What Is DART Rate? Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred

What Is Days, Away, Restricted, or Transferred?

DART rate, an acronym for Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred, is a key safety metric within industries. It specifically tracks any worker who has suffered a medical condition at work that caused them to cease working in their normal capacity. In the context of workplace safety, DART rates are not just a couple of figures. They’re an illustration of an organization’s safety culture.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate for private industry was approximately 1.4 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2024, reflecting a continued decline from previous years. This follows a rate of 1.5 cases per 100 workers in 2023, showing gradual improvement in workplace safety outcomes across many industries.

The broader total recordable case (TRC) rate—which includes all OSHA-recordable injuries and illnesses—was 2.3 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2024, down from 2.4 in 2023, and represents one of the lowest levels recorded since the Bureau began tracking the data series in 2003.

These figures suggest that while workplace injury rates have generally improved over time due to stronger safety programs, automation, and regulatory oversight, incidents requiring job transfer, restricted duty, or days away from work still affect a significant portion of the workforce. Overexertion injuries, contact with objects or equipment, and exposure to harmful substances remain among the most common causes of DART cases reported by employers.

A high DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred) rate is a sign that your work environment might be unsafe. It also indicates that regulatory bodies like OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) may take an interest in your workplace. As a result, your business insurance premiums and working relationship with your insurer are likely to be affected.

Therefore, the ability to calculate your DART safety rate and manage it carefully is a critical regulatory requirement and, of course, an important element of job security for the employees who work for you.

DART Safety Meaning: What Does DART Stand For In Safety

DART stands for Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred and is one of the most important metrics for evaluating workplace safety. It helps companies track injuries and illnesses that result in days off work, restricted duty, or job transfers.

High DART rates indicate safety issues that an organization needs to address. It means that employees are injured or sick from hazards in their workplace or unsafe practices. It results in lost wages and productivity for workers and high workers' compensation costs for employers.

Should you care about DART rates?

OSHA cares about it. Their mission is protecting America's workers. Under OSHA's recordkeeping rule, employers must prepare and maintain records of serious occupational injuries and illnesses using the OSHA 300 Log. When inspecting facilities, OSHA reviews these logs to ensure completeness and accuracy. Your DART rate indicates the relative level of injuries and illnesses. A high DART rate compared to industry peers is a red flag for OSHA and makes it more likely they will conduct a more thorough inspection.

There are several reasons why understanding and keeping the DART Rate low is important:

Gives a snapshot of safety performance

A high DART Rate will likely bring an OSHA high-hazard inspection, while a low rate reflects the company is putting employee safety first and providing a safe work environment for employees.

DART rate impact on the company’s bottom line

A high DART Rate means increased workers’ compensation costs, loss of productivity, the potential for safety fines and violations, etc. A low DART Rate equates to cost savings and operational efficiency.

Key factor in getting certain contracts

There are industries where safety is above all other concerns. For example, in industries such as manufacturing or mining, arguably the most important factor in awarding contracts is safety. Companies with low DART Rates are seen as quality, reliable companies and are more likely to get contracts.

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Stakeholders who use DART Rate:

The Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) Rate is a crucial safety metric for a number of different stakeholders.

Employers

For employers, it can help them to understand their safety performance and to pinpoint areas for improvement.

Employees

Employees may use the DART rate as part of the due diligence they perform when weighing a potential employer’s safety culture.

Regulatory bodies

Regulatory bodies like OSHA can use the DART rate to quickly identify workplaces that are in the greatest need of inspection.

Insurance companies

Insurance companies may incorporate DART rates into their mandatory calculations. That’s because some work contracts require the company to maintain a DART rate below a certain limit to be eligible for the work. This is very common in construction.

DART rates are also on the list of factors that can lead to a workplace being subjected to targeted inspections and/or higher fines.

For any organization that is truly committed to ensuring the safety of its workforce, understanding and effectively managing your DART rate is more than just good business – it is compulsory for maintaining a secure work environment.

How to Read Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) Rate?

