The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses incidence rates to identify poor workplace safety management programs. Incidence rates can be calculated for all recordable cases of injury or illness, or only those that result in lost work days. OSHA uses the incidence rate for days away from work, days of restricted work activity or job transfer (DART) to target high-risk work sites for inspection. A high DART rate could mean that a company needs to improve safety procedures. A low DART rate could mean non-compliance with OSHA reporting regulations.
Calculate Your OSHA DART Rate
Determine the number of cases involving days away from work, restricted work duty or transfer to another job. This is the total number of lost-time incidents recorded as entries in column H and column I of OSHA form 300. You may also obtain this number by adding the total number of cases entered on line H and line I of OSHA form 300A.
Determine the number of hours worked by all employees during the year. This number is the total of all regular and overtime hours worked, which is available in the employment information section of OSHA form 300. You may also obtain this number through payroll records.
Calculate your OSHA DART rate. The total number of cases involving days away from work, restricted work duty or transfer to another job, multiplied by 200,000 (the equivalent of 100 full-time employees working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks per year), then divided by the total number of hours worked during the year. This equals the DART rate. OSHA rates are expressed as a rate per 100 full-time employees. This provides companies with a standard value to compare safety performance without regard to the number of employees.
