25 IAM 3-H Volume 3: Safety Awards and Recognition Program

INDIAN AFFAIRS

SAFETY AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

PROGRAM HANDBOOK

25 IAM 3-H, Volume 3

Deputy Assistant Secretary - Management

Office of Facilities, Property, and Safety Management

Division of Safety and Risk Management

1011 Indian School Road NW, Suite 331

Albuquerque, NM 87104

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

FOREWORD

Due to the extensive content covered by Indian Affairs’ (IA) Occupational Safety and Health

Program (OSHP) policy, as documented in 25 IAM 3, several handbooks have been created

that tie to the original policy, but which cover a very specific procedural aspect of the program.

These handbooks refer to the original policy (i.e., 25 IAM 3) but include a volume reference as

well (e.g., 25 IAM 3-H, Volume 3).

This handbook documents the procedures required to implement the IA safety awards and

recognition portion of the OSHP policy. Its content supersedes 25 IAM H: Bureau of Indian

Affairs Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, issued (updated) 10/05/2004, and all

policies and procedures related to IA occupational safety awards and recognition that may have

been created and/or distributed throughout IA previously.

Although this handbook in intended to primarily assist IA Safety Offices who administer the

IA OSHP policy, it may also be informative for IA employees.

Jason Freihage Date

Deputy Assistant Secretary – Management

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Overview ....................................................................................................1

Chapter 2: Safety Awards and Recognition Guidance.....................................................2

2.1 Awards ............................................................................................................................. 2

2.2 Incentives ......................................................................................................................... 2

2.3 Specific Award Program Guidance.................................................................................. 3

2.4 Formal Award Recognition .............................................................................................. 3

2.5 Approval Authority for Monetary Awards..................................................................... 23

2.6 Informal Award Recognition ......................................................................................... 23

2.7 Day-to-Day Recognition ................................................................................................ 25

Chapter 3: Safety Incentive Program (SIP) Procedures ................................................27

3.1 Structured SIPs............................................................................................................... 27

3.2 Casual SIPs..................................................................................................................... 28

Acronyms..................................................................................................................................... 29

Attachment 1: Scale of Award Benefits .................................................................................... 30

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

Chapter 1: Overview

This handbook documents IA’s Safety Awards and Recognition Program (Program). It was written

to encourage and facilitate

the offices of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (AS-IA), the

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to implement

occupational safety and health (OSH) incentive and accident prevention award programs

nationally, in their regions and Associate Deputy Directorships (ADD), and at their sites,

schools, and facilities.

The Program is designed to support safe employee behavior and to meet IA policy requirements

by recognizing safety achievements and rewarding IA employees, groups, and/or offices for their

positive contributions to OSH. The intent of the Program is to improve OSH performance and

help managers, supervisors, and employees focus on strategic safety measures by highlighting

outstanding accomplishments. The Program provides a structured approach to acknowledging

achievements, and uses awards for accomplishments and incentives for achieving goals.

The awards and recognition options are tiered and include: the IA Level, Bureau Level,

Regional/ADD Level, Site/Office of Justice Services (OJS)/School Level, and the Facility Level.

Additionally, the Department of the Interior (DOI) provides opportunities for AS-IA, BIA, and

BIE employees to be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments with national level safety

awards and recognition per 485 Departmental Manual (DM) 10: Safety Awards Programs, and

370 DM 451: Awards and Recognition Programs. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to

participate in award programs offered by the DOI for safety, health, and accident prevention, and

employees nominated for awards at the bureau or regional/ADD level should be considered for

these national level DOI awards as well.

This document provides the implementation and management details for the Program and covers

the formal, informal, and day-to-day award recognition options as well as incentive program

procedures.

This handbook does not address issues related to performance management, which is the purview

of Human Resources.

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Chapter 2: Safety Awards and Recognition Guidance

This chapter provides guidance for managers, supervisors, and employees on how to recognize

and reward outstanding accomplishments related to OSH.

2.1 Awards

Awards can be monetary, non-monetary, and time-off based. Awards encourage safe employee

behavior and recognize the contributions that employees make in fostering a culture of health

and safety in the workplace. Awards make employees feel that their work and accomplishments

are valued and show that outstanding safety achievements are recognized. Within IA, awards

have several purposes:

• To recognize safety and health accomplishments.

• To let employees know they’re being noticed and appreciated for managing risks and

working safely.

• To help employees understand what their organization values.

• To promote OSH performance that supports the mission, vision, and strategic goals of the

agency.

2.2 Incentives

A Safety Incentive Program (SIP) is a reward-based initiative that can be used to recognize

employees for reaching OSH benchmarks, exceeding goals, or initiating hazard prevention

programs in their workplaces. Incentives can be structured, such as providing a signed certificate

for meeting a goal, or casual, such as recognizing someone’s accomplishment at an all-employee

meeting.

Incentives can help AS-IA, BIA, and BIE comply with Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) standards and other requirements. The benefits of SIPs include:

• The safety culture evolves, and the safety management system reaches a higher potential.

• Employees are more engaged in identifying, reporting, and correcting hazards.

• “Near miss” incidents and minor injuries are reported more frequently.

• Safety information sharing is increased.

