TRIR. EMR. LTIR. DART.The four rates that decide every bid.
A 2026 reference for construction safety metrics. Definitions, formulas, benchmarks, and the mistakes that cost contractors prequalification every quarter.
TRIR, EMR, LTIR, and DART are the four safety rates that govern construction prequalification and insurance pricing. TRIR counts every OSHA-recordable injury per 200,000 hours worked. DART counts the subset that caused lost time, restricted duty, or job transfer. LTIR counts lost-time cases only. EMR is a workers compensation premium multiplier set by a state rating bureau using three years of actual versus expected losses. All four are calculated differently and answer different questions.
The four rates at a glance
Every formula uses 200,000 as the baseline hours figure because that represents 100 full-time workers over one year. EMR is the outlier — it is a premium multiplier, not a per-hour rate.
TRIR
OSHA 29 CFR 1904Total Recordable Incident Rate
- Formula
- (Recordable Cases x 200,000) / Hours Worked
- What it measures
- Total OSHA-recordable injuries and illnesses
- Healthy range
- Below 2.0 (construction); below 1.0 is excellent
EMR
NCCI (38 states) or independent state bureauExperience Modification Rate
- Formula
- Actual Losses / Expected Losses (3-year window)
- What it measures
- Workers compensation premium multiplier
- Healthy range
- Below 1.0 (industry average); below 0.85 for federal bids
LTIR
OSHA 29 CFR 1904 / international ISO 45001Lost Time Injury Rate
- Formula
- (Lost Time Cases x 200,000) / Hours Worked
- What it measures
- Injuries causing at least one day away from work
- Healthy range
- Below 1.0 (construction); below 0.5 is excellent
DART
OSHA 29 CFR 1904Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred
- Formula
- (DART Cases x 200,000) / Hours Worked
- What it measures
- Recordable cases with lost time, restricted duty, or transfer
- Healthy range
- Below 1.5 (construction); below 0.75 is excellent
How to calculate TRIR, DART, and LTIR
Three steps. Same formula structure across all three rates. EMR is calculated for you by your workers comp rating bureau.
- 1
Pull your OSHA 300 log
Count every recordable case for the measurement window.
A recordable case is any work-related injury or illness that resulted in death, days away, restricted work, transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant diagnosis. First aid only does not count. Split your count into three buckets: total recordables (for TRIR), lost-time plus restricted plus transfer cases (for DART), and lost-time-only cases (for LTIR).
- 2
Total your hours worked
Sum payroll hours for all employees in the same window.
Include all hours actually worked, including overtime. Exclude vacation, holiday, sick leave, and any other paid time off. Pull this from payroll records, not from scheduled hours. Mixed-employer sites: each company tracks only its own employees unless your contract defines combined reporting.
- 3
Apply the formula
Multiply cases by 200,000 and divide by hours.
The OSHA baseline of 200,000 represents 100 full-time workers over one year (100 employees x 40 hours x 50 weeks). For a contractor with 1,200,000 hours worked and 8 recordable cases in the period: (8 x 200,000) / 1,200,000 = 1.33 TRIR. The same denominator and multiplier apply to LTIR and DART; only the case-count numerator changes.
A mid-size GC closed the year with 1,200,000 hours worked across all employees. Pulling the OSHA 300 log: 8 total recordable cases, 5 of which involved days away or restricted duty, and 3 of which involved only lost time.
All three rates are below the BLS construction averages, so this GC clears most owner prequalification thresholds. EMR for the same contractor would come from the workers comp rating bureau, not from this calculation.
