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City Employee Safety - Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) YTD

Desired Result:  Below Target

 
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Analysis of Performance
Note: This historical data of this metric changes in subsequent time periods because injury data is tied to the date of injury regardless of when treatment occurs or the case changes from recordable to time away restricted, or transferred. For example, if an employee has an injury in March but he does not seek medical treatment until June, it will be captured on March's OSHA log and it will not show up on the June log. There is an approximate 18 month lag time in current available national benchmark data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Our top three causes of injury based on severity of injury include slip/trip/fall, motor vehicle crashes, and musculoskeletal injuries from lifting/pushing/pulling/carrying.  Oftentimes these injuries are preventable, particularly in relation to motor vehicle crashes.  This reflects a concerning trend that highlights both the rising risks associated with road-related incidents and broader challenges in workplace safety. As more employees are required to travel for work, either directly or indirectly, the exposure to motor vehicle accidents has grown, leading to a higher number of claims. This surge can be attributed to several factors, including increased traffic congestion, distracted driving, and the growing volume of deliveries and on-the-road services. Moreover, the financial impact of these claims is compounded by the complexity of medical treatments, rehabilitation costs, and the potential for long-term disability.



We continue multiple safety initiatives to work toward preventing injuries.  SRM is applying ergonomic principles for injury reduction. We are focusing on fitting the job to the employee, instead of the employee to the job. One example is to address the customization of Police Vest Carriers to reduce upper musculoskeletal injury risks while partnering with a strengthening and stretching program to make sure our employees have the best safety and health tools to wear their Personal Protective Equipment. 

Metric Definition
The Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) is a nationally recognized standard safety metric. It is based upon the total number of work related injury and illness cases reported that, generally speaking, required more than standard first aid treatment, as it relates to the total number of employee hours worked. Current-year benchmarks are not available as they are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and have an approximate 18 month lag time.
Why Is This Important?
The Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) is important because it is a nationally benchmarkeable measure that allows us to track injury frequency trends over time.  It is important for the City to provide a safe workplace for all employees and the only way to achieve that is by driving a culture of proactive safety built on continuous improvement.  As safety efforts drive down injuries, the costs associated with workers' compensation claims can be driven down as well.  While the TRIR is a lagging indicator, it is valuable as a symptom of the effectiveness of our proactive injury prevention efforts.
City Organization Impact on Performance
High – Reducing the TRIR rate requires the City to reduce the number of injuries that are sustained in any given year. Driving down injuries requires workgroups to actively work to identify and mitigate injury causes.  We are seeing more employee involvement throughout the City now than at any point in the past through sharing of best practices and lessons learned, excellent active safety meeting attendance, new safety teams being launched, and safety team members being called on more than ever by their workgroups to help spearhead safety improvements. 
Benchmark Information
This metric contains General Industry and Public Entities benchmark data. The General Industry benchmark gives overall context to the City's performance, while the Public Entities benchmark allows for a closer comparison that accounts for the unique challenges that face local governments.