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2.3 Specific Award Program Guidance

The Program recognizes and provides awards to IA employees, groups, and/or offices who have

made outstanding contributions to the OSH program. Examples of award worthy activities

include:

• A unique approach to solving an ongoing safety problem.

• A onetime event that avoids a liability, such as preventing an accident.

There are three levels of employee recognition:

• Formal recognition

• Informal recognition

• Day-to-day recognition

Formal recognition (see section 2.4) honors employees for their contributions to IA OSH and

enhances their commitment to IA’s core safety and health values. Informal recognition (see

section 2.5) acknowledges employee safety, health, and risk management achievements. Day-to-

day recognition (see section 2.6) reinforces core OSH values by casually recognizing employees

with public praise, recognizing them at a “toolbox” meeting, or presenting an item of nominal

value.

2.4 Formal Award Recognition

Formal awards recognize employees for high performance and are tiered at various levels of the

organization. The award tiers are:

1. IA Level

2. Bureau Level

3. Regional/ADD Level

4. Site/OJS/School Level

5. Facility Level

6. Other IA Awards that can be used to recognize safety and health achievements, such as

Time-off Awards

7. DOI Awards that IA, BIA, or BIE employees may be eligible for; these are discussed in more

detail in 370 DM 451, but include:

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a. Safety and Health Award of Excellence

b. Individual Special Thanks for Achieving Results (“STAR”) Award (branded specifically

for safety)

Nominations for OSH awards should be tied to OSH and to the mission of the organization.

Nominations selected for awards should also be considered for higher level awards within IA or

forwarded to DOI for Departmental award consideration. Winners should be announced in a

public forum.

The following awards recognize employee achievements in safety and health and the degree that

those achievements have a positive effect on others in the employee’s work unit and beyond.

2.4.1 IA Level Safety and Occupational Health Awards Criteria

A. The AS-IA’s Safety and Health Award of Merit

The AS-IA’s Safety and Health Award of Merit is presented annually by the AS-IA, and is

the highest-level employee safety and health achievement award granted by IA. Nominees

should have demonstrated outstanding performance and produced significant results that

extend across IA and align with one or more of the AS-IA OSH Strategic Plan goals below:

Goal 1: Enhance the Role of Leadership and Management in Promoting a Culture of Safety.

Goal 2: Enhance Employee Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement in Achieving OSH

Commitments.

Goal 3: Prevent Exposure to Hazards and Mitigate Risk through Recognition and Prevention

Programs and Processes.

Goal 4: Enhance Internal Evaluation and Analysis Processes to Validate the Effectiveness of

the OSH Program.

Goal 5: Improve OSH Training and Awareness throughout IA.

Goal 6: Implement and Continuously Improve the OSH Program.

All IA, BIA, and BIE employees (including volunteers) are eligible either individually or

collectively to be nominated for this award. The recipient(s) of this award is chosen from

nominees submitted to the Chief, DSRM through the BIA Regional Directors and BIE

ADDs.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations for the AS-IA Safety and Health Award of Merit must be prepared on the

DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a memorandum containing

equivalent information, and be submitted to the Chief, IA Division of Safety and Risk

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Management (DSRM) by October 1st of each year. The DI-451 form can be found online

here: https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

Any employee may submit a nomination. The nomination and supporting documents must be

prepared and submitted through supervisory channels to the appropriate AS-IA

manager/Director, BIA Regional Director, or BIE ADD for review/concurrence before being

forwarded to the Chief, DSRM. Once the nominations are received, the Chief will assemble

an awards committee to review the submissions and select recipients by January 1st.

Forms of Recognition:

• Buffalo Award statue (see Figure 1) measuring 11 inches wide and 8.5 inches high on a

10-inch wide by 4 inch deep by 1-inch-high base. This award is procured and presented

by the AS-IA.

Figure 1: Example of the AS-IA Award

• Award Certificate and Citation (signed by the AS-IA or the Designated Safety and Health

Official (DASHO)) for all recipients (see Example 1 below).

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

Example 1

• Recognition at a suitable location. The award should be presented by the AS-IA, or by

the Deputy Assistant Secretary – Management (DAS-M), DASHO, Regional Director, or

ADD on the AS-IA’s behalf.

• The award and the recipients’ accomplishments will also be highlighted in an article

published on the IA Safety Connect SharePoint site.

B. DSRM’s Safety and Health Achievement Award

The DSRM’s Safety and Health Achievement Award is presented annually by the IA DASHO

and Chief, DSRM and is the second highest-level employee safety and health achievement

award granted by IA.

The award is presented to individuals and groups committed to building a culture which has

safety and health as an integral part of every endeavor, and values establishing a safe and

healthy environment for all employees, visitors, students, Tribal members, and the public.

All IA, BIA, and BIE employees (including volunteers) are eligible either individually or

collectively. The recipient(s) is chosen from nominees submitted to the Chief, DSRM by the

BIA Regional Safety Manager(s) (RSM) or the BIE Safety Program Manager(s) (SPM) using

the following criteria:

• Planned and implemented the best possible safety and health practices which produced

outstanding working conditions for employees, students, teachers, and volunteers.

• Foresaw probable hazards and developed a course of action that eliminated or reduced

the hazard to an acceptable level.

