title: Surprising Incentive: An Instrument for Promoting Safety Performance of Construction Employees.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In comparison with other industries, the construction industry still has a higher rate of fatal injuries, and thus, there is a need to apply new and innovative approaches for preventing accidents and promoting safe conditions at construction sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the effectiveness of a new incentive system-the surprising incentive system-was assessed. One year after the implementation of this new incentive system, behavioral changes of employees with respect to seven types of activities were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between the new incentive system and the safety performance of frontline employees. The new incentive system had a greater positive impact in the first 6 months since its implementation. In the long term, however, safety performance experienced a gradual reduction. Based on previous studies, all activities selected in this study are important indicators of the safety conditions at workplaces. However, there is a need for a comprehensive and simple-to-apply tool for assessing frontline employees' safety performance. Shortening the intervals between incentives is more effective in promoting safety performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study proved that the surprising incentive would improve the employees' safety performance just in the short term because the surprising value of the incentives dwindle over time. For this reason and to maintain the surprising value of the incentive system, the amount and types of incentives need to be evaluated and modified annually or biannually.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Hygiene Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fakhradin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghasemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Hygiene Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Iraj
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mohammadfam
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Modeling of Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Soltanian
authors.affiliation: HSE Department of MAPNA Group, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Hygiene Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Esmaeil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zarei
keywords: accident; incentives; safety performance