How to Calculate Total Incident Rate

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OSHA Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) Calculator

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Total injuries and illnesses as defined by OSHA.
Actual hours worked by all employees.

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Understanding the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)

The Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), also known as the OSHA Incident Rate, is a mathematical standard used to evaluate a company's safety performance. It allows businesses of different sizes to compare their safety records against industry benchmarks provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The Formula for TRIR

To calculate the total incident rate, OSHA uses a specific formula based on a standardized base of 100 full-time employees working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year (which equals 200,000 hours).

TRIR = (Number of Incidents × 200,000) / Total Hours Worked

What counts as a "Recordable Incident"?

According to OSHA, a recordable injury or illness includes:

  • Work-related fatalities.
  • Work-related injuries or illnesses that result in loss of consciousness, days away from work, restricted work, or transfer to another job.
  • Work-related injuries or illnesses requiring medical treatment beyond first aid.
  • Work-related diagnosed cases of cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured or cracked bones, and punctured eardrums.

Practical Example

Imagine a construction firm with 150 employees. In one year, the employees worked a total of 300,000 hours. During that time, there were 4 OSHA-recordable injuries.

  1. Incidents: 4
  2. Hours: 300,000
  3. Calculation: (4 × 200,000) / 300,000 = 2.66

The company's TRIR is 2.66. This means that for every 100 full-time employees, 2.66 experienced a recordable injury or illness during the year.

Why TRIR Matters

Beyond legal compliance, TRIR is often requested by insurance carriers to determine premiums and by potential clients during the bidding process. A high TRIR may signal to stakeholders that a company has a poor safety culture, potentially leading to lost business opportunities or increased oversight from regulators.

function calculateTRIR() { var incidents = parseFloat(document.getElementById('numIncidents').value); var hours = parseFloat(document.getElementById('totalHours').value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('trirResult'); var valueDiv = document.getElementById('trirValue'); var interpDiv = document.getElementById('trirInterpretation'); if (isNaN(incidents) || incidents < 0) { alert("Please enter a valid number of incidents."); return; } if (isNaN(hours) || hours <= 0) { alert("Please enter a valid number of total hours worked (must be greater than 0)."); return; } var trir = (incidents * 200000) / hours; var formattedTrir = trir.toFixed(2); valueDiv.innerHTML = formattedTrir; resultDiv.style.display = 'block'; var interpretation = ""; if (trir === 0) { interpretation = "Excellent! A zero incident rate is the ultimate safety goal."; } else if (trir < 3.0) { interpretation = "This is generally considered a strong safety rating in many industrial sectors."; } else if (trir < 5.0) { interpretation = "This rate is average but indicates room for improvement in safety protocols."; } else { interpretation = "This is a high incident rate. You should review your safety management systems and identify potential hazards."; } interpDiv.innerHTML = interpretation + " Note: Compare this value to the BLS average for your specific NAICS industry code for an accurate benchmark."; resultDiv.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' }); }

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