• Improved best practices which achieved exemplary OSH program performance.

• Enhanced the role of leadership and management in promoting a culture of safety.

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• Increased manager, supervisor, and employee commitment toward safety and accident

prevention.

• Enhanced internal evaluation and analysis processes to validate the effectiveness of the

safety and health program.

• Encouraged employee initiative in the recognition and control of hazards in the

workplace.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations for the DSRM’s Safety and Health Achievement Award must be prepared on

the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a memorandum

containing equivalent information, and be submitted to the Chief, DSRM by October 1st of

each year. The DI-451 form can be found online here: https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-

recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

Any employee may submit a nomination, but the nomination and supporting documents must

be prepared and submitted through supervisory channels to the appropriate AS-IA

manager/Director, BIA RSM, or the BIE SPM for review/concurrence before being

forwarded to the Chief, DSRM. Once the nominations are received, the Chief will assemble

an awards committee to review the submissions and select recipient(s) by January 1st.

Forms of Recognition:

• Buffalo Award statue (see Figure 2 below) measuring 9 inches wide and 10.1 inches high

by 5.4 inches deep on a 1-inch-high base. This award is procured and presented by

DSRM.

Figure 2: Example of the DSRM Award

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

• Award Certificate and Citation signed by the Chief, DSRM (see Example 2 below).

Example 2

• Recognition at a suitable location. The award could be presented by the Chief, DSRM or

their designee, or the Regional Director/ADD.

• The award and the recipients’ accomplishments will also be highlighted in an article

published on the IA Safety Connect SharePoint site.

2.4.2 Bureau Level Awards Criteria

A. The BIA’s Safety and Health Achievement Award

The BIA’s Safety and Health Achievement Award is presented annually by the BIA Director

and is the highest-level employee safety and health achievement award granted by BIA.

The award recognizes employees within BIA who provide the proactive support necessary

for the success of the safety and health program, and find innovative solutions to program

issues and hazardous situations.

All BIA employees (including volunteers) are eligible either individually or collectively.

Nominees should have demonstrated outstanding performance and produced significant

results that meet or exceed the following criteria:

• Enhanced the role of leadership and management in promoting the safety culture within

BIA.

• Achieved outstanding employee safety and health working conditions or performance

through improved practices and attitudes.

• Enhanced employee engagement in the OSH program and helped to advance the

program.

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• Enhanced the safety culture within the bureau.

• Engaged in initiatives that prevent exposure to hazards and mitigate risk to reduce

employee accidents, injuries, and fatalities BIA-wide.

• Enhanced the internal evaluation program to validate the effectiveness of the BIA’s OSH

Program.

• Improved OSH training and awareness throughout BIA.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations for the BIA’s Safety and Health Achievement Award must be prepared

on the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a memorandum

containing equivalent information, and be submitted to the Chief, DSRM by October 1st

of each year. The DI-451 form can be found online here: https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-

recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

Any employee may submit a nomination, but the nomination and supporting documents must

be prepared and submitted through supervisory channels to the appropriate BIA RSM for

review/concurrence before being forwarded to the Chief, DSRM. Once the nominations are

received, the Chief will assemble an awards committee to review the submissions and select

recipient(s) by January 1st.

Forms of Recognition:

• BIA’s Safety and Health Achievement Award plaque (see Figure 3 below) measures 8.5

inches wide and 11 inches high. This award is procured and presented by the BIA

Director.

Figure 3: Example of an award plaque

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

• Award certificate and citation signed by the BIA Director (see Example 3 below).

Example 3

• Award presentation by the BIA Director or their designee at a suitable location.

• The award and the recipients’ accomplishments will also be highlighted in an article

published on the IA Safety Connect SharePoint site.

B. The BIE’s Safety and Health Achievement Award

The BIE’s Safety and Health Achievement Award is presented annually by the BIE Director

and is the highest-level employee safety and health achievement award granted by BIE.

All BIE employees (including volunteers) and teachers are eligible either individually or

collectively. Nominees should have demonstrated outstanding performance and produced

significant results that meet or exceed the following criteria:

• Enhanced the role of leadership and management in promoting the safety culture within

BIE sites and schools.

• Engaged in initiatives that reduced employee, teacher, and student accidents, injuries, and

fatalities in bureau-operated schools, and in Tribally controlled schools/Navajo schools

under BIE control.

• Achieved employee safety and health across the bureau through improved practices and

attitudes.

• Advanced BIE OSH program leadership at the ADD level.

• Enhanced employee, teacher, and student engagement in the OSH program and helped to

advance the program through improved best practices.

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• Enhanced the internal evaluation program to validate the effectiveness of the BIE’s OSH

Program.

• Improved OSH training and awareness throughout BIE.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations for the BIE Director’s Safety and Health Achievement Award must be

prepared on the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a

memorandum containing equivalent information, and be submitted to the Chief, DSRM by

October 1st of each year. The DI-451 form can be found online here:

https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

Any employee may submit a nomination, but the nomination and supporting documents must

be prepared and submitted through supervisory channels to the BIE SPM for

review/concurrence before being forwarded to the Chief, DSRM. Once the nominations are

received, the Chief will assemble an awards committee to review the submissions and select

recipient(s) by January 1st.

