Safety is a 365-day, round-the-clock concern for WillScot and our clients, who negotiate ever-present dangers in workplaces that are often temporary, dynamic and fast-paced. Diligent safety oversight is a two-fold business issue; not only is it vitally important to the health of employees and anyone interacting within your environment, but there are many financial implications related to sub-standard on-the-job safety management.
Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) is a lagging indicator used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to assess the safety performance of businesses of all sizes. Understanding how this formula is calculated and its impact on business success is important for every company.
How is TRIR determined?
OSHA uses this formula to calculate TRIR:
(Number of Recordable Injuries X 200,000) / Number of Hours Worked
• 200,000 is the benchmark standard for the formula because that’s the equivalent of 100 employees, working 40 hours, for 50 weeks
• For example, if your company has six recordable injuries in a year and 424,624 hours were worked, the formula would be:
6 X 200,000 / 424,624 = 2.8
• This allows any other group or individual doing business with your company to have a standardized understanding of how your company’s safety record compares to your industry or competitors
• It’s important to note that the smaller the company (and therefore fewer employees and hours worked), the more each recordable injury impacts TRIR
How does TRIR affect your business?
Though employee health should always be a core value for any business, failure to maintain a safe work environment has a range of consequences. Here are some worth considering:
• Increased oversight: Poor TRIR scores can lead to increased OSHA oversight, such as surprise inspections and fines
• Premium impact: Insurance companies often use TRIR to help determine premiums
• Talent retention: Prospective employees, such as construction workers whose lives depend upon safety, may use TRIR to gauge which companies value it the most
• Vendor profile: Businesses choosing between vendors may stay away from those with high TRIR scores. They also may be drawn to companies that have demonstrated a strong safety record, indicated by a low TRIR score
At WillScot, workplace safety is a foundational element of our core values and a priority for our company. We aspire to zero injuries within our workplace to ensure all employees return home safely every day. To improve performance in this critical area, our employees participate in a company-wide safety education program that includes a multi-course training curriculum, daily shop meetings, online courses, OSHA training, behavior management, and much more.
How do you ensure that your employees work in a safety-first environment?