1. What is the OSHA Severity Rate?

The OSHA Severity Rate is a safety metric that calculates the severity of workplace injuries and illnesses based on lost workdays. It helps organizations measure and compare the seriousness of incidents across different time periods or companies.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the OSHA Severity Rate formula:

Where:

• \( Lost\ Days \) — Total number of days lost due to work-related injuries or illnesses
• \( Hours \) — Total number of hours worked by all employees during the period
• 200,000 — Base for 100 full-time equivalent workers (working 40 hours/week, 50 weeks/year)

Explanation: The rate represents the number of lost workdays per 100 full-time workers that would result from the reported injuries and illnesses.

3. Importance of Severity Rate Calculation

Details: Tracking severity rates helps organizations identify safety issues, measure the effectiveness of safety programs, and benchmark against industry standards.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the total lost workdays and total hours worked by all employees during the reporting period. Both values must be positive numbers (hours must be greater than 0).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's a good severity rate?
A: Lower rates are better. The average varies by industry, but rates below 100 are generally considered good.

Q2: How does this differ from OSHA incident rate?
A: Incident rate counts the number of recordable cases, while severity rate measures the impact in terms of lost workdays.

Q3: What counts as a lost workday?
A: Any day an employee is unable to work due to a work-related injury or illness, including restricted work activity days.

Q4: Why use 200,000 hours?
A: This represents 100 employees working 40 hours/week for 50 weeks/year, providing a standardized basis for comparison.

Q5: How often should severity rate be calculated?
A: Typically calculated annually, but can be calculated quarterly or monthly for more frequent monitoring.