- Published On: 12.04.2022
- Health & Safety
Lost time injuries (LTI) and Lost-Time-Accidents have been the leading safety issues for recent oil refineries and petrochemical plants. According to the Occupational Safety Survey, LTI rates are primarily related to work activities and may be more important than operational factors. Operational factors only account for 60% of LTI rates, making work activities the leading factor in accidents such as slips, trips, falls, and near misses.
The type of injury determines the LTI rate. Injuries that are more severe and involve lengthy hospitalisations are more likely to result in accidents. The chances of a fatal injury increase in an accident.
The LTA rate depends on the number of accidents that cause an employee to miss some time from work. Some businesses are still having trouble reporting LTA incidents. The most accurate method for calculating an LTI rate is to look at how many times employees have missed work due to an accident injury.
What are the Rates of Lost-Time-Injury (LTI)?
Lost-Time-Injury (LTI) rates measure the frequency with which injuries result in days away from work. A standard LTI rate calculation is injured days per 1,000 employee hours worked. Trips, slips, and falls cause the most frequent injuries.
What are LTAs (Lost-Time-Accidents)?
Lost-Time-Accidents (LTA) are an organization’s most severe accidents. LTA’s occur when an employee must miss work or, in some cases, dies as a result of the incident. A common way of determining Lost-Time Accidents is by identifying those which cause employees to miss one or more days away from work. Lacerations, fractures, burns, and back injuries range in severity from minor to severe.
What are the Causalities of LTI and LTA?
The causes of Lost-Time-Injuries and Lost-Time-Accidents can be grouped into these few categories:
At Work
It is easy to determine why employees are injured at work. Slips, trips, falls, and accidents with objects are the most prevalent forms of injuries. These injuries occur when a worker is damaged due to a failure to follow safety precautions.
From the Workplace
It’s more challenging to figure out why mishaps occur after people have left the office. One of the leading causes of LTI and LTA is unsafe behaviours during commuting and offsite trips. The most common types of accidents outside the workplace are slips and falls, collisions with objects or other vehicles, or vehicle roll-over incidents.
Within the Workplace
The second most common cause of LTI and LTA injuries, after accidents, is often a hazard in the workplace. This may be related to ergonomics, safety or social factors.
Outside of Work
The third cause of Lost-Time-Injuries and Lost-Time-Accidents can often be related to outside factors such as sports, hobbies or leisure activities that employees are involved with outside of the workplace.
Occupational Factors
Occupational factors are the second leading cause of LTI and LTA, and these are related to the type of work employees perform. The most frequent variety of occupational factors occurs while employees are on their feet more than they should be or performing manual tasks that would require them to lift too much weight.
Operational Factors
Operational factors are related to the work environment and include how employees perform tasks. The most common operational aspects are transportation, unsafe work practices and work practice.
Environmental Factors
The elements in the workplace can influence the type of injuries sustained by employees. These environments may include temperature, noise, air quality and lighting conditions that need to be considered when addressing occupational factors like ergonomics.
Other Factors
Other factors that can contribute to Lost-Time-Injury (LTI) and Lost-Time-Accidents include:
- Alcohol and drug use
- Fatigue
- Employee involvement
- The general health of employees and the influence of family or community values
How do You Calculate the Rate of Lost Time Injuries?
Various methods exist for calculating the Lost-Time-Injury (LTI) rates. Often, these are used to determine how effective an organization’s safety programs are. Organizations that promote employee safety and recommend preventive measures such as safety equipment and emergency drills will likely have a lower LTI rate than their competitors.
The Lost-Time Accident rate is usually calculated the same as the LTI rate, except it only covers employees who must miss work. This can be a smaller sample size than LTI but will provide more accurate results for the selected group.
Calculating the LTI Rate
One of the methods used to calculate Lost Time Injuries is to look at how many days employees were absent due to injuries.
Often, the LTI rate is calculated by dividing the number of days away from work due to damages by the number of employees. This calculation assumes that each employee works a specific job at a particular time.
To calculate an LTI rate, you need to know the total number of LTIs that occurred in a specific period of time, as well as the total number of hours worked by employees during that time.
To calculate the LTI rate, divide the number of LTIs by the number of hours worked, and then multiply by a conversion factor (usually 200,000) to convert the rate to a per-person basis.
For example, if a workplace had 10 LTIs over a period of 100,000 hours worked, the LTI rate would be calculated as follows:
10 LTIs / 100,000 hours worked * 200,000 = 20 LTI rate
What is the Best Way to Reduce Lost Time Injuries?
