COSS Incident Rate Calculations 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A company calculates its annual incident rate using 195,000 actual hours worked instead of 200,000. This means:
- The rate will be slightly lower than standard
- The rate cannot be compared to BLS benchmarks directly (Correct answer)
- The rate will be identical to the standard calculation
- OSHA will reject the submission
Correct answer: The rate cannot be compared to BLS benchmarks directly
The 200,000-hour multiplier is a fixed constant in the formula, not the actual hours worked; using 195,000 actual hours in the denominator is correct practice — the 200,000 is always in the numerator.
Question 2: Which scenario correctly describes a recordable case under OSHA's criteria?
- A worker receives only adhesive bandages and returns to full duty immediately
- A worker is prescribed ibuprofen by a physician for a work injury (Correct answer)
- A worker receives a tetanus shot as a precaution after a minor cut
- A worker uses a non-prescription pain reliever at non-prescription strength
Correct answer: A worker is prescribed ibuprofen by a physician for a work injury
Prescription medications — even if over-the-counter drugs are available — constitute medical treatment beyond first aid, making the case recordable.
Question 3: A multi-establishment employer must maintain OSHA 300 logs:
- At corporate headquarters only
- At each establishment separately (Correct answer)
- Combined across all sites into one log
- Only for establishments with more than 10 employees
Correct answer: At each establishment separately
OSHA requires separate 300 logs for each establishment, defined as a single physical location where business is conducted or where services are performed.
Question 4: A worker commutes by company vehicle and is injured in a traffic accident. Is this recordable?
- Yes, because a company vehicle was involved
- No, because commuting is always excluded
- Yes if the vehicle was being used for work tasks at the time (Correct answer)
- No, because motor vehicle accidents are never recordable
Correct answer: Yes if the vehicle was being used for work tasks at the time
Commuting in a company vehicle is not work-related; however, if the employee was running a work errand or transporting materials, the injury would be recordable.
Question 5: OSHA 300 logs must be retained by the employer for a minimum of:
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
OSHA requires employers to retain the 300, 300A, and 301 forms for five years following the end of the calendar year they cover.
Question 6: A healthcare worker sustains a needlestick from a patient with a known bloodborne pathogen. Under what condition is this automatically recordable?
- Only if the worker tests positive for infection
- Only if symptoms develop within 30 days
- It is automatically recordable as a needlestick from a contaminated sharp (Correct answer)
- Only if lost time results
Correct answer: It is automatically recordable as a needlestick from a contaminated sharp
OSHA requires all needlestick and sharps injuries from contaminated objects to be recorded regardless of whether infection or symptoms develop.
Question 7: A company with a TCIR of 1.8 wants to set a stretch goal for next year. Using a 20% improvement target, what TCIR should they aim for?
- 1.44 (Correct answer)
- 1.62
- 2.16
- 0.36
Correct answer: 1.44
A 20% improvement means reducing the rate by 20%: 1.8 × (1 − 0.20) = 1.8 × 0.80 = 1.44.
COSS Incident Rate Calculations 5
A company calculates its annual incident rate using 195,000 actual hours worked instead of 200,000.
This means: