The Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR) provides EHS leaders with a standardized method for tracking the frequency of injuries serious enough to cause employees to miss work. Few metrics are more critical to data-conscious Environment, Health, and Safety Managers than LTIR.
Every year, U.S. employers lose millions of workdays due to injuries. OSHA reports that American employees collectively missed more than 18 million days of work in 2023 because of occupational injuries and illnesses. That loss of time translates into higher costs, reduced productivity, and lower morale.
Over the decades, workplace safety has improved. In 1972, the average worker injury rate in the US stood at 10.9 per 100 employees. By 2023, an emphasis on stronger compliance and safety programs had lowered that figure to 2.4 per 100 employees. It's a remarkable achievement that’s good for workers and businesses, but vigilance is required to capitalize on that positive momentum.
That's where your Lost Time Incident Rate comes in.
Let's examine what LTIR is, how it’s calculated, the impact of tracking LTIR across departments, and how tracking lost time with the latest digital tools helps organizations move beyond compliance to create safer, stronger, more efficient workplaces.
The Lost Time Incident Rate is a safety metric that shows how often employees experience work-related injuries that result in lost work time, focusing specifically on incidents severe enough to keep workers off the job for at least one day. LTIR is one of the most universally recognized ways to evaluate performance across industries and geographies. It's a lagging indicator, a measure of past events rather than a predictor of future risks.
A signal of how well your organization manages risk, responds to hazards, and supports the well-being of its workforce, LTIR is a critical safeguard for business performance and credibility. Failing to consistently track your Lost Time Incident Rate can expose your organization to significant risks. Rising workers’ compensation costs, higher insurance premiums, and lost productivity are the most immediate financial impacts. Compliance gaps that may surface during audits and inspections are just as damaging. They put your company at risk of fines or regulatory action. Over time, a poor LTIR record can also erode employee morale and weaken the organization’s reputation with customers, investors, and the public.
Here is the formula for Lost Time Incident Rate as standardized by OSHA:
Imagine a company with:
Plugging into the formula:
This means the company experienced about 2.67 lost time incidents per 100 full-time workers.
Your Lost Time Incident Rate is a strategic tool that can be used to improve safety performance and organizational resilience. Organizations that monitor and measure LTIR consistently are better able to make informed decisions, allocate resources, and quantify progress across departments.
When shared across departments, LTIR becomes more than an EHS metric. It’s a cross-functional performance indicator that supports strategy, validates programs, controls costs, mitigates risk, and sustains productivity. By giving every department a clear view of safety’s impact, organizations protect employees while reinforcing business resilience.
EHS and Sustainability
LTIR provides a common lens through which to evaluate safety performance. By calculating LTIR, you can compare your performance against benchmarks, including Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry injury and illness data. Directors can use this information to align results with corporate strategy, demonstrating ROI on safety initiatives and justifying long-term investments. Managers analyze LTIR trends to determine intervention effectiveness, identify gaps in training or supervision, and advocate for the budget where needed. Coordinators save hours through automated LTIR tracking, freeing up time for inspections, corrective actions, and training instead of manual data entry. Together, the department gains actionable insights that strengthen accountability and advance a culture of prevention.
Finance
LTIR directly influences the bottom line. High incident rates increase workers’ compensation costs, insurance premiums, and potential regulatory fines. Finance leaders use LTIR data to forecast workers’ comp costs, insurance premiums, and other risk-related expenses.
Operations
Safety performance is closely tied to productivity. A rise in LTIR signals disruptions due to injuries, downtime, or equipment issues that affect output. Operations teams ensure that efficiency is not compromised by preventable incidents by leveraging LTIR insights to adjust staffing, refine workflows, and prioritize equipment maintenance.
Executive Leadership
Your C-suite and Board of Directors rely on LTIR as a key performance indicator. It feeds into ESG reporting, investor relations, and long-term risk assessments. LTIR helps leadership demonstrate accountability, reinforces a commitment to employee well-being, and links safety performance directly to organizational resilience.
Legal and Compliance
LTIR is a critical compliance metric. Legal and compliance teams use it to anticipate regulatory scrutiny, reduce exposure to fines or lawsuits, and ensure accurate reporting during audits. Demonstrating consistent tracking of LTIR supports due diligence and mitigates risk.
Human Resources
LTIR provides visibility into the impact of workplace safety on employees. HR can track absenteeism, monitor how incidents affect morale, and design wellness or training initiatives that support retention and engagement. Strong safety performance also enhances employer branding and strengthens the employee value proposition.
Risk Management
Insurers view LTIR as a measure of organizational risk. Risk management teams can use LTIR data to negotiate favorable premiums, validate the effectiveness of safety programs, and strengthen the company’s overall risk profile.
Communications and Public Relations
A strong company safety record can be shared externally to build public trust. Communications teams can reference LTIR improvements in employer branding, sustainability reports, and CSR messaging to reinforce the company’s reputation as a responsible corporate citizen.
While calculating LTIR is relatively straightforward, tracking it consistently is not. Spreadsheets and other manual processes risk inaccurate data entry, incomplete reporting, and missed opportunities to improve safety. By moving toward automation, companies free their EHS teams to focus on strategy, training, and proactive risk management instead of constant number crunching and relentless crisis management.
A modern EHS and Sustainability system is the key to making the transition.
When selecting EHS software, look for a platform like the EHS-Dashboard™ that has been designed specifically to strengthen overall safety management and create a safer workplace for all employees. Any solution you consider should offer a robust suite of features that includes:
A simple calculation with profound implications, the Lost Time Incident Rate is one of the most established ways to measure workplace safety performance. It influences compliance, costs, culture, and corporate reputation.
Tracking LTIR manually in a fast-moving business environment is inefficient and error-prone. Instead, accurate, real-time LTIR insights delivered automatically maximize the value of this key metric.
The EHS-Dashboard™ by Higher Elevation Software provides EHS and Sustainability managers with a smarter, faster, and more reliable way to measure and manage safety. By automating LTIR and combining it with broader safety metrics, the EHS-Dashboard™ empowers organizations to go beyond compliance. The result is a safer workplace, stronger compliance posture, and more resilient operations.
Ready to simplify LTIR tracking and strengthen your safety culture? Schedule a demo and let us show you how the EHS-Dashboard™ can help your organization today.