OSHA Incident Rate Calculator
Calculate your Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), DART rate, and Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR) — with instant BLS industry benchmark comparisons.
What Counts as an OSHA Recordable Incident?
Use this decision flowchart to determine whether a workplace injury or illness must be recorded on the OSHA 300 Log.
Understanding TRIR, DART, and LTIR
Workplace safety metrics are the backbone of every organization's injury prevention strategy. The three most important rates — TRIR, DART, and LTIR — each measure a different dimension of workplace safety performance, and together they paint a complete picture of how well a company protects its workers.
Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
TRIR is the broadest safety metric and the one most commonly referenced in contract bidding, insurance underwriting, and OSHA enforcement targeting. It captures every OSHA-recordable incident — from minor injuries requiring medical treatment beyond first aid to fatalities — normalized per 200,000 hours worked (the equivalent of 100 full-time employees working a full year).
The formula is straightforward: TRIR = (Number of Recordable Incidents × 200,000) ÷ Total Hours Worked. A lower TRIR indicates fewer injuries per employee-hour, and the metric allows direct comparison between companies of vastly different sizes. The BLS national average across all private industries is approximately 2.7, though this varies significantly by sector.
Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) Rate
DART narrows the lens to more serious incidents — only those resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfers. A worker who sprains an ankle at work and receives physical therapy (medical treatment beyond first aid) would count toward TRIR but not toward DART unless they also missed work or were placed on restricted duty.
Because DART focuses on cases with operational impact, it's the metric OSHA uses most heavily in its Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program to select establishments for programmed inspections. Companies with DART rates above the national average are placed on OSHA's primary inspection list. The current all-industry DART average is 1.6.
Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR)
LTIR is the most restrictive metric, counting only incidents where an employee was completely unable to work for at least one full day beyond the date of injury. Unlike DART, LTIR excludes restricted-duty and transfer cases, isolating the most severe injuries. Many international operations and insurance carriers prefer LTIR because it more directly correlates with workers' compensation costs and lost productivity.
Why All Three Matter
Used together, these rates reveal patterns that a single metric might miss. A company with a moderate TRIR but a disproportionately high DART rate may be experiencing more severe injuries despite fewer total incidents. Conversely, a high TRIR with a low DART could mean many minor recordable cases that don't disrupt operations. Tracking all three over time helps safety managers identify whether interventions are reducing injury severity, frequency, or both.
General contractors, facility owners, and procurement departments routinely require these metrics in prequalification questionnaires (ISNetworld, Avetta, Veriforce). Insurance carriers use 3-year rolling averages to calculate Experience Modification Rates (EMR), directly impacting premium costs.
What Is a Good TRIR?
A "good" TRIR depends entirely on your industry. A 3.0 might be below average in healthcare but above average in mining. The table below shows BLS benchmark TRIR and DART rates for major industries.
| Industry | BLS TRIR | BLS DART | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 0.8 | 0.5 | Low Risk |
| Mining | 1.5 | 0.9 | Low Risk |
| Utilities | 1.8 | 1.0 | Low Risk |
| Wholesale Trade | 2.5 | 1.5 | Moderate |
| All Industries | 2.7 | 1.6 | Moderate |
| Construction | 2.8 | 1.7 | Moderate |
| Retail Trade | 3.1 | 1.9 | Moderate |
| Manufacturing | 3.3 | 2.0 | Elevated |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 4.2 | 3.1 | High Risk |
| Healthcare | 4.5 | 3.2 | High Risk |
| Agriculture | 4.8 | 3.0 | High Risk |
How Companies Use These Rates
📋 Insurance Premiums
Workers' comp carriers use TRIR and DART to calculate your Experience Modification Rate (EMR). A TRIR above your industry average can increase premiums by 25–100%. Some carriers won't renew coverage at all if your TRIR exceeds 2× the benchmark.
🏗️ Contract Bidding
General contractors and facility owners require safety metrics on prequalification forms (ISNetworld, Avetta, PEC Safety). Many set hard cutoffs — for example, refusing to award contracts to subs with a TRIR above 3.0 or an EMR above 1.0.
🔍 OSHA Inspection Targeting
OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program uses DART rates from electronically submitted 300A forms to build annual inspection lists. Establishments with DART rates above the national average face higher inspection probability.
📈 Internal Benchmarking
Safety directors track 3-year rolling TRIR and DART trends to measure program effectiveness. A declining TRIR demonstrates that training, engineering controls, and safety culture investments are producing measurable results.
See Your Company's Actual OSHA Enforcement History
Your calculated rates show potential risk — but real OSHA inspection data shows what's actually happened. Search 2.3 million facility records with violation details, penalties, and risk scores.
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OSHA Incident Rate FAQ
A good TRIR depends on your industry. The BLS national average across all private industries is 2.7. Generally, a TRIR below 2.0 is considered good, below 1.0 is excellent, and above 4.0 warrants immediate attention. Professional services averages just 0.8, while agriculture and healthcare average above 4.5. Compare your rate against your specific industry benchmark rather than the all-industry average for the most meaningful assessment.
To calculate TRIR across multiple sites, sum all OSHA recordable incidents from every location and divide by the total hours worked across all sites, then multiply by 200,000. Do not average individual site TRIRs — this produces an inaccurate result because sites with fewer hours would be overweighted. For example, if Site A has 5 incidents with 100,000 hours and Site B has 3 incidents with 300,000 hours, the combined TRIR is (8 × 200,000) ÷ 400,000 = 4.0.
OSHA does not require employers to calculate TRIR directly. However, OSHA does require employers with 11 or more employees to maintain OSHA 300 Logs of work-related injuries and illnesses and to post the OSHA 300A summary annually. Certain industries with 250+ employees must also electronically submit their injury data. TRIR is calculated from this data and is widely used by insurers, general contractors, and OSHA itself for targeting inspections through the Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program.
TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) counts all OSHA-recordable incidents, including cases requiring only medical treatment beyond first aid. DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred) counts only the subset of recordable incidents that resulted in days away from work, restricted duty, or job transfer. DART is always equal to or lower than TRIR and indicates more severe injuries that impact operations. OSHA uses DART — not TRIR — for its SST inspection targeting program.
Insurance carriers use TRIR as a key factor in calculating your workers' compensation Experience Modification Rate (EMR). A high TRIR leads to higher EMRs, which directly increases premiums — sometimes by 50–100% or more. Many carriers use 3-year rolling TRIR averages to evaluate risk trends. A consistently declining TRIR can earn premium discounts, while a rising TRIR may lead carriers to increase rates, impose higher deductibles, or decline coverage renewal.
There is no single TRIR threshold that guarantees an OSHA inspection. However, OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program primarily uses DART rates — not TRIR — to select establishments for programmed inspections. Establishments with DART rates above the national average (currently 1.6 for all industries) are candidates for the primary inspection list. OSHA also uses National Emphasis Programs (NEPs) targeting specific hazards and industries, and responds to complaints, referrals, and fatalities regardless of recorded rates.