Despite significant improvements to workplace health and safety, we continue to see lost time injury frequency rates (LTIFR) plateau and employees continue to experience serious work-related injuries.
A lost time injury (LTI) is an injury sustained by an employee that renders them unable to perform their regular job duties for at least one complete workday or shift. A company's lost time injury frequency rate is calculated by multiplying the total number of LTIs by one million, and then dividing that product by the number of hours worked during the reporting period. The resulting number is an important one: in most countries, an organization's LTIFR is the principal measure of its safety performance.
So, what can companies do to reduce their lost time injury frequency rates? The simplest solution is to put controls in place to help minimize risk. Here are a few simple but effective strategies safety professionals can consider to minimize the occurrence of LTIs and improve workplace safety:
- Educate and raise awareness among workers with regards to understanding the need to perform safe work practices. This can be achieved by (1) encouraging workers to join safety committees and (2) hosting toolbox talks o
n various workplace hazards and risks on a regular basis
- Provide workers with the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to carry out their jobs in a safe manner
- Monitor workers to ensure that they properly follow all safety rules and procedures, as well as correctly use machinery and equipment
- Enforce consequences for those workers who fail to follow workplace safety protocol and measures
- Reward and recognize individuals and teams who engage in safe working practices or who encourage others to do so as well
- Conduct risk assessments to determine any potential hazards or risk to workers every time the job task changes or a new worker or machinery is introduced
- Require that all workers undergo a fit-for-duty assessment to ensure that they possess both the physical and psychosocial capacities to perform their job tasks safely
- Make safety the company’s number one priority by promoting a culture of safety in the workplace
Next Steps
To learn more about how you can build a world class safety program at your company and reduce lost time injuries, download this checklist: 4 Critical Activities Employed By The World’s Best Safety Leaders.