Ask a safety manager in the US how their site is doing, and sooner or later you will hear a number like 2.3. That is usually the incident rate, also called TRIR. It is the number OSHA built its recordkeeping around.
Enter your recordable cases and your hours below, and the calculator will give you your rate straight away.
What is the incident rate?
The incident rate, or Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), shows how many OSHA recordable cases you had for every 100 full-time workers in a year. It is a way to turn a pile of injury reports into one number you can track and compare.
The base of 100 workers is the key. One full-time worker puts in about 2,000 hours a year, so 100 workers give 200,000 hours. That is the number used in the formula.
The incident rate formula
Incident rate = (Number of recordable cases x 200,000) / Total hours worked
The 200,000 turns the result into a rate per 100 full-time employees. You need two numbers only: the cases from your injury log, and the total hours your people worked.
What is an OSHA recordable case?
Under OSHA rules, a work-related injury or illness is recordable if it leads to any of these:
- Death
- Days away from work
- Restricted work or transfer to another job
- Medical treatment beyond first aid
- Loss of consciousness
- A significant injury or illness diagnosed by a doctor
Simple first aid, like cleaning a small cut or using a bandage, is not recordable. If you work outside the US, check which definition your client or regulator wants before you start counting.
Worked example
A fabrication shop had 4 recordable cases last year. Its team worked 350,000 hours in total.
Incident rate = (4 x 200,000) / 350,000 = 800,000 / 350,000 = 2.29
So for every 100 full-time workers, the shop had about 2.3 recordable cases in that year. If next year the shop has 3 cases over 360,000 hours, the rate drops to 1.67. That is a clear improvement you can show in a report.
How to read your result
- Track it over time. A falling rate across several quarters is a better sign than one good month.
- Compare with your own industry. A rate that looks high for an office may be normal for heavy construction.
- Set a target. Many firms aim to beat last year’s rate by a fixed amount.
Lower is better, but a low number alone does not prove you are safe. It only counts the injuries that were reported.
Incident rate vs TRIFR
The two rates measure the same thing with a different base. TRIFR uses 1,000,000 hours, and TRIR uses 200,000. To turn an incident rate into a per-million figure, multiply it by 5. An incident rate of 2.29 is a TRIFR of about 11.4. If you need the million-hour version, our TRIFR calculator does it directly.
Common mistakes
- Counting only employees and leaving out contractor hours
- Using paid hours, which include holidays, instead of hours actually worked
- Changing what you count as recordable from one year to the next
- Leaving out cases because they look minor
- Comparing your rate with a company in a very different industry
Other rates to look at
A single rate hides detail. Pair it with the DART rate to see how many cases caused days away or restricted work, and with the lost time case rate for the most serious ones.
How to find your hours worked
Payroll or timesheets are the best source. Add up the hours every employee and contractor actually worked, including overtime, and leave out holidays and sick leave. If you only have headcount, estimate it: for example 120 workers x 8 hours x 26 days = 24,960 hours a month. Use the same method each time so your trend stays fair.
Example: comparing two contractors
Contractor A had 5 recordable cases over 500,000 hours. Contractor B had 2 cases over 120,000 hours. At first glance B looks safer, because it had fewer cases. Check the rates: A = (5 x 200,000) / 500,000 = 2.0. B = (2 x 200,000) / 120,000 = 3.33. Once hours are taken into account, B is the higher-risk contractor. That is exactly why rates are used instead of raw counts.
Step by step
- Count the recordable cases for the period.
- Add up the total hours worked.
- Multiply the cases by 200,000.
- Divide by the hours.
- Write the result with the base, like 2.0 per 200,000 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good incident rate?
It depends on the industry. Compare with similar businesses and with your own past results. A steady fall matters most.
Why is the incident rate calculated per 200,000 hours?
Because 200,000 hours equals 100 full-time workers for one year. It makes small and big companies easy to compare.
Is TRIR the same as the incident rate?
Yes. TRIR stands for Total Recordable Incident Rate. People use both names for the same calculation.
Do contractors count?
Usually yes, if they work under your control on your site. Include their hours and their recordable cases.
How often should I calculate it?
Most companies do it monthly, and also as a rolling 12-month figure so one bad month does not distort the picture.
Learn this properly
Recordkeeping and injury rates are a core part of OSHA, NEBOSH and IOSH training. ISH Institutes teaches these courses in Peshawar. Chat with us on WhatsApp and we will help you pick the right course.