You need to know how to read the DART rate to understand it. To help you read it better, here are some of its terms quickly explained:

'Days Away'

The term ‘Days Away’ refers to the total number of days an employee was unable to work because of a work-related injury or illness. It also includes days when the employee was working but was restricted from doing his/her normal work at the normal work time, and days when the employee was scheduled to work but could not because of the injury or illness.

This is a critical measurement as the productivity of an organization is impacted by these days away and is a leading indicator for costs associated with compensation for the employee and replacement work.

'Restricted Incidents'

'Restricted' refers to the total number of cases where an employee is, due to a work-related injury or illness, unable to accomplish all or any part of his/her normal assignment during regular working hours. In this situation, there is a partial loss of time, or the employee is unable to work the full workday due to a work-related injury. This indicator is important as it shows the impact on productivity and areas where operations can be made safer.

'Transferred Incidents'

You should also be aware of what cases are counted as 'Transferred,' as this is the total number of cases in which an employee is transferred to another job on a temporary basis because of a work-related injury or illness. Transferred cases also disrupt operations that require additional measures or training.

Calculation of DART Rate (Free Calculator)

The DART rate isn’t something that an employee just figures out on their own. This rate requires a specific formula and a step-by-step process to get an accurate number.

How to Calculate the DART Rate, Step by Step

Find out how many DART incidents there have been:

The first part of the DART rate formula is to find out how many events led to days off work, restrictions on the job, or job transfers. Usually, this number is worked out over a year.

Figure out how many hours were worked:

The second part needs to know how many hours all of the workers worked during the same time period. In this group are normal hours, overtime hours, and training hours.

Use the formula for the DART rate:

The DART rate method can be used once these two numbers are known.

Here is the formula for the DART rate

DART Rate = (Number of DART Incidents × 200,000 / Worked Hours)

What each part means is listed below:

• Number of DART Incidents: This is the total number of incidents that got people fired, put limits on their jobs, or had them transferred.
• Total Hours Worked: This shows how many hours all workers worked during the same month.
• The number 200,000 is a standard way to figure out DART rates. That's the same as having 100 workers who put in 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year.

The result is your DART rate, which tells you the number of DART incidents per 100 full-time workers per year. With a lower DART rate, OSHA indicates a safer work environment, while a higher rate may suggest areas for improvement in your organization’s safety protocols.

Real-World Example of the DART Rate

Situation: Implementing DART Rate in a Manufacturing Facility

In a manufacturing facility, safety is of utmost importance. The management determines implementing the DART rate to oversee safety and improvements. Over the past year, the facility experienced 8 incidents that resulted in days away from work or job restrictions or job transfer. The total hours worked by all employees during the year is 1,000,000. By plugging the values into the DART rate formula:

(8 incidents × 200,000) / 1,000,000 hours worked = 1.6 DART Rate

That’s a DART rate of 1.6. With this result, the management can track current trends, identify areas for safety process improvements, and set initiatives to develop and prioritize workplace safety.

Understanding DART Rate Components

Accurate DART rates require an effective system for determining which workplace injuries and illnesses are recordable for rate calculation. While the basic math behind DART rates is simple, deciding which cases to count can be more complicated.

An injury or illness is DART-recordable if it meets the DART OSHA criteria set for inclusion on an organization's OSHA 300 log. Thus, not every minor workplace injury may be tallied toward your DART rate.

For an injury or illness to be recorded on the OSHA 300 log, it:

• Must result from a work-related incident or exposure
• Must involve medical treatment beyond basic first aid
• Must involve loss of consciousness
• Must involve restriction of work or motion
• Must involve days away from work

In addition, any diagnosed case of an illness or disease caused by workplace exposure – such as carpal tunnel or hearing loss – must be recorded if it meets the general recording criteria.

Understanding concepts such as medical treatment, restricted work and days away is critical to tracking DART recordables accurately. Clear guidelines and training for your recordkeepers can guard against errors caused by misinterpretations of DART OSHA definitions. Tracking leading indicators and conducting regular audits can ensure high-quality 300 log data flows into your DART rate OSHA calculations.

