What Does Recordable Incident Rate Mean?
The Recordable Incident Rate (RIR) is a mathematical calculation used by OSHA that describes the number of employees per 100 full-time employees that have been involved in an OSHA-recordable injury or illness.
Incident rates are collected on a per-company basis and are then aggregated by industry, demographics, and other characteristics.
To calculate RIR, use the following formula:
(OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses X 200,000) / Total hours worked
Safeopedia Explains Recordable Incident Rate
Regulatory agencies have standardized their incident rate calculations to compare data between agencies and to identify industries or sectors requiring additional safety program assistance.
Incident rates also act as a metric that allows a company’s safety performance to be compared against a national or state average. These averages act as benchmarks that enable individual businesses to gauge their performance relative to their peers. The recordable incident rate is driven by the data found on the OSHA 300 log of OSHA recordable incidents. Recordable incidents are defined by OSHA according to specific standardized criteria.
Recordable incident rates are compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and organized under the BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (IIF) program. The IIF program provides recordable incident rates for a number of categories, including industry, injury circ*mstance, and worker demographics (race/ethnicity, age, and gender). The program also separates data on non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses from data on fatal occupational injuries and illnesses.
