A Disciplinary Program – Why and How

Problem: Your Employees Just Won’t Follow the Rules

Your Problem: Your employees have received extensive training and are well aware of the rules they’re supposed to be following on the job. However, every time you walk through your workplace, you see employees cutting corners when it comes to safety. You’ve tried to inspire them to take safety seriously, but no matter how many times you tell your employees to wear their PPE or follow procedures, they just won’t listen. What can you do?

Your Solution: Implement a company-wide disciplinary program as part of your safety program. All employees are expected to abide by the safety rules and guidelines that your company has in place, not only to protect themselves, but also to protect their fellow workers from harm. If the rules and guidelines aren’t followed, consequences must be enforced.

Of course, the consequences should reflect the seriousness of the safety violation. Workplace safety violations can be categorized into different levels based on severity and intent.

Minor Safety Violations – Violations which would not reasonably be expected to result in serious injury.

Major Safety Violations – Violations which would reasonably be expected to result in serious injury or death.

Willful Major Safety Violations – Intentional violation of a safety rule which would reasonably be expected to result in serious injury to the employee or a fellow worker.

Make It Happen: You should put together a disciplinary program that fits the needs of your company and is supported by management. The specific enforcement actions you take should motivate your employees to follow established procedures in order for the program to be successful. Here’s an example of a disciplinary program.

Sample Disciplinary Program

If a safety violation occurs, the offending employee’s immediate supervisor will take the following steps:

Minor Safety Violations:

a.   Correct the hazardous situation.

b.   Inform the employee of the correct procedures to follow and ensure that these procedures are understood.

c.    Make a written report of the occurrence using the Enforcement Documentation Form and inform the employee that this documentation will be forwarded to the company Safety Director for a retention period of one year. Note that a repeat occurrence of the same minor safety violation will be considered substantially more serious than the first.

Schedule of Enforcement Actions

Violations Occurring within a 1 Calendar Year Period

Minor Violation

Major Violation

Major Safety Violations:

a.   Correct the hazardous situation.

b.   Inform the employee of the correct procedures to follow and impress upon the individual the severity of the violation and the likely consequences should this type of violation be repeated. Ensure that the individual understands the correct procedures and caution them that a reoccurrence could result in disciplinary action up to and including discharge. c.          Make a written report of the occurrence using an Enforcement Documentation Form and inform the employee that this documentation will be forwarded to the company Safety Director for a retention period of one year.

Willful Major Safety Violations:

a. Correct the hazardous situation.

b. Remove the employee from the job site, document the event and forward it to the company Safety Director, and discharge the employee.

If you consistently and fairly enforce a comprehensive disciplinary program, you should see the number of safety violations begin to rapidly diminish.

Next Steps: A disciplinary program that isn’t in writing is essentially worthless in the event of an OSHA citation. So don’t delay – Document your disciplinary program today. Provide your employees with a written copy and training so that they are aware of the consequences of their future actions. Emphasize the purpose of documenting any safety violations: to ensure that employee safety is taken seriously and to reduce the potential for injury to the lowest possible level. The health and safety of your employees and your company is at stake.