The best way to reduce Lost-Time-Injuries and Lost-Time Accidents is through prevention. This entails cultivating a culture of injury prevention and encouraging employees to report any potential dangers they discover in the workplace. This may be achieved by implementing a solid safety program that incorporates all necessary employees and personnel.
A lost-time accident prevention program should include the following elements:
Preventive measures, such as wearing personal protective equipment, rotation of duties, stair rails and ladders, etc.
Providing an accessible communication method to report injuries and accidents as soon as they happen.
Ensuring compliance with Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards for reporting events that result in days absent from work.
Recording the number of preventative measures taken at a facility over time to determine what is effective in reducing LTI and LTA rates.
Creating a system for swiftly responding to employee injury and accident reports.
Requiring managers and supervisory workers to attend training sessions to detect dangers and ensure adequate safety procedures are followed.
Auditing the company facilities for accident hazards and making recommendations for safety improvement.
Communicating the importance of workplace safety via signage and pamphlets or posters in break rooms.
What Is the Importance of Lost-Time-Accident (LTA) Rates?
Many organizations use the Rate of Lost-Time-Injuries and Lost-Time Accidents to determine how effective their safety programs are. These numbers are often used when deciding which companies to get contracts with and stay in business with. Low LTI rates often lead to legal defense in court cases.
It is critical to have reliable statistics on the rate of injured employees to implement remedies properly. Many other regulatory agencies can use this data in developing programs that address workplace hazards.
What is the Importance of Lost-Time-Injury (LTI) Rates?
The rate of Lost Time Injuries and Lost Time Accidents is vital in many industries. Companies that can minimize LTI can increase productivity and improve overall business performance. Many other regulatory agencies can also use the LTI rate to help identify the areas needing improvement.
What are the Various Causes of Lost Time Injuries?
According to EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) data, some factors, including LTI, are responsible:
How Can You Keep Track of Your Injury Rate?
If you are a business owner or retailer, your lost time accident rate is one of the most important. Many companies have many different forms for employees to report accidents that may be causing them to lose days from work. These record-keeping systems should include the “Lost Time Injuries” form that managers and supervisors can fill out on their way out of the office.
Other ways for businesses to track their lost time injury rates include:
Inspect facilities regularly to compare against statistics calculated by OSHA and company policy over time.
Requiring workers with safety-sensitive jobs to submit a lost-time accident report before going on vacation.
Workers must complete the Lost Time Injuries form as part of their medical paperwork.
Many agents or contractors compare accident rates at different facilities during routine inspections.
Using labels in break rooms and other areas to alert workers of injuries requiring medical attention.
Requiring managers and supervisory workers to attend training sessions to detect dangers and ensure adequate safety procedures are followed.
How Do You Measure the Importance of Lost Time Injuries?
Measuring the importance of lost time injuries is a relatively simple task if you have accurate accident, injury and training records. The matter is debatable because employers can overreact to accidents by taking expensive precautions that may not be necessary.
However, suppose employers are doing a good job and operating quality programs for their employees. They should underreport incidents that cause lost time injuries than overreport them.
What is the Industry Average for Lost Time Injury Frequency?
The average lost-time injury frequency in the workplace is approximately 2.25 injuries per 100 full-time workers. Depending on the sorts of tasks conducted, the prevalence of equipment utilised, and the number of personnel employed by each firm, this percentage might vary dramatically across companies in the same sector.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also publish statistics for companies with 500 or more full-time workers. According to these figures, the average rate of lost-time injuries is 0.67 per 100 workers. Lost time injury frequency tends to increase significantly as companies grow, mainly if they are proliferating and implementing systems to manage safety.
Conclusion
Companies that engage in safety-sensitive activities must develop a strategy for calculating Lost Time Accidents and Injury Rates. Many other agencies are increasingly using lost-time injuries to assess the effectiveness of safety programs.
As a result, companies must keep reliable data to assess their injury rates, implement policies, and eliminate dangers that might lead to missed time. To effectively establish lost-time injury rates, it is also essential for supervisors to ensure that every employee who may be at risk for a lost-time accident is trained in first aid and safety procedures.
Knowella AI Inc. offers an industry-leading digital solution to managing EHS&Q. We provide workers, supervisors, EHS&Q professionals, and top-level management the tools they need to improve workplace safety. We use AI-powered data analysis to optimize your approach to EHS&Q, resulting in lower operating costs and quantifiable improvements to your safety performance.
- 12.04.2022
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