Preliminary Scope 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began tracking and publishing industry-wide safety metrics like the total recordable incident rate (TRIR) in the 1970s. The TRIR is a rate of recordable incidents (requiring medical treatment beyond first aid) that communicates this rate per 100 full-time employees annually. Due to various factors and initiatives, industries have seen significant improvements in the TRIR over the years. For instance, the construction industry’s TRIR in 1994 was 11.8. The most recent published data for the construction industry was in 2022, and the TRIR was 2.4. This improvement represents significant effort from many individuals at industry, company, and project levels; however, non-zero numbers represent individuals who experience harm in the workplace. Further, many safety professionals have focused on the rate of serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs). OSHA defines SIFs as an amputation, in-patient hospitalization, loss of an eye, or fatality. Unfortunately, SIFs rates have not seen consistent and significant decreases. State DOTs have a range of efforts to manage occupational safety and health which seeks to reduce all incidents.

The objective of this synthesis is to document state DOT practice regarding efforts to reduce SIFs for DOT employees.

Information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to)

• Data collection efforts on SIFs;
• Practices and procedures specifically focused on SIFs reduction;
• Practices for assessing, managing, and mitigating fatigue and distraction of highway construction and maintenance workers;
• Use of technology to monitor and manage fatigue and distraction of highway construction and maintenance workers
• Training programs aimed at reducing SIFs;
• Employee engagement and awareness of training programs to reduce SIFs;
• Results and analysis performed by state DOTs on implemented strategies, training, or use of supporting technologies; and
• Written policies and procedures regarding SIFs.

Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.

Information Sources (Partial)

• Dadi, G.B., Sturgill, R.E., and Ramadan, B. (2023). NCHRP Synthesis 608: Practices to Motivate Safe Behaviors with Highway Construction and Maintenance Crews. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27176
• OSHA (2022). “Severe Injury Report: A Seven Year Lookback.” OSHA, US Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/severe-injury-report-2015to2021.pdf. Accessed January 26^th, 2024.
• ISN (2023). “Serious Injury and Fatality Insights: A Cross-Industry Analysis of Data and Best Practices.” ISN Software Corporation. https://www.isnetworld.com/en/newsroom/publications/1868. Accessed January 26^th, 2024.
• Spencer, C. (2023). “Issues & Policy: The Power to Prevent Serious Injuries and Fatalities.” Edison Electric Institute, https://www.eei.org/en/issues-and-policy/power-to-prevent-sif, Accessed January 26^th, 2024.

TRB Staff
Jo Allen Gause
Phone: 202-334-3826
Email: jagause@nas.edu

Meeting Dates
First Panel Meeting: October 2024 (Date TBD)
Teleconference with Consultant: TBD
Second Panel Meeting: TBD