TRIR Calculator
Compute your total recordable incident rate the way OSHA defines it. Enter recordable cases and DART cases for the year, average headcount, and hours worked per employee — you get TRIR and DART per 200,000 hours (100 full-time workers) and a read against the national average.
Example: with OSHA-recordable cases (year) 3 · DART cases (days away/restricted) 2 · Employees (average headcount) 250 · Hours worked per employee (year) 2000 → TRIR (per 100 FTE): 1.20.
- DART rate0.80
- Total hours worked500,000 hours
- Vs. all-industry averageBelow the 2.4 US private-industry average (BLS 2023)
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
TRIR = recordable cases × 200,000 ÷ hours worked. The 200,000 standardizes to 100 full-time workers (100 × 40 h × 50 weeks), per OSHA recordkeeping.
What TRIR measures
TRIR (total recordable incident rate) normalizes your injury count to 200,000 worked hours — the annual hours of 100 full-time employees — so a 12-person shop and a 5,000-person contractor can be compared on the same scale. Three recordables across 500,000 hours is a TRIR of 1.2; the same three cases in a 40-person firm would be 3.75.
A case is recordable under OSHA's 29 CFR 1904 rules when a work-related injury or illness causes death, days away from work, restricted duty or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. First-aid-only events do not count — over-recording inflates your rate as surely as hiding cases deflates it.
Why the number matters commercially
TRIR is a gatekeeping metric. General contractors and owners routinely prequalify bidders on it (3.0 is a common screen), insurers use it when pricing workers' compensation, and a rate well above your industry average invites OSHA attention. DART — the subset of cases with days away, restriction, or transfer — is watched alongside TRIR because it captures severity, not just frequency.
How it’s calculated
TRIR = recordable cases × 200,000 ÷ total hours worked; DART rate = DART cases × 200,000 ÷ total hours worked. Total hours = average headcount × hours per employee (use actual payroll hours when you have them, excluding vacation and leave). The 200,000-hour base is OSHA's standard: 100 employees × 40 hours × 50 weeks. Comparison line: 2.4 total recordable cases per 100 FTE, the BLS 2023 private-industry average.
Hours are approximated as headcount × average hours — for OSHA 300A submissions use actual hours worked from payroll, and note that overtime-heavy or part-time-heavy workforces make headcount a poor proxy.
How a TRIR reads in practice
| TRIR | How it usually reads |
|---|---|
| 0 | No recordables — common for small crews in a good year |
| Under 1.0 | Strong performance in most industries |
| 1.0–3.0 | Around typical; the 2023 all-industry average is 2.4 |
| 3.0–5.0 | Above average — expect insurer and client scrutiny |
| Over 5.0 | High; many GCs prescreen bids at 3.0 or lower |
Average: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023 private-industry total recordable cases rate (2.4 per 100 FTE). Bands reflect common industry practice, not regulation.
Common mistakes
- Using headcount without converting to hours — part-timers and overtime make 50 employees anywhere from 50,000 to 120,000 hours.
- Counting first-aid-only cases as recordable, which inflates TRIR; OSHA's first-aid list in 1904.7 is specific.
- Reporting DART cases larger than total recordables — DART is a subset of recordables, never bigger.
- Mismatched windows: a mid-year case count divided by full-year hours understates your true rate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the TRIR formula?
TRIR = (number of OSHA-recordable cases × 200,000) ÷ total hours worked by all employees in the year. The 200,000 represents 100 full-time workers at 40 hours for 50 weeks, so TRIR reads as cases per 100 FTE.
What counts as an OSHA-recordable case?
A work-related death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness (29 CFR 1904). When a case sits on the line — say, prescription-strength medication offered but not taken — have your safety professional apply the 1904 criteria before you count it.
What is a good TRIR?
Lower is better against your own industry. The 2023 BLS private-industry average is 2.4 per 100 FTE; many construction owners prequalify at 3.0 or below, and under 1.0 is a strong rate in most sectors.
What is the difference between TRIR and DART?
Both use the same 200,000-hour formula, but DART counts only the recordables serious enough to cause days away, restricted duty, or job transfer. DART is always less than or equal to TRIR; a big gap means most of your cases were treated and returned.
Where do the hours come from?
Actual hours worked from payroll — the same figure you certify on the OSHA 300A summary. Exclude vacation, sick leave, and holidays; include overtime. This calculator's headcount × average-hours input is a planning approximation.