For which purpose are incident rates primarily used?

Incident rates are primarily used to compare safety performance across sectors. Such rates provide a standardized measure of the frequency of workplace incidents, such as injuries or illnesses, relative to the number of hours worked. This allows organizations to assess their safety records against industry benchmarks or historical data, enabling better decision-making in terms of safety policies and practices. High or low incident rates can indicate the effectiveness of safety measures and highlight areas in need of improvement.

In contrast, while financial performance, employee satisfaction, and training effectiveness can be influenced by safety performance, they are not the main reason incident rates are analyzed. Financial performance pertains to economic outcomes rather than direct safety metrics. Employee satisfaction focuses on the feelings and engagement of workers, which does not directly correlate with incident rates. Training effectiveness measures how well the training programs meet their objectives, rather than evaluating overall safety performance across different sectors.