Published 2026-03-19 · Data: OSHA ITA 2016-2024
Before accepting a job offer - or if you're currently working somewhere that feels unsafe - you have a right to know your employer's safety record. Thanks to mandatory OSHA reporting, that data is public. Here's how to use it.
Step 1: Search by Employer Name
Use the PlainSafetyScore search to find your employer. Enter the company name or establishment name. Large companies with multiple locations will have records for each establishment separately.
Step 2: Understand the Safety Grade
Each employer receives a grade from A to F based on their Total Case Rate (TCR) compared to their industry average:
- Grade A - Excellent. Injury rate is 50% or less of industry average.
- Grade B - Good. Injury rate is 50-80% of industry average.
- Grade C - Average. On par with industry norms (80-120%).
- Grade D - Poor. Injury rate is 120-200% of industry average.
- Grade F - Failing. Injury rate is more than double the industry average.
Step 3: Look at the Trend
A single year's data can be misleading. Look at the year-by-year table on each employer's page. Is the injury rate improving, getting worse, or staying flat? A consistently high rate is more concerning than one bad year.
Step 4: Check OSHA Enforcement Actions
Safety grades reflect voluntary reporting. For enforcement actions - citations, inspections, and penalties - search the federal OSHA inspection records directly.
Step 5: Compare to Industry
A TCR of 5.0 is alarming in an office (benchmark ~0.5) but less unusual in a hospital (benchmark ~7.5). Always compare to the industry benchmark shown on each employer page.
What to Do If Rates Are High
If you find a concerning safety record, you have options:
- Ask the employer directly about their safety programs during the interview
- File a complaint with OSHA if you observe unsafe conditions (1-800-321-OSHA)
- Contact your state labor department for state-plan states
- Consult with a workers' compensation attorney if injured
Red Flags to Watch For
Beyond the overall grade, look for specific warning signs in the employer's data. Multiple consecutive years of Grade D or F performance suggests systemic management failures rather than isolated incidents. A sharp increase in DART rates (which measure injuries serious enough to require time away from work) indicates worsening conditions even if the overall TCR appears stable.
Also pay attention to the employer's industry classification. Some employers are classified in lower-hazard industry codes than their actual work warrants, which can make their grade appear better than it should be. If the described industry on the employer page does not match the actual work performed at that location, the benchmark comparison may be misleading.
How OSHA Reporting Works
The Injury Tracking Application (ITA) collects Form 300A summary data from establishments with 250 or more employees, plus smaller establishments in designated high-hazard industries. Employers must submit their data by March 2 of each year covering the prior calendar year. This means the most recent data available is typically about 14 months old by the time it appears in our records.
Crucially, reporting is mandatory but compliance is imperfect. Some employers fail to submit, submit incomplete records, or under-report incidents. While OSHA can impose penalties for reporting violations, enforcement is limited. If an employer that should be reporting is missing from our database, that itself is a yellow flag worth investigating.
Establishment vs Company-Level Data
OSHA collects data at the establishment level, meaning each physical location reports separately. A large retailer like Walmart will have thousands of individual store records, each with its own safety grade. This granularity is valuable: a national chain may have an overall good safety record while a specific warehouse or distribution center has a dangerous one.
When researching, search for both the parent company and the specific location where you would work. Job offers from companies with multiple establishments often do not specify which location you would be assigned to until after acceptance, so it pays to ask. If a recruiter resists naming the specific workplace address, treat that as a signal.
Questions to Ask in the Interview
If safety data raises concerns but you remain interested in the role, ask direct questions: How does the employer track and respond to near-miss incidents? Does the company have an active safety committee with non-management worker representation? What is the budget for safety training and personal protective equipment? Vague or defensive answers to specific questions are often more revealing than the answers themselves.
Ask to see the most recent OSHA Form 300A summary. Employers are required to post this annually from February through April in a visible workplace location, and many will share it on request. If they refuse or claim it's confidential, that is itself the answer.
Beyond Injury Data
Injury rates are one dimension of workplace safety, but psychological safety, exposure to long-term health hazards, and ergonomic conditions can be equally important and are not captured in OSHA reporting. Cross-reference what you find here with workplace reviews on Glassdoor, Indeed, and similar platforms, pay particular attention to repeated complaints about understaffing, mandatory overtime, or pressure to skip safety procedures.
For occupational illness data (which is reported separately and less reliably than injuries), the Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) provides industry-level benchmarks. For fatalities, the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) is the most official source.
Data Source: OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA), publicly available under the Freedom of Information Act. This information is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.
Compiled by the PlainSafetyScore editorial team.