Positive Safety That Actually Works: Scratchie

Most safety programs focus on what goes wrong. James Kell (Scratchie) flips that script: recognize what’s going right—in real time—and you’ll get more of it. In this episode, we talked about why behavior-based quotas backfire, how Self-Determination Theory (SDT) outperforms punishment models, and practical ways leaders can reward good work without turning recognition into a control lever.

Meet James Kell (Scratchie)

James started as a carpenter in a multi-generation building family and later led a $200M construction firm. When they had the opportunity to build an apple store, they were told, "You have to be innovative". A left-field hire for “Safety Manager” (a former professional musician) helped him see the problem clearly: safety culture was built on negatives. Together they tested a simple idea—reward visible safe behaviors quickly—and watched engagement jump.

“If people never touch our product but take the ideas and improve their teams, I’m happy.” — James

The Problem with Traditional Safety (and BBS)

Traditional safety approaches like posters, zero-harm slogans, and quota-based observations often lead to lip service and under-reporting, while delayed recognition programs like “Employee of the Month” fail to connect behaviors with positive reinforcement. Many workers feel these policies exist more to protect the company legally than to support their success, which undermines genuine engagement. A better framework comes from Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which shows people thrive when three needs are met: autonomy (choosing to do the right thing), competence (being good at something and having it noticed), and relatedness (feeling connected to the team and leaders). When supervisors catch good acts—like hazard spotting, housekeeping, or smart workarounds—and recognize them immediately, they reinforce all three needs. That’s where the real gains in safety, quality, retention, and productivity happen.

How Scratchie Implements It (without becoming “another app”)

• Top-down “Scratchies”: Supervisors instantly reward safe, positive behaviors—points or small cash ($10–$50). Real-time = real impact.

• Bottom-up Convo Cards: Workers capture quick photo + voice-to-text notes (safe/unsafe). Urgent items pop to the top; AI summarizes patterns.

• Peer Shout-Outs: Worker-to-worker recognition (points). High-value shout-outs surface for supervisor rewards.

• Adoption: Even in “no personal phones on the job” environments, recognition can be logged pre-shift or issued remotely.

• Cost & Scale: Free forever up to 10 users; Pro at ~$5/user/month. Open API to push accepted items into your safety platform—so you’re not duplicating work.

  
  

What Didn’t Work (and Why)

• Monthly vouchers are too slow—recognition that comes weeks after the behavior doesn’t connect in the brain.

• “They should be doing it anyway” misses the point—quick, specific recognition transforms “should” into “want to.”

• Quotas and forced counts shift focus to numbers instead of behaviors, killing intrinsic motivation and culture.

• Big, occasional prizes don’t build habits—small, frequent, immediate rewards reinforce the right actions.

• Generic praise is noise—specific, detailed recognition tells workers exactly what to repeat.

  
  

Where to Find Scratchie

• Website: scratchie.com (with an “ie”)

• Rollout: Free for teams ≤10; Pro adds reporting, multi-site, API integrations

• Languages: English today; Spanish and Arabic on deck

  
  

My Take

I’ve been in cultures where autonomy and competence were real—the difference is night and day. If you want people to care, recognize, what you actually want more of, and do it when it happens.

Keep the Momentum Going

• Book — Crude Communication: Practical tools for vendor relationships and tough conversations.👉 https://a.co/d/3F0O0ld?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=sdt-scratchie

• Podcast — The Crude Cast: Field-tested stories and tactics from operators, engineers, and leaders.🎧 https://www.crudecommunication.com/podcast?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=sdt-scratchie

  
  

• More Posts: Operations, leadership, safety—no fluff.📚 https://www.crudecommunication.com/blog?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=sdt-scratchie

  
  

Questions for You

• Where can you recognize autonomy this week—something a worker chose to do right?

• What’s your fastest path to reward within the same shift?

• Which peer-to-peer behaviors deserve shout-outs on your site?