Best Practices for Reducing DART Rates

To bring down OSHA DART rates, a comprehensive, proactive approach is required. Some best practices for achieving this include:

Conduct thorough safety training

Provide comprehensive training for all employees on proper safety procedures, equipment use, ergonomics, hazard identification, and reporting injuries/incidents. Training should be ongoing with refreshers.

Prioritize ergonomics

Conduct an ergonomic assessment of workstations and equipment to identify and mitigate ergonomic risks that could lead to sprains and strains. Provide ergonomic tools and training.

Promote a strong reporting culture

Communicate to employees to promptly report all injuries, even minor ones. Make reporting easy and ensure no retaliation for submitting a report. Take all reports seriously - investigate!

Involve employees in the solutions

Ask employees and their managers where they believe their "pain points" and risks are and where they think the best opportunities for safety improvement exist. Then, use the employees to help develop the solutions.

Standardize procedures

Standard operating procedures for equipment, high-risk tasks, etc., make it easier to ensure training and procedures are understood and followed by all employees.

Tip: Use a safety management software like SafetyIQ to observe all necessary aspects that can save you from OSHA penalties. The system automates safety-related tasks while ensuring that OSHA rules are followed by both employers and employees.

DART Rate vs. TRIR Rate

DART Rate and Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) are both key safety metrics. However, the two measurements serve different purposes in evaluating workplace safety.

The DART rate, as mentioned, accounts for incidents that result in days away from work, job restrictions, or job transfers. In contrast, TRIR accounts for all recordable incidents, including those requiring medical treatment beyond first aid but not necessarily involving days away from work or job restrictions.

So, while TRIR offers a broader perspective on workplace safety incidents, the OSHA DART rate gives a more targeted insight into incidents that have the greatest impact on an employee’s work life. Comparing the two rates can help an organization identify trends, gauge the severity of its incidents, and craft strategies to improve its workplace safety.

DART Rate Frequently Asked Questions

What Is DART Rate and What Counts as a DART Case?

DART Rate (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred Rate) measures the frequency of workplace injuries and illnesses serious enough to either prevent work or require modified work duties. DART is broader than LTIR (which only counts lost time) but narrower than TRIR (which includes all recordable cases).

A DART case includes three categories of serious incidents:

Days Away from Work – The worker cannot return to work on the day following injury. They miss one or more full shifts due to the work-related injury or illness. This is similar to LTIR but defined more specifically as full days away rather than just next scheduled shift.

Restricted Work Duty – The worker returns to work but cannot perform their normal job duties. Instead, they work in a limited capacity due to the injury. For example, a worker with a hand injury might return but be unable to lift or grip, so they're assigned light duty work. This counts as a DART case even though the worker didn't miss full days.

Job Transfer – The worker is reassigned to a different job due to the injury. This might be permanent or temporary. The key is that the injury prevented them from continuing their original work, requiring reassignment to accommodate limitations.

What doesn't count as DART: First aid treatment only (minor cuts, scrapes), incidents not affecting work capability, voluntary time off unrelated to injury, or incidents that don't prevent work or require no restrictions.

The distinction matters because organizations can have high incident rates with most being restricted work cases (high DART) or have fewer but more severe incidents (high LTIR). DART captures the middle ground—serious enough to affect work capacity but not necessarily requiring full absence.

How Does DART Rate Compare to TRIR and LTIR, and Why Does It Matter?

DART Rate, LTIR (Lost Time Incident Rate), and TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) measure different levels of injury severity. Understanding the differences helps organizations understand their true safety picture.

TRIR is the broadest metric. TRIR includes ALL OSHA-recordable injuries and illnesses: those requiring medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work, restricted work, job transfers, or certain diagnosed conditions. TRIR captures everything from minor cuts requiring medical evaluation to serious fractures.

DART is middle-ground. DART includes only days away, restricted work, and job transfers. It excludes first-aid-only incidents. DART is always equal to or lower than TRIR because it's a subset of recordable cases.

