Working in the Energy Industry involves careful consideration of the safety during their operations. Being far away from land, very high up on a windmill or very deep in a well brings the question as to how to keep personnel with as minimum risk of injury as possible. Why is it necessary to keep track of injuries? How do companies ensure a safe work environment for high-risk jobs?
LTI stands for Lost Time Injury. It is a metric used by companies to monitor the sustained injury of an employee that results in the loss of productive time. An injury qualifies as an LTI only when a worker is unable to perform their regular duties, needs time off for recovery and is assigned modified work because of duties while recovering. Â This metrics provide details on specific areas and give companies a better idea of where to direct their efforts. LTI is also known as Lost Time Incident or Lost Time Case.
The injuries that are encompassed by LTI include temporary injuries that keep the employee away from work for a day as well as permanent disabilities and conditions that prevent the worker from ever returning to their job or performing regular work tasks. Employees who return to work after sustaining a work-related injury are still counted among the company’s lost time injuries if they are unable to perform the duties outlined in their job descriptions. Accidents that happen off the clock that affect an employee’s ability to work will not be counted in this metric.
Importance of LTI Data
Tracking LTIs allows safety departments and
employers to track the effectiveness of the organisation’s safety program. Lost
Time Injuries serve as a basic representation of a company’s safety performance
and the effects of those losses over the workforce’s productivity.
Lost Time Injuries are lagging indicators of
safety, meaning that they provide insight into a company’s past safety
performance but are not necessarily indicative of its future safety
performance. Nevertheless, tracking LTIs can help prevent similar incidents
from occurring again in the future. Indications of poor safety performance
could result in higher insurance premiums and the best performing workers may
start looking for employment elsewhere under the belief they’re at safety risk
while at work.
Other Safety Metrics
Other safety measuring metrics that track similar factors include for example the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses a metric known as DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred). The DART rate represents the number of recordable incidents per 100 full-time employees that result in one or more days away from work, of restricted work or job transfer.
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The data from LTIs also serves as a base for other safety measuring tools such as Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) and Lost Time Injury Incidence Rate (LTIIR).
Calculating Your Lost Time Injury Rate
The Lost Time Injury rate (LTIR) is calculated using a simple formula, where the total number of lost time injuries in a given period is divided by the total number of hours worked in that period and then multiplied by 200,000.
LTIR = (Total LTIs / Total number of hours) × 200,000
The 200,000 is not an arbitrary figure. It represents 100 employees working 40 hours a week for a 50-week calendar year.
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Note, some companies in certain countries use 1,000,000 instead of 200,000 in the formula described above. The reason for using such large numbers as the number of lost time injuries compared to total number of hours worked is always small. Using a larger number as a baseline makes it easier to interpret.
Preventing LTIs
A high rate of LTIs can be detrimental to an
organisation and puts it under scrutiny. Getting caught up in safety metrics
and data is alluring but staying on point and preventing injuries should be the
main goal of an organisation. Strengthening the security programme and
focussing on providing a safe work environment for employees creates a place
where people thrive, and the metrics will reflect it.
WTS energy is proud of achieving 7 years without any LTI injuries in April 2022 in Gabon. We are committed to providing the best security for our worker’s health and wellbeing. To read more about our services follow the link.
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