Forms of Recognition:

• BIE’s Safety and Health Achievement Award plaque (see Figure 4 below) measures 8.5

inches wide and 11 inches high. This award is procured and presented by the BIE

Director.

Figure 4: Example of an award plaque

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

• Award certificate and citation signed by the BIE Director (see Example 4 below).

Example 4

• Award presentation by the BIE Director or their designee at a suitable location.

• The award and the recipients’ accomplishments will also be highlighted in an article

published on the IA Safety Connect SharePoint site.

2.4.3 Region/ADD Level Awards Criteria

A. Regional Director’s Employee Safety and Health Achievement Award

This is the highest-level award presented for employee safety achievement in the BIA

regions and is awarded annually.

All BIA regional employees (including volunteers) are eligible either individually or

collectively. The recipient(s) is chosen from nominations submitted to the RSM using the

following criteria:

• Advocated for OSH leadership within the regions.

• Prevented accidents that may cause serious injuries or fatalities.

• Participated in accident investigations.

• Enhanced workplace safety and/or employee safety and health awareness through

innovative work.

• Promoted hazard identification, and correction.

• Developed risk-reduction methods that lessen employee injuries and resource losses.

#23-15, Issued: 8/22/23

Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations for the Regional Director’s Employee Safety and Health Achievement Award

must be prepared on the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a

memorandum containing equivalent information, and be submitted through supervisory

channels to the RSM by October 1st of each year. The DI-451 form can be found online here:

https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

Any employee may submit a nomination, but the nomination and supporting documents must

be prepared and submitted through supervisory channels to the BIA RSM. Once the

nominations are received, the RSM will assemble an awards committee to review the

submissions and select recipient(s) by January 1st.

Forms of Recognition:

• BIA’s Safety and Health Achievement Award coin (see Figure 5 below) is procured by

the DSRM and presented by the BIA Director.

Figure 5: Example of an award coin

• Award certificate and citation signed by the Regional Director (see Example 5 below).

Example 5

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• Award presentation by the BIE Director or their designee at a suitable location.

• The award and the recipients’ accomplishments will also be highlighted in regional safety

correspondence and unit all-employee meetings.

B. ADD’s Safety and Health Achievement Award

This is the highest-level award presented for employee safety achievement in each of the

three ADDs and is awarded annually. All BIE ADD employees, teachers, and volunteers are

eligible either individually or collectively. The recipient(s) are chosen from nominations

submitted to the BIE SPM using the following criteria:

• Enhanced the role of leadership, managers, and supervisors in promoting a culture of

safety.

• Prevented accidents in schools or facilities that may cause serious injuries to employees,

students, or visitors.

• Prevented exposures that could cause illnesses in schools or facilities.

• Participated in accident investigations.

• Enhanced safety awareness through innovative work.

• Promoted hazard awareness, identification, and correction in schools or facilities.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations for the ADD’s Safety and Health Achievement Award must be prepared on

the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a memorandum

containing equivalent information, and be submitted through supervisory channels to the BIE

SPM by October 1st of each year. The DI-451 form can be found online here:

https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

Any employee may submit a nomination, but the nomination and supporting documents must

be prepared and submitted through supervisory channels to the BIE SPM. Once the

nominations have been received, the BIE SPM will assemble an awards committee to review

the submissions and select recipient(s) by January 1st.

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Forms of Recognition:

• BIE’s Safety and Health Achievement Award coin (see Figure 6 below) is procured by the

DSRM and presented by the ADD.

Figure 6: Example an Award Coin

• Award certificate and citation signed by the ADD (see Example 6 below).

Example 6

• Award presentation by the ADD or their designee at a suitable location.

• The award and the recipients’ accomplishments will also be highlighted in ADD’s safety

correspondence and unit all-employee meetings.

2.4.4 Site/OJS/School Level Award Criteria

The IA Safety Awards Program encourages the development of site/OJS/school safety

awards. Local programs should be patterned after the regional/ADD and national level

programs so that employees nominated for local awards can compete for bureau level and

national level achievement awards as well.

All site/justice center/school employees, teachers, and volunteers are eligible either

individually or collectively. Local awards should be presented no less than annually by the

site/justice center/school manager. Awardees should be selected using the following criteria:

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• Implemented and/or continuously improved the OSH Program.

• Enhanced the safety culture within the site, justice service center, or school.

• Improved OSH training and awareness.

• Prevented exposure to hazards and mitigate risk through recognition and prevention

programs and processes.

• Increased managerial and employee commitment toward accident prevention.

• Volunteered to serve on safety committees.

• Participated in accident investigations.

• Participated in and/or made presentations at safety meetings.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

All nominations may be submitted by any manager, supervisor, employee, or volunteer and

must be prepared on the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a

memorandum containing equivalent information, and be submitted through supervisory

channels to the Collateral Duty Safety Officer (CDSO), or the safety committee by October

of each year, and the recipient(s) will be chosen by January 1st.

The names of awardees should also be submitted to the BIA RSM or BIE SPM by January

1st for consideration for the Regional Director’s Employee Safety and Health Achievement

Award or the ADD’s Safety and Health Achievement Award.

