How do you calculate the OSHA incident rate?

Multiply your number of recordable cases by 200,000, then divide by total hours worked. With 5 recordable cases and 500,000 hours, that is 5 x 200,000 / 500,000 = a TRIR of 2.0 per 100 workers.

Why is the OSHA incident rate multiplied by 200,000?

200,000 represents 100 full-time employees working 2,000 hours a year (40 hours x 50 weeks). It rescales any site's hours to that common base so rates are comparable regardless of headcount.

What is a good OSHA incident rate in manufacturing?

It varies by NAICS code, but most manufacturing subsectors average a TRIR around 3 to 4. A rate of 2.0, like the worked example, is below the typical manufacturing average and considered solid; world-class programs push under 1.0.

What counts as an OSHA recordable case?

Any work-related injury or illness involving death, days away from work, restricted duty or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant diagnosis. First-aid-only treatment is not recordable.

Is TRIR the same as the OSHA incident rate?

Yes. TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) is the standard name for the OSHA recordable incident rate this calculator returns. DART and LTIR are narrower subsets that count only the more serious cases.

How many hours should I use if I don't track them exactly?

Use actual hours from payroll whenever possible. If you must estimate, multiply average headcount by hours per employee, and exclude vacation, holiday, and sick time since those are not hours worked.

Safety & Workforce calculator

OSHA Incident Rate Calculator

The OSHA incident rate, formally the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), expresses how many recordable injuries and illnesses a workplace logs per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year. EHS managers, plant safety committees, and corporate risk teams use it to normalize injury counts across sites of different sizes so a 40-person tool shop and a 600-person stamping plant can be compared fairly. It is the number OSHA's BLS surveys collect, the figure insurers and customers ask for during audits, and the metric most manufacturing scorecards track quarter over quarter. Because it scales every operation to the same 200,000-hour baseline, a falling TRIR is one of the clearest signals that your safety program is actually working.

What this calculator does

Calculate OSHA incident rate for Safety & Workforce from recordable cases and total hours worked, using the OSHA 200,000-hour basis.
Use it to benchmark safety performance for Safety & Workforce against OSHA and industry averages.
It computes your recordable incident rate per 100 full-time workers from your OSHA recordable case count and total hours worked.

Formula used

OSHA incident rate = recordable cases × 200,000 ÷ total hours worked
200,000 = 100 full-time workers × 2,000 hours per year

Inputs explained

Recordable incidents: Number of recordable cases in the period (usually a calendar year).
Total hours worked: All employee hours worked in the same period (overtime included).

How to use the result

Use it at month-, quarter-, and year-end to report TRIR on your EHS scorecard, prepare OSHA Form 300A summaries, or benchmark a site against NAICS industry averages.
It only counts OSHA-recordable cases as defined in 29 CFR 1904 — first-aid-only events are excluded, so an honest rate depends entirely on correct recordability determinations.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Manufacturing hourly earnings average $30.27 (BLS, Jun 2026), up 4.4% from a year earlier. Median machinist pay is $28.24/hr (OEWS 2025), with state medians on each state page. Manufacturers have 529k open positions nationally (BLS JOLTS).

Common questions

How do you calculate the OSHA incident rate? Multiply your number of recordable cases by 200,000, then divide by total hours worked. With 5 recordable cases and 500,000 hours, that is 5 x 200,000 / 500,000 = a TRIR of 2.0 per 100 workers.
Why is the OSHA incident rate multiplied by 200,000? 200,000 represents 100 full-time employees working 2,000 hours a year (40 hours x 50 weeks). It rescales any site's hours to that common base so rates are comparable regardless of headcount.
What is a good OSHA incident rate in manufacturing? It varies by NAICS code, but most manufacturing subsectors average a TRIR around 3 to 4. A rate of 2.0, like the worked example, is below the typical manufacturing average and considered solid; world-class programs push under 1.0.
What counts as an OSHA recordable case? Any work-related injury or illness involving death, days away from work, restricted duty or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant diagnosis. First-aid-only treatment is not recordable.
Is TRIR the same as the OSHA incident rate? Yes. TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) is the standard name for the OSHA recordable incident rate this calculator returns. DART and LTIR are narrower subsets that count only the more serious cases.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.