payoff for a little investment.

“The point of a safety program is to be proactive,” Shafer says. “Promote and invest in practicing a safety-oriented lifestyle. Fewer accidents on and off the job result in cost reduction for the company. And, as a bonus, employee loyalty can increase as well. That’s a pretty impressive return for your investment.”

Whatever way you choose to go, your counselor can help. That’s a safe bet


Tonia Cook Kimbrough is a contributing editor of Imprint.

Picking Products
When selecting products for a safety campaign, you and your counselor have many options to choose from. Some are directly related to safety – flashlights, hard hats, reflective items, etc. Others simply tie into a safety theme: a cap with an appropriate imprint, a watch reinforcing the message “Take Time for Safety.”

Your campaign will likely have several stages, each with its own product needs. The first step: building awareness and educating your audience. For children, this might be achieved in the form of a customized board game or coloring book. For adults, the selection is vast – stop-sign-shaped keytags, laminated quick-reference safety guides, imprinted notepads or clipboards with safety tips outlined in the imprint copy are just three ideas. You can even create a deck of playing cards, each with a different safety message on back. Posters or banners throughout a business can also serve as effective reminders.

Once you’ve begun to educate your audience and gain buy-in for the program, you’ll need to reinforce the goal of safety and provide some proper tools. For example, periodic imprinted gifts like flashlights, wrist rests, fire extinguishers, safety goggles, stress-reliever balls, first-aid kits, auto-escape tools, whistles, reflectors, etc. keep the program top-of-mind. You can also distribute calendars, each month imprinted with a reminder of one of the safe practices being promoted.

Finally, reward those who achieve safety goals. Give successful participants a way to show off their success to colleagues. Pins, patches, embroidered apparel or plaques/trophies can all work, preferably along with incentives via a catalog or company store program that allows people to shop for rewards with points gained in a safety challenge.
Vests and hard hats serve a utilitarian function while conveying a message.

Ask for asi/35494, specify Fall Imprint. Call your Imprint counselor today.
Basics such as safety kits and car “hammers” work well in safety programs because people rarely buy such things for themselves.

Ask for asi/65700, specify Fall Imprint. Call your Imprint counselor today.