Forms of Recognition:

• Award certificate and citation signed by the manager (see Example 7 below).

Example 7

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• Recognition at a suitable location.

• Recognition at an all-employee meeting, etc.

2.4.5 Facility Level Award Criteria

The IA Safety Awards Program also encourages the development of less formal facility level

safety awards programs. The facility level programs can be patterned after the regional/ADD

and national level programs, or they can allow supervisors and managers greater flexibility in

making awards.

The decision should also be made whether the internal awards will be given annually, semi-

annually, or more often. Employees should be allowed enough time to create a well-

developed entry. All facility level employees (and volunteers) should be eligible either

individually or collectively. Awardees should be selected based on the following criteria:

• Exhibited a proactive safety attitude.

• Identified workplace hazards, either during inspections or through observation.

• Suggested improvements to programs or accident prevention.

• Volunteered to serve on safety committees.

• Reported “near misses.”

• Participated in and/or made presentations at “toolbox” safety meetings.

• Shared lessons learned.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

Nominations may be submitted by any manager, supervisor, employee, or volunteer and

must be prepared on the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a

memorandum containing equivalent information, and be submitted through the

supervisory channels to the facility manager, supervisor, CDSO, or the safety committee by

October 1

of each year, and the recipient(s) will be chosen by January 1st.

The names of awardees should also be submitted to the BIA RSM or BIE SPM by January

1st for consideration for the Regional Director’s Employee Safety and Health Achievement

Award or the ADD’s Safety and Health Achievement Award.

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Forms of Recognition:

• Award certificate and citation signed by the manager (see Example 8 below).

Example 8

• Recognition at a suitable location.

• Recognition at an all-employee meeting, etc.

2.4.6 Other IA Awards to Recognize Safety and Health Achievements

A time-off award is an excused absence granted to an employee without charge to leave or

loss of pay, as a means of recognition of safety and health achievements. Time-off awards

are granted for an appropriate number of hours commensurate with the employee’s safety

and health program contributions. The minimum time-off recognition is one hour; and the

maximum time-off award recognition should not exceed 40 hours per event or 80 hours total

per year.

Nomination and Selection Procedures:

Nominees must have demonstrated a significant accomplishment(s) that contributes to the

quality, efficiency, or economy of the IA, bureau, regional/ADD, site, OJS, school, or facility

safety and health program.

Any employee may propose another employee for a time-off award, but the actual

nomination must come from the employee’s supervisor, through supervisory channels, to the

assigned Human Resources Specialist and be approved by the Director, Office of Human

Capital Management (OHCM). Time-off award nominations must be prepared on the DI-

451: Recommendation and Approval of Awards form, or by a memorandum containing

equivalent information. The DI-451 form can be found online here:

https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

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Forms of Recognition:

The immediate supervisor has the authority to schedule the use of the time-off award so that

organizational workload is considered, and productivity is sustained. Therefore, the

employee and the immediate supervisor will agree on the use of the time-off award.

2.4.7 DOI Level Awards

A. The Safety and Health Award of Excellence

The Safety and Health Award of Excellence is presented annually by the Secretary of the

DOI at the annual Award Convocation. It is the highest-level safety and occupational health

award granted by DOI and recognizes individuals, groups, and organizations.

Any DOI employee who has performed an outstanding service for, or made a contribution of

unusual value to, the safety and health of employees, visitors, and volunteers may be eligible

for the Award.

The nominee(s) must have demonstrated outstanding performance and produced significant

results that align with one or more of the DOI’s Strategic Safety and Occupational Health

Plan goals summarized below (the full text of the Plan is available on DOI’s Occupational

Safety and Health SharePoint site here: Departmental Safety and Health Awards Program

(sharepoint.com)).

Goal 1: Enhance the Role of Leadership and Management in Promoting a Culture of Safety.

Goal 2: Enhance Employee Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement in Achieving Safety

and Health Commitments.

Goal 3: Prevent Exposure to Hazards and Mitigate Risk through Recognition and Prevention

Programs and Processes.

Goal 4: Enhance Internal Evaluation and Analysis Processes to Validate the Effectiveness of

the Safety and Health Program.

Goal 5: Improve Occupational Safety and Health Training and Awareness throughout the

Department.

Goal 6: Implement and Continuously Improve the Occupational Safety and Health Program.

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Nomination and Selection Procedures:

Supervisors may submit nominations using the DI-451: Recommendation and Approval of

Awards form to the Chief, DSRM at least a month prior to the DOI Awards Coordinator’s

suspense date. The DI-451 form can be found online here: https://www.doi.gov/file/di-

451-recommendation-and-approval-awardspdf.

The Chief, DSRM will review the nominations and forward them to the IA Awards

Coordinator. The IA Awards Coordinator will then send the award nominations to the DOI

Awards Coordinator, who will forward the nominations from all of the bureaus to the

Director, Office of Occupational Safety and Health (OOSH). The OOSH Director will work

with the DOI Safety and Health Council to select the final award recipient(s) by the DOI

Awards Coordinator’s due date.

Once selected, the awardees will be forwarded to the Departmental Awards Committee for

further vetting, clearance, and notification of award selection. The DOI Awards Coordinators

will also request photographs and brief award narratives for inclusion in the ceremony

awards program brochures.

