Two Common Statistical Measurements
There are two basic ways to calculate required incident rates for annual OSHA recordkeeping and reporting:
- The Days Away, Restricted, or Job Transferred (DART) Rate which is used for OSHA recordkeeping and reporting, and to qualify for the OSHA SHARP and VPP programs; and
- The Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) which is required to qualify for the VPP.
Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) Rate
The DART is based on the number of recordable DART cases among 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers over one year. It is a required calculation for companies applying for VPP status. You can compute the incident rate for recordable cases involving days away from work, days of restricted work activity, or job transfer using the following formula:
How to Calculate The DART Rate
Since the DART Rate is the most common incident rate used in the safety profession, it's important to know how to calculate it.
The formula is quite simple and easy to use. Just follow these steps:
- Determine the DART (N):Count the number of line entries on your OSHA Form 300 that received a check mark in columns (H) and (I), or refer to the entry in columns (H) and (I) on the OSHA Form 300A.
- Calculate total work hours: The number of hours all employees actually worked during the year. Use the OSHA Form 300A and optional worksheet to calculate this number. If actual hours worked are not available for employees paid on commission, salary, by the mile, etc., hours worked may be estimated on the basis of scheduled hours or 8 hours per workday. Notice that the number of employees is not considered in the calculation. The total number of DART cases and the total number of hours the employees work during the year are the only two important figures.
- The 200,000 figure in the formula represents the number of hours 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year would work and provides the standard base for calculating incident rates.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
6-2. Which of the following calculations is most commonly used in the safety profession to evaluate the company's injury and illness experience over time?
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