Create HSE Challenges, Contests, and Competitions

A systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards is a proactive, ongoing process to identify and control sources of potential injuries or illnesses. This means establishing procedures to collect and review information about known or potential hazards in the workplace, investigating the root cause of those hazards, and prioritizing hazard controls.

Identifying and correcting these hazards before someone gets hurt ensures that workers go home to their families safe and sound after every shift.

You can find and fix hazards by creating challenges, contests, and competitions. Any challenge, contest, or competition that promotes worker participation in safety-related activities, such as identifying hazards or participating in mock investigations of incidents, or “near misses,” can be a fun way to encourage safe work practices. The following are a few suggestions and resources to get you started. You can select one of these activities or choose a different activity to find and fix hazards in your organization.

1. Spot the Hazard

Play “spot the hazard“: Create an image to post in your company newsletter or break room that includes common hazards found in your workplace. Ask employees to identify the hazards and make suggestions for fixing them. You could also form teams or challenge shifts to find—and propose solutions to fix—hazards in their workspace. Teams could also compete for a high score on OSHA’s interactive Hazard Identification Training Tool, designed to teach the core concepts of hazard identification. You should provide feedback on the hazards that are identified and controls that are suggested. Award prizes to those who find the most hazards or come up with the best solutions.

2. PPE Fashion Show

Hold PPE fashion show: Ask workers to model the latest and safest in personal protective equipment (PPE).
Tape off a “runway” on your workroom floor or in a meeting space and discuss why PPE is essential on the job while workers walk the runway.
This should be an educational opportunity to:

• include tips on why, when, and where particular PPE should be used in your facility;

• proper donning and doffing procedures; and

• equipment maintenance information.

3. Scavenger Hunt

Hold a scavenger hunt: Form teams to find safety and health information in the workplace. Create a list of what to look for (e.g., injury log, safety data sheets, emergency shut-off valves, automated external defibrillator, PPE) and have workers document what they find. Award prizes to those who find the most items from the list.

4. Safety Swap

“Safety swap” between working groups: Sometimes a new set of eyes can help identify hazards that others might miss after seeing them every day.
Pick a brief period of time to have participants swap workstations with co-workers in another area of your company.
Ask each worker to identify and assess their co-worker’s space for potential hazards. Afterwards, ask “swappers” to share what they found with each other and brainstorm suggestions for fixing any hazards they identified together.
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5. Checklist Challenge

Hold a checklist challenge: If you don’t already have a safety checklist or standard operating procedures for your area, get workers and managers together to write procedures and create checklists or job aids.
Have shifts or teams develop a checklist of potential hazards in their workspaces and suggest controls to address them. Reward and review the most thorough checklist during your next all-hands meeting.
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6. Act out safety scenarios and solicit solutions

Act out safety scenarios and solicit solutions: Ask a group of workers to role-play scenarios showing various safety hazards, or re-enact an incident or near miss during an event.
Look to your injury logs or workers’ compensation data for a scenario that is relevant to the audience. Encourage audience members to shout out ways to fix the hazards they’ve identified or ideas for what could have been done differently to prevent the incident.
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How Do You Make It Effective?

Show support: Have senior managers participate in these activities and recognize winners.
Get a new perspective: Pair different types of workers together, such as sales and warehouse staff.
Write it down: Whenever new hazards or good control ideas are identified, record and share them where workers can see them, whether on the company intranet site or a board in the break room.
Share lessons learned: Debrief after activities to discuss what everyone learned about hazards.
Make it fun: Having workers at all levels involved makes for more friendly competition.
Reinforce good practices: When awarding prizes or recognizing participation, make sure that you highlight practices that support the elements of a successful safety and health program.

Show Your Commitment to Safety and Health

Remember to share your commitment to a safe and healthy workplace with all involved in your operations, including workers, contractors, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Incorporate good ideas that arose from these contests, hunts, swaps, and role-plays into future prevention planning.

• Create a “to do” list of outstanding hazard controls to address/improve upon and post it in break rooms or on your intranet site.

• Talk about contest/challenge winners, what was learned from the exercise, and what has changed in your next company newsletter or communication to workers.

• Compare contest results and notes among different locations or shifts to encourage communication and cooperation throughout the organization.

• Publicize results and winners in materials such as websites, brochures, and annual reports.

Do you have any activity own that you hold to engage the workforce?

source: OSHA