Management began assigning workers to teams in what it calls Safety Monopoly . Each week, each team advances one square towards winning prize money. But if any member of the team reports an injury or accident, then the entire team is penalized by not moving ahead a square. The company penalizes you if you get hurt. They post the name on a board so everyone will know who is holding the group back, said James Harrell, a Local 355 truck driver.
People are afraid to file for workers comp because they don t want to be penalized in the game.
The theory that supposedly underlies these programs is that workers unsafe behaviors are to blame for injuries and accidents. Under this theory, providing prizes and rewards will encourage workers to behave safely on the job and therefore not get injuries. Employers and insurance companies argue that such programs only discourage the reporting of fake or very minor illnesses and injuries. But this argument makes no sense. Under the law, employers are not required to record minor injuries requiring only first aid.