LTIR is the most severe. LTIR includes only incidents resulting in lost time—workers unable to work their next scheduled shift. LTIR is always equal to or lower than DART because it's the most restrictive category.

Comparison example:

• TRIR = 4.0 (includes everything)
• DART = 2.5 (only serious cases affecting work)
• LTIR = 1.2 (only lost-time cases)

This breakdown tells you that of 4 recordable incidents per 100 workers, most are minor. Only 2.5 are serious enough to affect work capacity, and only 1.2 actually cause lost time.

Why DART matters: DART provides early warning of serious incidents before they become lost-time cases. Organizations improving DART are preventing injuries from becoming full absences. Tracking all three metrics gives complete picture: TRIR shows frequency, DART shows severity, LTIR shows most serious incidents. Some organizations prioritize DART because it shows genuine operational impact without the variability of LTIR (which depends on how long recovery takes).

How Do You Calculate DART Rate and What Numbers Do You Need?

DART Rate calculation is straightforward: (Number of DART Cases × 200,000) ÷ Total Hours Worked = DART Rate.

Step 1: Identify and Count DART Cases

Review all incidents during your calculation period (typically one calendar year). For each incident, determine whether it qualifies as DART:

• Did the worker miss full day(s) of work after the incident day? If yes, count as DART.
• Did the worker return to work but in restricted capacity? If yes, count as DART.
• Was the worker reassigned to a different job? If yes, count as DART.
• Was it first aid only or didn't affect work? If yes, do not count.

Document each DART case with: incident date, case type (days away/restricted/transferred), worker affected, and dates of restrictions.

Step 2: Calculate Total Hours Worked

Sum all hours worked by all employees during the period:

• Full-time employee hours (example: 50 employees × 40 hours/week × 50 weeks = 100,000 hours)
• Part-time employee hours (example: 20 employees × 20 hours/week × 50 weeks = 20,000 hours)
• Total: 120,000 hours

Do NOT include vacation, sick time, or unpaid leave—only actual hours worked.

Step 3: Apply the Formula

DART = (DART Cases × 200,000) ÷ Total Hours Worked

Calculation example:

• DART cases: 4
• Total hours worked: 120,000
• DART = (4 × 200,000) ÷ 120,000
• DART = 800,000 ÷ 120,000
• DART = 6.67

This organization's DART rate is 6.67—meaning 6.67 serious incidents per 100 workers annually.

The 200,000 standardization factor represents hours for 100 full-time employees (100 employees × 40 hours/week × 50 weeks/year), allowing comparison across organizations of different sizes.

What's Considered a "Good" DART Rate and How Does It Compare to Industry Benchmarks?

What constitutes "good" DART performance depends on your industry, organization size, and historical trend. However, industry benchmarks provide useful comparison points.

Industry Benchmarks:

• Construction: 2.0-3.0 DART (higher-risk environment)
• Manufacturing: 2.0-3.0 DART
• Healthcare: 2.5-3.5 DART (physically demanding work)
• Warehouse/Distribution: 2.5-3.5 DART
• Professional Services: 0.8-1.5 DART (lower-risk environment)
• Office/Administrative: 0.3-1.0 DART (lowest risk)

Evaluating Your DART:

Compare your DART to your industry benchmark. If your DART is 1.5 and industry average is 2.0, you're performing above average. If your DART is 3.5 and industry average is 2.0, you have opportunity for improvement.

However, absolute benchmarks matter less than trends. An organization improving from 3.0 to 2.7 annually is making progress even if still above benchmark. An organization declining from 1.5 to 2.0 is losing ground despite better-than-average absolute performance.

Trend analysis is critical:

• Improving DART (declining year-over-year): Safety initiatives are working
• Stable DART: Maintain current practices but look for improvement opportunities
• Increasing DART: Warning sign that safety is declining; investigation needed

Other perspectives:

Compare DART by department or location. High-risk departments might have higher DART; low-risk departments should have very low DART. If one department's DART is significantly higher than peers, investigate what's different about that area.

