Incidence Rate

In HR safety management, incidence rate measures how frequently workplace injuries or illnesses occur relative to the number of hours worked — calculated using OSHA's standard formula: (number of injuries or illnesses x 200,000) divided by total employee hours worked. The 200,000-hour denominator represents 100 full-time employees working 40 hours per week for 50 weeks, enabling comparison across organizations of different sizes. Tracking incidence rates — particularly DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred) and recordable injury rates — allows safety managers to identify trends, benchmark against industry averages, and measure the effectiveness of safety interventions over time. Organizations with high incidence rates face elevated workers' compensation premiums, OSHA inspection risk, and potential reputational damage in industries where safety record is a factor in contract qualification.