Write Up:

The total and rate of recordable incidents are tracked to measure the department’s goal of fewer injuries. MoDOT’s goal is for every employee to go home every night to their families unharmed. Reporting injuries allows the department to arrange for prompt treatment and to learn from mistakes or remediate hazards. The total number of recordables for 2020 has decreased significantly compared to 2019. The rate of incidents has also decreased significantly compared to last year. There was a 33% decrease from 2019 for the number of recordables and a 31% decrease for the rate of incidents.

Leading causes of injuries this year were slips, trips and falls (21%); strains (19%) and vehicle incidents (14%). Based on the work activity being performed at the time of the incident, equipment use accounted for 26% of employee injuries, mowing accounted for 13% and 11% were due to vehicles.  

Purpose of the Measure:

This measure tracks the number of recordable injuries in total and as a rate of injuries per 100 workers.

Measurement and Data Collection:

The calculation for incidence rate is the number of recordables times 200,000 divided by the number of hours worked. The 200,000 used in the calculation is the base for 100 full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year). MoDOT defines a recordable incident as a work-related injury or illness that results in death, days away from work or medical treatment resulting in cost to the department. The injury data is collected from RiskMaster, the department’s risk management claims administration software. The number of hours worked is taken from MoDOT’s payroll data.

The targets for total recordable incidents and rate of recordable incidents are updated annually. The target is calculated by subtracting 10% from the year-to-date comparison period.