Model Safety Program  |  Video Library  |  Free Safety Workshops

KARE Safety Award |  Safety Request Form  |  Safety Links

How To Compute & Use OSHA Incidence Rates


There is a direct relationship between safety, quality, productivity and profitability in business today. The most effective safety programs take a proactive approach by identifying and controlling workplace hazards before they become a workers' compensation claim. KARE's safety management team is trained in up-to-date risk assessment techniques, including job hazard analysis, task analysis and ergonomics, and offers the following services:

bulletOccupational safety and health planning
bulletRisk evaluation and control
bulletOn-site safety surveys and recommendations
bulletSafety consultations
bulletModel Safety Programs
bulletIncident investigations
bulletFree Safety Video Training Library
bulletFree group or worksite Workshops
bulletSpecifically designed safety programs


Model Safety Program
KARE's Model Safety Program, an invaluable resource, is available at no charge to all KARE insureds. Topics addressed in the Model Program include safety management administration, effective record keeping, dealing with blood borne pathogens, fleet safety, hazard communications, and how to create a light duty policy program. (For a more complete listing of topics, view the entire table of contents.) The Model Safety Program may be obtained on disk or in printed form. To request your copy, use our online Safety Request Form, or call Jerry Binkley or Larry Maze at 502-244-7176 or 800-781-7808.

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Safety Video Library
All KARE insureds have access to our extensive Safety Video Training Library. There are currently over 75 titles available for loan. These videos provide practical safety information and instruction on a wide variety of relevant topics and are a useful training tool. To request a video(s), use our convenient online Safety Request Form, or if you prefer, you may fax Leana Phillips or Toni Ann McKenney at 502-489-6445. (NOTE: If you are sending a fax, please be sure to include your name, company name, address, the video number and title, and your KARE policy number.) You may also call 1-800-781-7808 to request videos.

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Free Safety Workshops
Each year, the KARE safety staff conducts Free Safety Workshops for KARE insureds. The goal of these workshops is to provide you with an opportunity for ongoing instruction and improvement in the workplace safety arena. To determine the most valuable topics, we survey workshop attendees after each program. The topics of the greatest interest to attendees then become the subject matter for the following year's workshops. Some examples of past workshop topics are:

bulletWritten Safety Programs
bulletHazard Communication Programs
bulletHow to Implement an Awareness Campaign to Combat Material Handling Claims
bulletThe Top 25 City KOSHA Standards for General and Construction Industries
bulletPersonal Protective Equipment
bulletOSHA Program Overview

We also ask attendees to critique the program to let us know of any needed improvements. To date, our safety workshops have been very well received, and the comments submitted by attendees have been quite positive. Below is a sampling of comments from past attendees:
"Very good information!"
Larry Simpson, News Publishing

"Information that I have received from these programs has already given our company a more positive outlook on safety management in our workplace."
Marty Miller, Chapel House of Grayson

"I found the program to be effective and thought provoking."
Rod Bell, Sanitation District #1

"Program was very informative. More programs such as this would be beneficial to my company."

"Very helpful to myself and my employees. I learned a lot of things to help me be a better manager."

"I have learned a lot about improving safety and making my workplace safer, and also how to communicate with my people about safety."

"Excellent program -- enjoyable!"
Rita Scott, Mount Saint Joseph

"Thank you! Well done."
Sam Compton, SRSI


In addition
to these free workshops, KARE policyholders who are also Kentucky Chamber of Commerce members, receive deep discounts on all Chamber seminars, workshops, conferences, and publications. Please see the Chamber's web site for a current list of safety-related seminars and workshops.

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KARE Safety Award
Each year, KARE recognizes a select group of its policyholders for doing an outstanding job in safety and loss control management. (This year, 34 organizations earned this distinction.) To qualify to receive the annual KARE safety award, an organization must:

bulletMaintain a loss ratio of less than 25%
bulletMaintain a designated safety professional on staff
bulletMaintain a light duty return-to-work program
bulletRemain in compliance with all federal and state OSHA regulations


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Computing OSHA Incidence Rates
As an aid to safety management, incidence rates can be used to show the relative level of injuries, illnesses or lost work days among different industries, firms, or operations within a single firm. The common exposure base enables one to make accurate inter-industry comparisons, trend analysis over time or comparisons among firms regardless of size. Calculating these rates for your business can help determine both problem areas and progress in preventing work-related injuries and illnesses.
     Incidence rates take on more meaning for an employer when the injury and illness experience of the firm is compared with that of other employers doing similar work with workforces of similar size. Information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) permits detailed comparisons by industry and size of firm.

Use the following formula to calculate your firm's injury and illness record:

     N/EH x 200,000

     Where:

     N = Number of injuries and/or illnesses or lost workdays

     EH = Total hours worked by all employees during calendar year

     200,000 = Base for 100 full-time equivalent workers
     (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)


The following links will provide additional useful information on this topic:

bulletOSHA Safety & Health Management System eTool -
spaceProvides online calculators for:

space-- Estimated Annual Accident Costs

space-- Impact of Accidents of Profit and Sales

space-- Injury and/or Incident Rates

bulletU.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics -
spaceExcellent resource. Provides detailed instructions for
spacecalculating and using OSHA incidence rates and
spacegives examples.

bulletBLS Incidence Rates by State -
spaceProvides PDF-format tables showing incidents and
spaceillnesses by industry for each state. This page also
spaceprovides contact information for the individual
spaceresponsible for keeping occupational safety and
spacehealth data for each state.

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Safety Links
The following are excellent resources for additional safety-related information:

bulletGateway for Safety & Health Information Resources -
spacehttp://www.osh.net

bulletKentucky Injury Prevention & Research Center -
spacehttp://www.kiprc.uky.edu

bulletKentucky Labor Cabinet -
spacehttp://www.kylabor.net

bulletKentucky Occupational Safety & Health Program -
spacehttp://www.kylabor.net/kyosh/

bulletNational Safety Council -
spacehttp://www.nsc.org

bulletOccupational Safety & Health Administration -
spacehttp://www.osha.gov

bulletOn-Line Safety Library -
spacewww.safetyinfo.com

bulletOSHA Information -
spacehttp://www.oshadata.com

bulletProfessional Ergonomics Solutions -
spacehttp://www.ergoweb.com

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