What Is the DART Rate and How Is It Calculated?

Workplace safety metrics provide a quantifiable way for organizations to assess their environment and protect their employees. These indicators offer insights into safety program effectiveness and help identify areas needing improvement. Understanding these metrics is a foundational step toward fostering a safer work environment and meeting regulatory expectations. The Days Away, Restricted, or Job Transfer (DART) rate is a prominent example of such a metric.

Defining the DART Rate

The DART rate is a safety metric mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It reflects the number of workplace injuries and illnesses severe enough to cause employees to miss work, perform restricted duties, or transfer to a different job within a calendar year. DART stands for “Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred.”

This metric originates from OSHA recordkeeping requirements, necessitating that businesses track and report specific work-related injuries and illnesses. The DART rate specifically captures incidents that lead to operational disruptions. It measures the impact of these incidents per 100 full-time employees, providing a standardized measure for comparison.

Identifying DART-Qualifying Incidents

DART-qualifying incidents refer to work-related injuries or illnesses that result in an employee experiencing “Days Away from Work,” “Restricted Work Activity,” or a “Job Transfer.” Each outcome represents a distinct disruption to an employee’s normal duties. For an incident to be DART-recordable, it must also be an OSHA recordable case, typically involving medical treatment beyond basic first aid, or a loss of consciousness.

Days Away from Work

“Days Away from Work” incidents occur when an employee cannot return to their job on the day after the injury or illness, requiring them to miss one or more scheduled workdays. For instance, a worker who sustains a severe sprain and cannot perform any job duties for several days would fall into this category. The count for days away begins the day after the incident.

Restricted Work Activity

“Restricted Work Activity” applies when an injured or ill employee can return to work but is unable to perform all routine job functions. This might involve an employee with a back injury restricted from heavy lifting. The employer or a licensed healthcare professional determines the specific limitations.

Job Transfer

A “Job Transfer” occurs when an employee is temporarily or permanently moved to a different job due to a work-related injury or illness. This usually happens because the employee cannot perform their original duties without risking further injury. An example is a technician with carpal tunnel syndrome temporarily moved to an administrative role requiring less repetitive hand motion.

Calculating Your DART Rate

Calculating the DART rate involves a specific formula designed to standardize the measure across organizations. The formula is: (Number of DART-qualifying incidents x 200,000) ÷ Total employee hours worked. This calculation provides a rate normalized for comparison.

The “Number of DART-qualifying incidents” is the sum of all cases that resulted in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer during the year. This figure is obtained from a company’s OSHA Form 300 log, specifically counting relevant entries.

The “Total employee hours worked” includes hours worked by all employees, including temporary staff and management, throughout the reporting period. This total should encompass all hours actually worked, excluding vacation, sick leave, or holidays.

The 200,000 multiplier represents the hours 100 full-time employees would work in a year, based on a 40-hour work week for 50 weeks. This standardization factor allows companies of varying sizes to compare their DART rates equitably. The resulting DART rate indicates the number of DART incidents per 100 full-time workers.

Understanding Your DART Rate’s Significance

The DART rate serves as a performance indicator, offering insights into a company’s safety performance and the effectiveness of its hazard control measures. A lower DART rate generally signals fewer serious incidents and a stronger commitment to employee well-being. This metric helps organizations gauge the impact of workplace incidents on their operations and workforce.

Companies can use their DART rate for internal trending, assessing changes over time to evaluate the success of safety initiatives. For example, a declining DART rate over several years might indicate improved workplace conditions from new safety training or equipment. This internal analysis helps identify recurring safety issues and supports proactive hazard mitigation efforts.

External benchmarking is another application of the DART rate, allowing companies to compare their safety performance against industry averages. Regulatory bodies like OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publish average DART rates for various industries. Comparing a company’s rate to these averages helps identify whether its safety record is above or below its peers. A DART rate significantly higher than the industry average may prompt closer scrutiny from OSHA or lead to higher workers’ compensation insurance premiums.