Individual Awards:

The Safety and Health Award of Excellence for individuals recognizes management’s high

regard for employees who have made unusual and significant contributions toward the

advancement of safety and health within the bureaus and specifically their workplaces. This

includes:

• Employees whose primary work is not in safety and health, but whose superior

accomplishments have advanced the cause of safety and health.

• Employees with full-time or collateral duty safety and health responsibilities who have

achieved outstanding results in furthering safety and health are eligible for this award.

• Managers and supervisors who have implemented safety and health programs in an

outstanding manner, developing appropriate written and oral policies, plans, and

programs.

The criteria for individual awards include:

• Created a health and safety culture inclusive of all senior leaders, managers, employees,

and activities.

• Improved the ability to identify and abate hazards.

• Implemented effective safety and health resourcing strategies.

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• Facilitated accountability and improvement through evaluation and monitoring.

• Increased awareness and communication within the health and safety program.

Group Awards:

The Safety and Health Award of Excellence for groups is the highest-level group safety and

health award granted by DOI. This award recognizes groups that have performed an

outstanding service for or made a valuable contribution to the agency wide safety and health

program.

All bureau committees, groups, teams, and/or collective work units are eligible for the award

as a collection of individuals. The group’s endeavors must have contributed to the

establishment of a safe and healthy environment by building a culture that moves the agency

toward the goal of zero loss of human and material resources.

The criteria for group awards include:

• Created a health and safety culture inclusive of senior leaders, managers, employees, and

activities that strives for prevention of accidents that cause injuries or fatalities.

• Improved the ability to abate unsafe conditions and practices.

• Implemented innovative work practices that enhance the organization’s safety and health

program awareness.

• Facilitated accountability and improvement through evaluation and monitoring.

• Developed risk-reduction methods and promote managerial action to lessen human and

material resource loss.

• Advocated for the identification and control of safety, health, and environmental hazards.

Organizational Awards:

The Safety and Health Award of Excellence for organizations is presented for outstanding

safety and health program achievement and recognizes safety and health contributions of

unusual value to the employees and volunteers.

Any organizational unit within the bureaus is eligible to receive the award (e.g., bureau or

office committees, groups, teams, or collective work units). The organization’s endeavors

must have contributed to the establishment of a safe and healthy environment by building a

culture that will move toward the goal of zero loss of human or material resources.

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The criteria for organizational awards include:

• Created a health and safety culture that strives for prevention of accidents that cause

injuries or fatalities.

• Improved the organization’s ability to identify and abate unsafe conditions and practices.

• Implemented innovative work practices that enhance the organization’s safety and health

program awareness and show measurable improvements.

• Facilitated program improvement through evaluation and monitoring.

• Developed risk-reduction methods and promoting organizational action through

managers and supervisors to lessen human and material resource loss.

• Advocated for the identification and control of safety, health, and environmental hazards.

B. STAR Award

A STAR award (370 DM 451.4) is a monetary award that recognizes either a one-time

noteworthy accomplishment, or exceptional accomplishments over a period of months.

STAR awards can recognize an individual, group, or organization within DOI, AS-IA,

BIA, or BIE. Examples of situations for which it would be appropriate to give an employee a

STAR award are those in which an employee(s):

• Produced exceptionally high-quality OSH program work under tight deadlines.

• Performed added or emergency assignments in addition to their regular duties.

• Exercised extraordinary initiative or creativity in addressing a critical safety need or

difficult problem.

• Achieved organizational results.

• Ensured safety in the workplace.

An employee may be recommended for a STAR award by another employee, supervisor, or

manager who knows of an achievement they believe deserves recognition.

A recommendation for a STAR award must be prepared on the DI-451: Recommendation

and Approval of Awards form, or by a memorandum containing equivalent information, and

be submitted to the proposed recipient’s supervisor for concurrence. The DI-451 form can be

found online here: https://www.doi.gov/file/di-451-recommendation-and-approval-

awardspdf.

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Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

Once the recipient’s supervisor concurs, the supervisor transmits the DI-451 to the approving

official for the amount recommended. If an award recognizes team achievements and

members are to receive different award amounts, the justification needs to describe each

individual team member’s contribution.

An employee or supervisor from another bureau within the DOI may wish to recognize a AS-

IA, BIA, or BIE employee with a monetary award. In this case, the outside bureau will

prepare the award documentation and contact the award recipient’s servicing personnel office

for guidance on how to process the award.

STAR awards must be submitted for approval within six months of the employee’s

accomplishments and include the estimated benefit from Attachment 1: Scale of Award

Benefits.

2.5 Approval Authority for Monetary Awards

Bureau Directors: may approve group awards up to $10,000 if no group member receives more

than $5,000. They may also approve individual awards up to $5,000.

Assistant Secretaries, the Solicitor, and the Inspector General: have approval authority for

individual awards from $5,001 to $10,000. All awards more than $10,000 must be submitted by

bureau Directors/heads through the AS-IA to the DOI Director of Human Resources, and the

DOI Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget for concurrence. Once approved,

the award recommendation must be sent to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for

approval and further processing.

