Incident rates are a powerful metric to evaluate and monitor worker safety. OSHA, for instance, uses the Total Case Incident Rate, also referred to as the TCIR, to monitor data from high-risk industries that may regularly encounter dangerous safety trends or patterns. Additionally, safety managers will use information from the calculated incident rate to monitor injury frequency or illnesses and discover where safety programs are falling short.
Utilizing the OSHA incident rate calculator method can also establish a benchmark for comparing safety performance to other organizations within the same industry.
To utilize this form, you will need the most recent copy of your OSHA 300 log and 300A summary. Using these documents, simply plug in the number of recordable injuries and illnesses with total hours worked to find your OSHA incident rate.
I found the TCIR, what's next?
The number you get as your incident rate is the number of work-related injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees over one full year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the TCIR for private industry employers in 2017 was a rate of 2.8 cases per 100 employees.
Higher-risk industries like construction or mining are bound to have a higher incident rate, but if you have a high rate of injuries in a relatively safe industry, it is probably time to revamp your safety program.
Measuring your OSHA incident rate is a great indicator for the performance of safety in your industry. Different industries will have different average rates and you can find businesses in your specific sector with the North American Industry Classifications (NAICS) Code search. Similarly, smaller companies are more likely to have high or fluctuating incident rates from year to year.
In addition to the OSHA Recordable Incident Rate formula, companies may find it beneficial to calculate Lost Time Case Rate, Lost Workday Rate, Severity Rate, and the Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) Rate. Monitoring this data over time can be one of the most effective tools for improving safety for your workers.
