Analysis of Safety Indicators in Construction

This paper shows the results from a study by Hancher and de la Garza and sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute, which surveyed workers' compensation practices in the construction industry. The writers focus the analysis on four indicators of contractors' safety performance: the Experience Modification Rate (EMR), Recordable Incident Rate (RIR), Lost Time Incident Rate, and Workers' Compensation Claims Frequency Indicator (WCCFI). Written and/or phone surveys were conducted with 43 contractors, 9 owners, 14 insurance professionals, and over 1,600 construction workers, representing 36 states and 21 trades. The data presented reveal different Occupational Safety and Health Administration incident rates for contractors who keep track of accidents versus those contractors who do not, different EMR and RIR for small versus large contractors, and a different WCCFI for union versus open shop contractors. It is concluded that what gets measured, gets improved.