2.6 Informal Award Recognition

Informal awards may be given to recognize performance that is worthy of recognition but does

not merit a formal award. OPM recognizes that informal awards are an effective way of

achieving many of the goals of a formal awards program but provide more frequent, timely, and

informal recognition of employees, groups, or organizational contributions. The item(s) awarded

can be a certificate, citation, or any other item not exceeding $100 in value.

Regions/ADDs, sites, OJS sites, schools, and facilities are encouraged to develop informal

awards programs that recognize positive behavior on a more frequent basis. Informal awards

focus on management’s appreciation of employee efforts. These types of awards recognize

employee efforts while requiring very little or no funding to implement and maintain. Informal

awards, delivered correctly and consistently, improve both performance and morale.

Informal awards should:

• Recognize employees who positively affect the OSH program.

• Recognize employees when their OSH performance exceeds expectations.

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• Describe exactly what was done well.

• Describe how IA, BIA, BIE, or the site, school, or facility benefited.

• Be provided to the awardee as soon as possible.

Additionally, informal awards should:

• Be changed periodically to retain their effect (the same reward given multiple times will lose

its impact).

• Have a positive effect on performance.

• Be something employees find rewarding (not every employee appreciates the same thing).

To find out what employees find rewarding:

• Pay attention to how employees spend their free time or what they find interesting.

• Determine whether the employee enjoys being recognized in a crowd or would they be more

likely to appreciate a one-on-one “thank you”.

• Listen and learn about workplace concerns, such as the need for additional training. These

items could be used as rewards.

• Ask employees what they would appreciate.

Rewards may be just as different as each employee’s personality. When choosing how to show

appreciation, it may help to consider the following informal award examples:

• Thank the employee in a meeting or newsletter.

• Hang a banner celebrating the employee’s achievement.

• The manager of the organization could take the employee out for a coffee.

• A bulletin board in a breakroom or an online SharePoint site could be used for employees to

leave notes of thanks and shout-outs to each other.

• The employee could be sent a “thank you” email, detailing how their support made a

difference.

• Letter of appreciation with copies to the employee’s file.

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• Publicity – mentioning the employee’s achievements in a newsletter.

• Opportunity for advanced training/attendance at seminars or conferences.

• Regular recognition lunches.

• Implementing an Employee Appreciation Day with banners, lunch, and speakers in honor of

employee(s).

• Employee photo boards or “Hall of Fame”.

• Certificate of accomplishment.

• Employee of the month program.

2.7 Day-to-Day Recognition

Day-to-day recognition, or micro-recognition, is more frequent and ongoing than either formal or

informal awards. Day-to-day recognition supports the mission and makes employees feel valued

without requiring a lot of time and resources.

Day-to-day employee recognition recognizes accomplishments that support the safety and health

mission of the office, site, school, or facility and reinforces core OSH values that are not tied to a

specific goal or project. Day-to-day recognition programs help managers and supervisors

recognize employees for spontaneous behaviors that go above and beyond their normal roles and

responsibilities, and are genuine expressions of appreciation.

When a supervisor, manager, or coworker spots an employee going above and beyond, they can

recognize the individual by sending a note, with public praise, posting on a bulletin board or

SharePoint site, recognition at a “toolbox” meeting, or presenting an item of nominal value such

as a challenge coin (see Figure 7 below).

Figure 7: Example of a Safety Challenge Coin

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Every office, site, school, and facility are unique and has its own culture, so what may work best

for one, may not work as well for another. However, there are some general considerations:

Timely: For the biggest impact, be sure to give recognition as soon as possible.

Frequent: Employees should be recognized often throughout the year. Usually a simple,

personal thank you is all that is needed to recognize a job well done.

Purpose: Recognitions should be for actions or accomplishments that align with the office, site,

school, or facility’s core values, mission, and goals. Point out the specifics of what the employee

did when saying thanks.

Presentation: Supervisors and managers should be encouraged to recognize employees

immediately, giving specific and meaningful praise. The small amount of time it takes for leaders

to show their appreciation can yield long lasting impressions on employees.

Location: Day-to-day recognition should be presented in a public setting, such as an office or

group meeting whenever possible. This provides positive reinforcement for both the employee

being recognized and others around them. This also shows everyone the behaviors that are

valued in the organization.

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Replaces #13-2, 25 IAM H: Safety and Health Handbook for Field Operations, Updated: 10/05/04

Chapter 3: Safety Incentive Program (SIP) Procedures

Incentive programs reward employees who go above and beyond their regular work requirements

and achieve safety and health goals established by the organization. When employees are aware

of the priorities for a region or ADD and know the benchmarks are incentivized, they tend to

focus on doing that work well.

Incentive policies can be used to address immediate needs such as increasing compliance with

specific OSHA standards. To be the most impactful, managers and supervisors should reward

accomplishments as soon as possible after employees achieve goals.

SIPs are most effective at the local level where taking training, abating hazards, and wearing

personal protective equipment (PPE) can be incentivized. Incentives should only be applied to

positive, achievable, short-term goals. Incentives are less effective for long-term or difficult

goals.

Employees should be included in the formulation of SIP policy. Their input helps determine

incentives that are rewarding and motivating, and ensures that procedures are clear and easy to

understand.

