.far-calculator-container {
max-width: 600px;
margin: 20px auto;
padding: 25px;
background-color: #f9f9f9;
border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
border-radius: 8px;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
}
.far-calculator-container h3 {
margin-top: 0;
color: #333;
text-align: center;
}
.far-input-group {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.far-input-group label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #555;
}
.far-input-group input {
width: 100%;
padding: 10px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
border-radius: 4px;
box-sizing: border-box;
font-size: 16px;
}
.far-calc-btn {
display: block;
width: 100%;
padding: 12px;
background-color: #d9534f;
color: white;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 18px;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background-color 0.3s;
}
.far-calc-btn:hover {
background-color: #c9302c;
}
.far-result-box {
margin-top: 20px;
padding: 15px;
background-color: #fff;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 4px;
text-align: center;
display: none;
}
.far-result-value {
font-size: 24px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #d9534f;
}
.far-result-label {
font-size: 14px;
color: #666;
margin-top: 5px;
}
.far-article {
max-width: 800px;
margin: 40px auto;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
line-height: 1.6;
color: #333;
}
.far-article h2 {
color: #2c3e50;
border-bottom: 2px solid #eee;
padding-bottom: 10px;
}
.far-article ul {
background-color: #f8f9fa;
padding: 20px 40px;
border-radius: 5px;
}
function calculateFAR() {
// Get input values
var fatalitiesInput = document.getElementById('numFatalities');
var hoursInput = document.getElementById('totalHours');
var resultBox = document.getElementById('farResult');
var resultValue = document.getElementById('farValue');
var fatalities = parseFloat(fatalitiesInput.value);
var hours = parseFloat(hoursInput.value);
// Validation
if (isNaN(fatalities) || fatalities < 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid non-negative number for fatalities.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(hours) || hours <= 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid number of hours worked (greater than 0).");
return;
}
// Calculation: (Fatalities * 100,000,000) / Total Hours
// The standard scaling factor for FAR is usually 10^8 (100 million)
var scalingFactor = 100000000;
var far = (fatalities * scalingFactor) / hours;
// Display result formatted to 3 decimal places
resultValue.innerHTML = far.toFixed(3);
resultBox.style.display = "block";
}
Understanding Fatal Accident Rate (FAR)
The Fatal Accident Rate (FAR) is a standardized safety metric used primarily in industrial settings, aviation, and transportation to measure the frequency of fatal incidents relative to the amount of work performed or distance traveled. Unlike simple incident counts, FAR allows organizations to compare safety performance across different time periods or between workforces of vastly different sizes.
This calculator uses the standard industrial formula based on 100 million employee hours, which roughly corresponds to the number of hours 50,000 employees would work over a 40-year career (assuming 2,000 hours per year). This provides a "lifetime risk" perspective.
The FAR Formula
The calculation performed by the tool above is:
FAR = (Number of Fatalities × 100,000,000) / Total Hours Worked
How to Interpret the Result
The result represents the expected number of fatalities if the current rate were sustained for 100 million hours of exposure.
- High FAR: Indicates a critical failure in safety protocols requiring immediate intervention.
- Low FAR: Indicates stronger safety controls, though in many industries, the goal is always zero.
- Comparison: A company with 2 fatalities in 10 million hours has a higher risk profile (FAR = 20) than a larger company with 5 fatalities in 100 million hours (FAR = 5).
Example Calculation
Consider a large construction firm wanting to assess its safety performance for the previous year:
- Fatalities: 1
- Total Workforce: 2,500 employees
- Total Hours Worked: 5,000,000 hours (2,500 employees × 2,000 hours)
Calculation: (1 × 100,000,000) / 5,000,000 = 20.0
This means the Fatal Accident Rate is 20 per 100 million employee hours.
Why Use 100 Million Hours?
While OSHA often uses 200,000 hours (representing 100 employees per year) for injury incidence rates, fatalities are statistically rare events. Using a larger scaling factor like 100,000,000 avoids dealing with extremely small decimals (e.g., 0.00002) and provides a more readable integer that relates to lifetime exposure risk for a large population.