A lost time case is the kind of injury nobody wants to explain. Someone was hurt, and they could not come to work. The lost time case rate tracks how often that happens.
Enter your lost-time cases and hours worked below.
What is the lost time case rate?
The lost time case rate (LTCR) shows how many lost-time cases happened for every 100 full-time workers in a year. It counts cases, not days. One person off for two days and one person off for two months are both counted as one case.
The LTCR formula
LTCR = (Number of lost-time cases x 200,000) / Total hours worked
The 200,000 hour base stands for 100 full-time workers over a year. It is the same base used by the OSHA incident rate.
What is a lost-time case?
A lost-time case is a work injury or illness that makes the person miss work after the day of the injury. If they go home early on the day it happens and are back the next shift, that is normally not a lost-time case. If they cannot work the following shift because of it, it is.
Worked example
A mining contractor had 3 lost-time cases in a year and worked 600,000 hours.
LTCR = (3 x 200,000) / 600,000 = 600,000 / 600,000 = 1.0
That means 1 lost-time case per 100 full-time workers. If next year there is one case over 650,000 hours, LTCR = 200,000 / 650,000 = 0.31.
LTCR vs LTIFR
These two are close relatives. They count the same kind of event but use a different base. LTCR uses 200,000 hours, and LTIFR uses 1,000,000. To convert LTCR to the million-hour version, multiply by 5. You can check the result against our LTIFR calculator.
LTCR vs severity
LTCR is about how many cases. It does not say how long people were away. For that you need a severity measure, such as the lost workday rate or the severity rate. Use them together: LTCR shows frequency, and the others show weight.
How to use it
- Report it monthly and as a 12-month rolling figure.
- Show it on a simple chart so the team can see the trend.
- Review every lost-time case in a short meeting and write down the cause.
- Share what was fixed, so people see that reporting leads to change.
Common mistakes
- Counting the injury day as lost time
- Counting illness absence that is not work-related
- Leaving out contractor hours
- Changing the base between reports
- Reading too much into one month of data
Example: comparing two projects
Project 1 had 2 lost-time cases over 300,000 hours. Project 2 had 4 cases over 900,000 hours. Project 1: (2 x 200,000) / 300,000 = 1.33. Project 2: (4 x 200,000) / 900,000 = 0.89. Project 2 had more cases but a lower rate, because many more hours were worked. Looking only at the counts would have given the wrong answer.
Step by step
- Count the lost-time cases in the period.
- Add up total hours worked, including contractors.
- Multiply the cases by 200,000.
- Divide the result by the hours.
- Record the result with its base.
Setting a realistic target
A target of zero is a good aim, but it can feel far away. Many teams set a yearly target based on their last result, such as cutting the rate by 20 per cent, and also set action targets: close all investigation actions in 14 days, run a weekly site walk, finish refresher training on time. Actions are easier to control than outcomes, and they are what really move the rate.
What to include in your monthly report
A good monthly note is short. Show the number of lost-time cases, the hours worked, the LTCR for the month and for the last 12 months, and one line on each case: what happened, the cause and the fix. Keep the language plain. A supervisor should be able to read it in two minutes and know what to do on Monday morning.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good LTCR?
It depends on the industry. A falling trend is the best sign.
Is LTCR the same as LTIR?
They are very similar. Both normally use 200,000 hours. Check how your organisation defines the terms.
Does a restricted duty case count as lost time?
Normally no. It is counted as a restricted work case instead.
Why use cases instead of days?
Cases show how often serious injuries happen. Days show how heavy they are. Both are useful.
Can I use the 1,000,000 base?
You can, but then it is called LTIFR. Do not mix the two names and bases in one report.
Learn this properly
Lost-time measures are part of NEBOSH, IOSH and OSHA studies. ISH Institutes teaches these courses in Peshawar. Chat with us on WhatsApp and we will help you pick the right course.