Safety incentives can be either structured or casual. Structured incentives might be a letter of

appreciation for completing a fixed number of safety training programs. Structured incentives

require clear communication of the procedures and goals. Casual incentives would include

giving a challenge coin for correcting a workplace hazard. Casual incentives are less formal and

may be given spontaneously.

3.1 Structured SIPs

Structured SIPs are designed to recognize employees who reach set milestones that align with

OSH goals or strategic plan requirements.

Initiating a SIP at the Bureau, region/ADD, or the site, school, or facility should include:

Setting high standards for safety incentives: Because safety should already be a part of daily

work requirements, an incentive program works most effectively when it rewards behaviors that

exceed expectations.

Creating incentives that target the most-needed areas: Analyze the workplace culture and

determine what safety initiatives or measures need the most focus. Look for ways to incentivize

employee performance that exceeds requirements.

Consider making goals team related: Team goals allow employees to work together to surpass

OSH benchmarks.

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A safety incentive program should complement the safety program: In addition to a policy that

should already be in place, incentives should set (or benchmark) higher standards for employee

safety performance in the workplace.

Incentives cannot be monetary based: Incentives can be as simple as a lunch, group potluck

picnic, or they can be certificates, plaques, or other items of non-intrinsic value.

Offer recognition: Employees benefit from praise; individuals and groups can be recognized at

office meetings, potlucks, or luncheons.

Reward employees on a regular basis: When starting a SIP, it’s important to give rewards

regularly over a pre-determined period. Breaking measures into monthly or quarterly initiatives

can help maintain interest in the program.

Make reporting a priority: Make it clear to employees that the top priority is still to identify

safety hazards and report any accidents that occur at the workplace.

Incentive programs can be effective for securing short term compliance or meeting an

established goal. However, incentives do not create a commitment; they create a temporary

change as to what employees do. Long-term, structured SIPs can be fatiguing to employees and

become ineffective.

3.2 Casual SIPs

Casual safety incentives are inherently simple and help to motivate employees and improve

productivity. They should be spontaneous and given at unexpected intervals. Casual SIPs

recognize employees for going above and beyond when it comes to safety and health in the

workplace, and rewards can be as simple as a pat on the back and a sincere thank-you to

presenting a letter of appreciation at an all-employee meeting.

New PPE such as gloves or safety glasses can be provided with a specific commendation, such

as: “This is for correcting a hazard and preventing a possible injury.” A small reward can be

more effective than a simple “thank you.” It is important to select incentives that will be

desirable to employees. The better employees perceive the incentive, the more positive results

the site, school, or facility will see.

While there are times when praising employees in public is appropriate, there are other times

when it may be more beneficial to do so in private. This should be left up to the manager or

supervisor to know what will be most effective.

Another approach to casual safety incentives that removes possible management bias is to ask

employees to nominate their peers for these rewards. Recognition coming from fellow

employees is one of the sincerest forms of praise. The nominating procedure should be kept

simple, and the recognition given in public.

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Acronyms

ADD Associate Deputy Director

AS-IA Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs

BIE Bureau of Indian Education

CDSO Collateral Duty Safety Officer

DAS-M Deputy Assistant Secretary - Management

DASHO Designated Safety and Health Official

DM Department Manual

DOI Department of the Interior

DSRM Division of Safety and Risk Management

HCM Human Capital Management

HRO Human Resources Office

IA Indian Affairs

IAM Indian Affairs Manual

OFPSM Office of Facilities, Property, and Safety Management

OHCM Office of Human Capital Management

OOSH Office of Occupational Safety and Health

OPM Office of Personnel Management

OSH Occupational Safety and Health

OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration

PPE Personal Protective Equipment

Program Indian Affairs Safety and Health Award and Recognition Program

RD Regional Director

RSM [BIA] Regional Safety Manager

SIP Safety Incentive Program

SPM [BIE] Safety Program Manager

SRMP Safety and Risk Management Program

STAR Special Thanks for Achieving Results

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Attachment 1: Scale of Award Benefits

EXTENT OF APPLICATION

Local

Bureau

DOI-Wide

Examples:

• OSH activities • OSH activities that

• The positive

positively affect positively affect an

effects of OSH

Value of Benefit

one or more sites,

schools, or

entire network,

region, or central

initiatives extend

beyond one region

facilities. office organization.

or bureau.

• A change in

• Ideas that optimize

• The operation has

policies,

use of technology

impact DOI-wide

procedures, or

or automation to

or beyond.

operations

streamline OSH

positively affects

operations.

OSH.

Moderate.

Change or

contribution to an

operating principle,

practice, procedure, or

program of limited

impact or use.

Up to $500 Up to $1,500 Up to $3,000

Substantial.

Significant or

important change,

contribution to, or

modification of an

operating principle,

practice, procedure,

program, or service to

the public.

Up to $1,500 Up to $3,000 Up to $5,000

Exceptional.

Complete revision or

Up to $10,000

initiation of a major

Note: Awards more

policy, practice, or

than $10,000 require

procedure that has

OPM approval.

significant impact on

Up to $3,000 Up to $5000

Awards more than

DOI’s mission. Major

$25,000 require

improvement in the

Presidential approval

quality of a critical

after Office of

product, activity,

Personnel Management

program, or service to

(OPM) review.

the public.

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