A workplace bike helmet program is simple to execute and sends an important safety message to workers. The additional bonus for employers is that reducing bike injuries lowers health care and insurance costs, and minimizes work time lost from injuries.
Getting started
Contact local and state safety agencies for resources: brochures, fact sheets, videos, displays, etc.
Tie into a safety program/agency offering low-cost helmets. (You could also work with a local
bike dealer to set up a discount helmet purchase program.)
Distribute order forms or discount coupons to your employees, to be redeemed at the bike dealer.
Promoting your helmet program
It's especially effective to target bike helmet use at certain times of the year:
- The first is, naturally, just before bike season begins. Use your in-house newsletter, bulletin
board, e-mail, or other means of internal communication to let your employees know that you
will be offering a program in the near future. Conduct an interview with an employee who is an
experienced bicyclist about the importance of wearing a helmet and use it as a feature story in
your newsletter. Follow up in the next issue with the details of your employee program and a
copy of a helmet order form. Best of all is a testimonial piece by someone who's been protected
by using a bike helmet.
- Bike Safety Month (May)
- National SAFE KIDS Week (early May)
- National Safety Month (June)
- Feature the program as part of an on-site health and wellness week or health fair
- Back-to-school promotion (August)
- Holidays, when you can promote buying a helmet as a thoughtful gift.
Employee incentives
One way to increase the success of your program is to offer incentives to employees who
purchase helmets. Solicit your vendors, or local businesses, for prizes or gift certificates to be
given for each helmet purchase. Sponsor a company bike ride if a set number of helmets are
purchased, and provide a picnic and prizes for all participants.
For the organizer
A bike helmet purchase plan is a great way to show that you care about the safety of your
employees and their families. It's easy to plan with the assistance of bike safety professionals and
can easily be repeated and redesigned each year. Work with an internal committee of several
people to ensure that all tasks of promoting helmets do not fall on the shoulders of one
individual.
After your first bike helmet promotion, advertise your success:
- Take pictures with employees in their new helmets and run a follow-up article in your newsletter.
- Contact local papers and to see if they might be interested in your story.
- Let your employees know how many people participated and how many more heads will be
protected by bike helmets.
- Ask for suggestions on how to improve the program.
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