Incident Rate Calculator

What Is a Good Incident Rate?

A "good" TRIR depends on your industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes annual incidence rates by industry. Generally, a TRIR below your industry average indicates better-than-average safety performance. Many large contractors require subcontractors to maintain a TRIR below 1.0 for prequalification.

2024 BLS Industry Benchmark Rates (per 100 FTEs)

*Fatality rate per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. Source: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Understanding the Formulas

• TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate): (Number of OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses x 200,000) / Total hours worked. The 200,000 factor represents 100 full-time employees working 40 hours/week for 50 weeks.
• DART Rate: (Number of DART cases x 200,000) / Total hours worked. DART cases are those resulting in days away from work, restricted duty, or transfer to another job.
• Severity Rate: (Number of lost workdays x 200,000) / Total hours worked. Measures the severity of injuries, not just frequency.
• EMR (Experience Modification Rate): Calculated by your workers' comp insurer based on 3 years of loss history compared to industry expected losses. An EMR of 1.0 is average; below 1.0 means better than average.

How to Lower Your Incident Rate

• Near-miss reporting: Every near-miss caught is a recordable prevented. Make reporting easy and non-punitive.
• Leading indicators: Track training completion, inspection scores, observation counts - not just lagging injury data.
• Toolbox talks: Daily safety talks reduce incidents by keeping hazard awareness current.
• Hazard reporting: Empower workers to flag hazards before they cause injuries.
• Return-to-work programs: Modified duty keeps DART cases from becoming days-away cases.