1. What is the OSHA Severity Rate?

The OSHA Severity Rate is a safety metric that measures the severity of workplace injuries and illnesses based on lost workdays. It's calculated as the number of lost workdays multiplied by 200,000, divided by the total hours worked by all employees during the period.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the OSHA Severity Rate formula:

Where:

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

Explanation: The rate represents lost workdays per 100 full-time workers, allowing comparison across different sized organizations.

3. Importance of Severity Rate Calculation

Details: The severity rate helps organizations assess the seriousness of workplace injuries, track safety performance over time, and compare with industry benchmarks.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter total lost workdays and total hours worked by all employees during the period. Both values must be valid (days ≥ 0, hours > 0).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's a good severity rate?
A: Lower is better. Industry averages vary, but rates below 50 are generally considered good, while rates above 200 indicate serious safety concerns.

Q2: How does this differ from OSHA incident rate?
A: Incident rate counts number of injuries, while severity rate measures days lost. A company could have few but serious injuries (high severity) or many minor ones (high incident rate).

Q3: What counts as a lost workday?
A: OSHA defines this as days the employee couldn't work (including restricted work or job transfer) due to a work-related injury/illness.

Q4: What time period should I use?
A: Typically calculated annually, but can be done for any period (monthly, quarterly) for more frequent monitoring.

Q5: Why 200,000 hours?
A: This represents 100 workers each working 40 hours/week for 50 weeks/year (100 × 40 × 50 = 200,000).