Every employer must have a process that ensures employees follow safety protocols. This is also known as your compliance plan and is part of your Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). An effective compliance plan includes training and a recognition or reward process. It also includes a disciplinary process that contains the steps you'll take when employees don't follow your safety rules. Your compliance plan belongs in the compliance section of your IIPP.

What are disciplinary procedures and why should I have them?

Disciplinary procedures protect your employees. They explain your corrective action process and how you plan to notify employees of unsafe actions or work behaviors. Your workplace benefits by lower injury rates, fewer employee absences, and greater productivity.

Disciplinary procedures are also in place to correct work behaviors, not punish them. Start with positive reinforcement. For example, you can set up an incentive or rewards program for those who follow safety protocols. The important thing is to identify unsafe acts and correct them. But what do you do when your positive methods aren’t working? It’s time to turn to your disciplinary action plan.  

Create your own disciplinary action procedures

A disciplinary plan has several steps. Giving employees the opportunity to correct their action on their own is important. You should have provisions for counseling, written warnings, and suspensions. The last step is termination.

Having disciplinary procedures in place shows your staff that you are serious about safety. Staff will know the consequences they may face if they continue to ignore safety rules. And it shows that keeping employees safe is your number one priority. Don’t forget to work with your Human Resources manager in creating your plan.

Also, be sure to address your disciplinary procedures:

  • During safety orientations with new staff
  • In your employee handbook and other written safety policies
  • As reminders at your safety meetings

Your disciplinary procedures also help lay the groundwork for a positive safety culture. Employees know they'll be recognized for doing the right thing, learn proper behaviors, and understand what is expected of them. When they see how serious you are about their safety, they are likely to follow your lead. Then workplace safety becomes the top priority for everyone. Just remember that the best safety structure to have is a proactive approach. Your disciplinary procedures help you achieve this goal.

You should also keep a confidential log of disciplinary actions for all staff. This way, a supervisor can review previous incidents and actions taken. The supervisor can then determine the appropriate discipline based on an employee’s history.

Talk to your employees today about your disciplinary procedures. Remind them that the procedures are there to protect them. This way, they know what to do to remain safe on the job and they’re encouraged to report any injuries, symptoms, and/or dangerous conditions.