It's important to stay updated on your TCR and DART rate scores, and how they compare with other companies in your industry using NAICS codes. These scores help you benchmark your business against industry averages. Scores higher than average are a lead indicator that safety practices need to be updated, and they can also result in lost business or higher insurance premiums.
Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) or Total Case Rate (TCR) is defined as the number of work-related injuries per 100 full-time workers during a one-year period. It is often also referred to as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) incident rate or the total recordable incident rate (TRIR). OSHA uses TCIR to monitor high-risk industries. Safety managers can use it to track incidents and discover patterns across different departments or facilities.
DART stands for Days Away, Restricted or Transferred. It’s a metric that helps a company track workers affected by injury and compare the rate with industry averages. It is used by OSHA to measure the impact of workplace injuries, including employees who suffer workplace injuries or illnesses, that cause employees to stop working in normal scope.
Unlike TCR/TCIR, DART represents only those injuries and illnesses that have had an impact on workplace activities. It will include any injury that has affected the normal course of your operations, not only those that resulted in causing an employee to temporarily or permanently cease working.
A higher-than-average DART score can result in lost business. Customers might choose to go elsewhere for manufactured parts if they are concerned about your company’s poor safety standards.
A high DART score can also increase insurance costs. Insurance providers might charge higher premiums if your DART rate is high and they consider you an insurance risk.
OSHA is more likely to inspect businesses with high DART rates, increasing the potential for citations and fines.
To lower its DART rate, a company must reduce the number of injuries and illnesses that have an impact on workplace activities. There are many ways to accomplish this, but successful companies tend to focus on improving their safety culture. Here are some resources to help you get there:
- Pursue OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs designation.
- Follow the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Prevention through Design initiative.
- Read MSC Direct’s Better MRO blogs about safety culture in manufacturing
If you want to learn more about DART rates and what goes into them, be sure to read "How to Calculate the OSHA DART Rate."
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