The Road to Wellness

By Continued

Brown, the workers' compensation loss-control manager for 23 Monterey County districts, hands each surprised staff member a $10 coupon for the Red Lobster restaurant and takes a moment to review safety procedures--ways of avoiding burns and understanding the "body mechanics" of lifting.

"This is a pat on the back. People don't get enough of that," says Brown, who notes that the 5,700-student Alisal district has dramatically reduced its injury claims since the incentive program began. Before periodic safety checks were instituted four years ago, the district averaged eight injury claims a year; in the years after, there have been two or three claims each year, and so far this year there have been two.

Brown estimates the savings to the district...