City Employee Safety - Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) Rate YTD
Analysis of Performance
The City has been under its DART goal for 2020. A reduction in the DART rate shows a reduction in injury cases that require modified duty or time away from work. Injury cases that require either, or both, are the most sever type of injury claim.
The City also continues to evaluate the number of days that employees are at modified duty as well as lost time days.
Reducing the DART is the goal of this metric, but the City's focus goes beyond the rate. DART includes both modified work injuries as well as lost time injuries. The City views lost time injuries as the most significant, and works hard to reduce that number. This is done by working with departments to find suitable modified work for the injured employee. Studies have shown that employees who are brought back to work have shorter recovery times and are more likely to return to their job once they are at maximum medical improvement.
SRM is working with departments to identify work that employees on modified duty can perform within their restrictions. This has been a challenge due to the change in where work is done for the City, as well as the type of work done. We will continue to gather opportunities for modified duty work.
Metric Definition
Why Is This Important?
City Organization Impact on Performance
High – Reducing the DART rate requires the City to reduce the number of injuries that result in days away, restricted or transferred. Getting employees back to work quickly and efficiently following injuries enables to the City to spend less money on benefits used to keep employees who are off or on modified duty whole. Many studies have led to the well accepted fact that employees who return to work quickly following an injury rehab faster, better, and more completely than those who do not. Driving down injuries that impact the DART rate requires workgroups to be engaged and to actively interact with injured workers to get them back to work as efficiently as medically possible. This engagement in conjuction with other ongoing proactive safety efforts has concrete and continuous impact on improving the City's safety culture.