B.I.N.G.O…. and Safety Is It’s Name-O

How many of us in corporate America have grown tired of workers compensation claims? How many of us grow weary of the reasons why people become injured? Here are a few I have worked through: Fell in a parking lot after slipping on an acorn, flea bite, a small pony bit the employee, fell while sitting at desk. These are aside from the regular conundrums of excuses and related injuries that are faced by human resource and workers compensation professionals each day. After the injuries are investigated and reported, the reserves for each case are then set. Experience modifiers are in effect, lost time claims occur and loss runs are reflected in a negative manner. Corporate costs rise. The people who manage these claims are questioned and highly encouraged to bring closure to the claims as soon as possible. Now, what if a simple game could change this entire world of workers compensation claims and the emotional draw it takes on those that manage it?

Safety BINGO is played much like the regular game of Bingo is played. Instead of using the letters BINGO, the letters BSAFE are used. Over the last several years that I have invoked this game in organizations I have worked for, I have yet to see a single lost time injury occur after the game’s inception. Through this game, I was able to lower numbers of injuries, and types of injuries, all while creating an atmosphere of heightened employee morale and a better awareness of injury prevention.

How the game is played

Once a vendor is identified to offer the game itself, the first step is to establish the rules.  In my experience with this concept it’s been very simple. Every employee on the payroll has an opportunity to play. In the medical field, this includes full-time, part-time, and per-diem employees. Each employee receives a BSAFE card. Two bingo balls are rolled each day, Monday through Friday, including holidays. Each day’s numbers are loaded into an email, along with some kind of safety tip for the day, and emailed to all staff members.

When a card is completely blacked out, that is all the numbers on the card have been marked, that person(s) is a winner. There can be multiple winners per game. It’s important to add that each person receives the jackpot; they don’t split the jackpot amount. For example, if the jackpot is $100.00 and there are three winners, each receives $100.00 and that amount is grossed up on their paychecks to offset the taxes.  The only other way the game can stop is if there’s a lost time injury. In my experience, an organization with 300-500 employees will circulate through a game in 40-45 calendar days with one to three winners.

Marketing of the game is very important. Once the game is ready to begin, market it heavily throughout the organization. Easy messages can be relayed. The most popular I have seen is:“Stay safe and injury free to win big $$.” That kind of language will grab attention very quickly. The game seems to take on a life of its own. Employees will carry their bingo cards with them, attach them to the back of badges, and hang them on the wall so they can easily mark numbers off as they come. It’s simple, extremely engaging, fun, and suspenseful. The halls of organizations that bring on such a program will soon echo with proclamations such as “be careful, watch your step, you don’t want to stop Safety Bingo,” or other similar sayings of warning and awareness.

Critics of this type of injury prevention program have said that an employee who gets injured on the job while the game is occurring may intentionally mask their injury so as not to be the person who stopped the game. After all, if several people are one number away from a monetary jackpot that has no limits, and someone falls and becomes a lost time injury, that injured employee may feel remorse or be blamed. Even worse, in the critic’s eye, this employee will mask the injury until it becomes such a problem that when it’s finally reported, the injury is substantially worse and will cost more in reserves to treat. Perhaps so, but having rolled out and engaged staff with this game for many years, I have yet to see such an incident occur. In addition, on average, I have seen a 60-75 percent drop in claims per year. Substantial savings in reserves have also come about because the types of injuries that are reported are not as traumatic and close faster on average.

Corporate America is expensive to operate. Consistent cost measures are coming our way and in the field of Human Resources, we are expected to react daily. Our plates are often full and heavily engaged with consistent issues of various proportions across the company. However, one area that I have found that doesn’t require as much hands on is injury prevention. This isn’t to say that other things such as accident investigations, good workers compensation management of claims and more aren’t equally important.  Hanging safety posters can be effective, proper lifting techniques are effective, and ergonomic studies of workstations are effective.  Safety Bingo will drive some fun and excitement into the safety and injury prevention realm. BSAFE—it’s a new corporate acronym that in the long run, can pay big dividends.

About The Author

Brian J. Beck, PHR, M.H.R.O.D., has worked in the human resources field for nearly 20 years, focusing on  HR strategic planning, retention strategies, and organizational and leadership development.  He is currently the Director of Human Resources for Community Health Centers Of The Central Coast in California. Mr. Beck has served in human resource senior leadership roles in the health care and staffing industry sectors.  He has been PHR certified since 1995 through the Certification Institute of the Society for Human Resource Management.  Mr. Beck holds a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Organization Development from the University of San Francisco. He was also an adjunct faculty member for three years at the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses in management and HR theory, was an instructor in the PHR/SPHR learning development program through UNM, and has published several articles related to human resource strategy, management, and theory.