Also analyze DART composition. Is your DART driven primarily by days away, restricted work, or transfers? If most are restricted work, workers are returning but in limited capacity. If most are days away, incidents are more severe. Different composition suggests different prevention strategies.

Setting realistic improvement goals:

Most organizations target 10-15% annual DART reduction. Organizations above industry average might target 20% reduction. Organizations already at or below benchmark might target maintaining performance or incremental improvements of 5-10%.

How Can Organizations Reduce DART Rate and Prevent Days Away, Restricted Work, and Job Transfers?

Reducing DART requires systematic approach addressing different incident types, since DART includes multiple pathways (days away, restricted work, transfers).

Hazard Identification and Control

Start by identifying which hazards drive DART cases. Analyze your DART incidents: What types of injuries occur? What job tasks create risk? What equipment or environment factors contribute?

For musculoskeletal injuries (which often result in restricted work), implement ergonomic improvements: redesign workstations, provide lifting assistance, modify repetitive tasks, ensure adequate rest periods. These prevent injuries from occurring and reduce severity when they do.

For incidents causing days away, focus on preventing most serious injuries: fall protection systems, guarding machinery, chemical hazard elimination, struck-by prevention. These prevent incidents that would otherwise cause full absences.

Early Intervention and Return-to-Work

Once an injury occurs, early intervention reduces days away and restricted work duration. When someone is injured, having alternative work tasks available allows them to return quickly in modified capacity rather than missing full days.

Work with medical providers to understand work restrictions and timeline for recovery. Many workers can return to some work immediately—perhaps different tasks. Organizations with flexible work options get people back to productivity while they recover.

Develop return-to-work protocols: assessment of restrictions, identification of suitable temporary tasks, gradual progression back to full duty. Clear protocols reduce days away and facilitate transition to restricted work versus full absence.

Job Design and Task Analysis

Some DART cases result from job design causing repeated injuries. When same injury occurs repeatedly in same job, the job likely has design problems.

Conduct job safety analysis on high-risk tasks: break into steps, analyze hazards at each step, implement controls. Redesign work processes to eliminate or reduce hazards. For example, if hand injuries occur frequently when workers grip equipment, provide ergonomic gripping tools or gloves.

Rotate workers between tasks to reduce repetitive strain. Provide variety in work to prevent overuse injuries. These changes reduce both DART incidents and the severity of injuries that do occur.

Training and Procedure Compliance

Ensure workers understand hazards and know safe procedures. Training reduces incidents from unknowing exposure. When incidents do occur, proper technique often reduces severity.

Provide job-specific training on safe lifting, proper equipment use, hazard avoidance. Use hands-on training and verification—don't just lecture about safety.

Near-Miss Program

Near-misses are warnings of serious incidents. Organizations with strong near-miss programs prevent incidents before they reach DART severity.

Create safe reporting environment where workers report near-misses without fear. Investigate findings to understand what could have caused serious injury. Implement controls preventing recurrence. Track trends revealing patterns.

Organizations preventing incidents entirely obviously reduce DART more effectively than managing severity after injury occurs.

Ergonomic Focus

Many DART cases are musculoskeletal—strains, sprains, repetitive injuries. These often become restricted work cases (worker returns but can't lift, carry, or repeat motions).

Invest in ergonomic assessment and improvements. Address workstation design, task analysis, tool selection, pacing, and rest. Proper ergonomics prevents injuries and when they do occur, reduces severity and recovery time.

Measurement and Accountability

Track DART by incident type, department, and worker. This reveals patterns. If restricted work cases are driving DART, focus on reducing severity. If days away are driving DART, focus on preventing most serious incidents.

Hold supervisors and managers accountable for DART performance in their areas. Include DART metrics in performance reviews. Make clear that reducing DART is part of their job.

Share DART improvements with organization. Celebrate reductions. Communicate which initiatives improved DART. Recognition reinforces that DART reduction matters.