Enter the number of OSHA recordable injuries/illnesses resulting in Days Away, Restricted work, or Job Transfer.
Total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year.
Your DART Rate
0.00
Excel Formula: To calculate this in Excel, use: =(A2*200000)/B2 where A2 is the number of incidents and B2 is total hours worked.
function calculateDartRate() {
var incidentsInput = document.getElementById("dartIncidents");
var hoursInput = document.getElementById("totalHours");
var resultBox = document.getElementById("resultOutput");
var scoreDisplay = document.getElementById("dartScore");
var explanationDisplay = document.getElementById("dartExplanation");
var incidents = parseFloat(incidentsInput.value);
var hours = parseFloat(hoursInput.value);
// Validation
if (isNaN(incidents) || incidents < 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid number of incidents.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(hours) || hours <= 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid amount of total hours worked (must be greater than 0).");
return;
}
// Calculation: (N * 200,000) / EH
var baseConstant = 200000;
var dartRate = (incidents * baseConstant) / hours;
// Display Result
resultBox.style.display = "block";
scoreDisplay.innerHTML = dartRate.toFixed(2);
// Interpretation
var interpretation = "";
if (dartRate === 0) {
interpretation = "Perfect score! You have zero DART incidents recorded for these hours.";
} else if (dartRate = 1.5 && dartRate < 3.0) {
interpretation = "This rate is average for many heavy industries. Review your safety protocols for restricted duty cases.";
} else {
interpretation = "This rate is elevated. It indicates a higher frequency of severe incidents relative to your workforce size.";
}
explanationDisplay.innerHTML = interpretation + " This means for every 100 full-time employees, " + dartRate.toFixed(2) + " incidents resulted in time away or restricted duty.";
}
Understanding the DART Rate Calculator
The DART Rate (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred) is a critical safety metric defined by OSHA to help employers identify safety issues in the workplace. Unlike the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), which counts all recordable incidents, the DART rate focuses specifically on more severe incidents that affect an employee's ability to perform their regular job duties.
While many safety managers search for a dart rate calculator excel template, this online tool provides an instant calculation based on the standard OSHA formula, ensuring accuracy without the need to build a spreadsheet manually.
The DART Rate Formula
The calculation uses a standardized formula that allows companies of different sizes to be compared fairly. It normalizes your injury data to represent the equivalent of 100 full-time employees working a full year.
DART Rate = (N × 200,000) ÷ EH
N: The number of OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses that resulted in Days Away, Restricted work activity, or Job Transfer.
200,000: This constant represents the number of hours 100 employees would work in a year (100 employees × 40 hours/week × 50 weeks).
EH: The total number of hours worked by all employees during the calendar year.
How to Calculate DART Rate in Excel
If you are maintaining your safety logs in Microsoft Excel, you can easily automate this calculation. Here is how to set up your spreadsheet:
Cell A1: Label this "DART Incidents" (Enter your value in A2).
Cell B1: Label this "Total Hours Worked" (Enter your value in B2).
Cell C1: Label this "DART Rate".
Cell C2 (Formula): Type =(A2*200000)/B2
This formula multiplies your incidents by the OSHA constant and divides by the total hours, giving you the same result as the calculator above.
DART vs. TRIR: What is the Difference?
It is common to confuse DART with TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate). Here is the key difference:
TRIR counts every OSHA recordable incident (medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, etc.).
DART counts only those incidents that resulted in the employee missing work, being on restricted duty, or being transferred to another job.
Because the DART rate only tracks more severe incidents, it will always be lower than or equal to your TRIR. A high DART rate relative to your TRIR suggests that when accidents do happen, they tend to be severe.
Why is Your DART Rate Important?
Your DART rate is not just a number for internal reporting. It has real-world business consequences:
OSHA Inspections: High DART rates can trigger programmed inspections by OSHA.
Insurance Premiums: Workers' compensation insurers use this data to determine risk and set premiums.
Contract Bidding: Many clients, especially in construction and manufacturing, require contractors to submit their DART rates. If your rate is above a certain threshold, you may be disqualified from bidding on projects.
Improving Your Score
To lower your DART rate, focus on return-to-work programs. Since "Restricted" and "Transferred" days count toward the metric, the primary way to reduce the rate is to prevent the injury entirely. However, effective case management and ensuring employees are not kept on restricted duty longer than medically necessary can help manage the tracking accuracy.