Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) Practice Test

How is the DART rate calculated for a firm?

1. # of incidents x 100,000/hours worked

2. # of days x 200,000/hours worked

3. # of injuries x 10,000/hours worked

4. # of cases x 1,000/hours worked

The correct answer is: # of days x 200,000/hours worked

The DART rate, which stands for Days Away, Restricted work, or Transferred work rate, is calculated to measure the effectiveness of an organization’s health and safety program by tracking incidents that result in lost time from work. This is particularly important because it focuses on more severe outcomes of workplace injuries or illnesses. To compute the DART rate, the formula used considers the number of days away from work, either due to injuries or illnesses, multiplied by a standard factor (in this case, 200,000) and then divided by the total hours worked by all employees during the same period. This standard factor is designed to provide a rate per full-time equivalent employees, facilitating comparison between different organizations and industries. Using days as part of the numerator emphasizes the significance of incidents that meet specific criteria of severity, making the DART rate a valuable metric for assessing workplace safety. The nature of the other options does not align with the definitions of DART or the methodologies typically used to compute similar workplace safety statistics. Each of those alternatives either misrepresents the components of the calculation or uses incorrect multipliers that don't reflect industry standards.