Side-by-side comparison
Each rate answers a different question. Use this table when prequalification packets ask for them or when an owner conflates two metrics on a single line item.
| Attribute | TRIR | EMR | LTIR | DART |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it measures | All OSHA-recordable cases | Workers comp loss history | Lost-time cases only | Lost-time + restricted + transfer |
| Formula base | 200,000 hours | Actual vs expected losses | 200,000 hours | 200,000 hours |
| Who calculates it | You, from OSHA 300 log | State workers comp bureau | You, from OSHA 300 log | You, from OSHA 300 log |
| Where reported | OSHA 300A, prequal forms | Workers comp policy | Owner reports, ISO 45001 | OSHA 300A, prequal forms |
| Industry healthy range | Below 2.0 | Below 1.0 | Below 1.0 | Below 1.5 |
| Update frequency | Monthly recommended | Annual (renewal date) | Monthly recommended | Monthly recommended |
| POD calculation method | Auto from incident log + payroll | Tracked from insurance broker | Auto from incident log + payroll | Auto from incident log + payroll |
Five mistakes that cost contractors prequalification
These show up in nearly every prequalification audit. Each one either inflates your rate, misclassifies a case, or invites disqualification.
- 01
Counting first-aid cases as recordable
A bandage, an ice pack, a non-prescription medication, or a tetanus shot is first aid only and is NOT recordable. Many contractors inflate their TRIR by including first-aid events. This makes prequalification harder and gives owners a worse picture than reality.
- 02
Confusing EMR with industry average
An EMR of 1.0 means your loss history matches the predicted average for a company of your size and classification, not the industry-wide average. A 1.0 EMR is neutral, not good. Most owners and large general contractors require below 1.0 for prequalification.
- 03
Including subcontractor hours in your TRIR
Subcontractor hours and subcontractor incidents belong to that subcontractor unless you have a written combined reporting arrangement. Pulling subcontractor hours in to dilute your rate is a misrepresentation and is grounds for prequalification disqualification when discovered.
- 04
Using scheduled hours instead of payroll hours
Scheduled hours are what you planned. Payroll hours are what you paid. Use payroll. The OSHA formula assumes hours actually worked. Scheduled hours overstate the denominator and understate the rate.
- 05
Comparing your TRIR to an unrelated industry
Construction (NAICS 23) baselines are not the same as manufacturing, office, retail, or transportation baselines. A 2.0 TRIR is below average for construction and well above average for office work. Always compare to your specific NAICS classification or sub-sector.
Industry benchmarks for construction
Compare to NAICS code 23 (construction) baselines, not to manufacturing or general industry. Numbers below are sourced from BLS, NCCI, and AGC publications.
Frequently asked questions
Manual safety-rate calculation is where most contractors quietly fail. The OSHA 300 log is a spreadsheet. Payroll hours live in another system. EMR letters land once a year. Nobody assembles the full picture month over month, which is why prequalification audits surface errors every quarter. Plan of Day is voice-first construction reporting that captures safety observations from the field, routes recordable cases through POD's intelligence engine, and feeds hundreds of KPIs that include TRIR, DART, LTIR, and EMR tracking. Specialized AI agents flag classification mistakes before they reach the 300A summary. The four rates update continuously as new field reports land — no spreadsheet, no year-end scramble.
Further reading
OSHA 300 Log Requirements for Construction
Recordkeeping rules under 29 CFR 1904 — what counts, who must keep it, and how to avoid the most common citations.
Leading vs Lagging Safety Indicators in Construction
TRIR is a lagging indicator. Leading indicators predict incidents before they happen. The full taxonomy explained.
Construction Daily Report Guide
How safety observations on the daily report feed into TRIR, DART, and LTIR calculations.
What to Include in a Construction Daily Report
The safety observation section — what to record so it actually improves your rates.
Sources
- OSHA Recordkeeping (29 CFR 1904) — federal requirements for recordable case classification, 300 log, 300A summary.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program — annual incident-rate data by NAICS code, including construction (23).
- NIOSH Construction Center — research and reference data on construction injury rates and prevention.
- NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance) — EMR rating methodology, classification codes, and state-by-state coverage.
- Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Safety — annual safety benchmarks, Safety Excellence Awards data.
- ConsensusDocs — standard construction contract language referencing EMR prequalification thresholds.