Contractor safety ratings represent measurements of safety performance and safety management systems.

In the United States, several types of ratings and metrics exist, created by different organizations–from government agencies and industry groups to private rating platforms. These metrics and insights help companies gauge their own safety program and allow hiring organizations to vet the safety practices of external contractors.

Below, we deep-dive into the key types of safety ratings, who created them, and how to use them for evaluation. Specifically, we address the following:

• Common Safety Performance Metrics (Lagging Indicators)

• Experience Modification Rate (EMR)

• OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)

• Industry Safety Evaluation Programs and Certifications

• Third-Party Contractor Prequalification and Rating Platforms

4 Common Safety Performance Metrics

One fundamental category of safety “ratings” is performance metrics that quantify past safety incidents. These are often called lagging indicators because they measure past performance (after incidents have occurred). The most widely used metrics in the U.S. construction industry include:

1. Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)

Also referred to as Total Case Incident Rate or OSHA incident rate, TRIR is a standardized measure of how often a company experiences OSHA-recordable injuries. It is calculated by multiplying the number of recordable incidents in a year by 200,000 (the number of hours 100 full-time workers would work in a year) and dividing by the total hours worked by all employees. This standardizes the injury count per 100 workers.

TRIR is used across the industry to benchmark safety. A lower TRIR is better. If a company’s TRIR is higher than industry average, it signals poorer past safety performance. High TRIR can lead to higher insurance premiums and may hurt a contractor’s chances of winning work. On the other hand, a low TRIR is seen as a positive safety indicator.

2. Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) Rate

This OSHA metric reflects the rate of more serious injuries – those that result in days away from work, job restrictions, or transfers. It’s calculated similarly to TRIR (cases × 200,000 / hours worked) but using only the DART cases.

Like TRIR, DART is based on past incidents. Lower DART rates indicate fewer serious injuries. For example, companies in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP, discussed later) have DART rates about 52% below the industry average.

3. Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR)

Similar to DART, LTIR counts injuries that resulted in lost work days. LTIR is a subset of DART, representing cases where a recordable incident results in one or more days away from work. In other words, all LTIR cases are included within DART, but not all DART cases involve lost time.

4. Fatality Rate

Especially for large firms or industry-wide benchmarking, the fatality rate (often per 100,000 workers or per hours worked) may be tracked. While fatalities are relatively rare; a company that experienced a recent fatality is likely to face intense scrutiny regarding their safety practices.

The Highwire Perspective

We recognize that OSHA lagging metrics like TRIR and DART provide a baseline for safety performance, but these are imperfect indicators. These statistics offer an oversimplified snapshot of past incidents and are not necessarily indicative of future risk, as they don’t account for underlying causes or emerging hazards.

Moreover, a low TRIR or DART is not automatically proof of a strong safety program. It may simply mean few recent recordables, possibly due to chance or underreporting, while a higher rate could stem from minor injuries rather than serious systemic problems.

Such metrics treat all recordable incidents equally regardless of severity, failing to reveal whether a contractor’s injuries were little more than first-aid cases or major events. Nor do they capture near-misses or unsafe conditions that didn’t result in injuries.

In short, by focusing solely on TRIR/DART, companies risk overlooking context and may even discourage honest reporting in an effort to keep rates low.

Understanding Experience Modification Rate (EMR)

Another critical safety rating is the Experience Modification Rate (EMR), sometimes called E-Mod or X-Mod.

EMR is a factor developed by insurance rating bureaus (such as the National Council on Compensation Insurance, NCCI, and state workers’ comp rating agencies). It is used by the insurance industry to gauge a company’s workers’ compensation claim history relative to its peers, and it directly influences workers’ comp insurance premiums.

EMR compares the workers’ comp claims (frequency and severity) a company has had in the past three years to what is expected for a company of similar size in that industry:

• An EMR of 1.0 is considered baseline average;
• An EMR < 1.0 means the company’s claims history is better than average;
• And > 1.0 means worse than average.

For example, an EMR of 0.80 could earn a company a 20% lower premium than average, while 1.20 could mean a 20% surcharge in insurance.

EMR is a long-term indicator of safety performance. Because it is tied to insurance costs, contractors work hard to keep EMR low.

Many hiring clients ask for a contractor’s EMR. An EMR above a certain threshold (often 1.0 or 1.1) might disqualify a contractor from bidding due to safety concerns. Conversely, a low EMR is a selling point indicating strong past safety performance.

It’s worth noting that very small companies or new companies may not qualify for an EMR or their EMR can be volatile year-to-year due to small payroll, so this metric is most meaningful for established firms.

The Highwire Perspective

EMR is a narrow and lagging measure of safety risk that only tells a small part of the story. As an insurance metric derived from workers’ compensation claim history, EMR can give some insight into loss performance, but it omits crucial elements like a contractor’s safety programs, culture, and current risk controls.

EMR values are influenced by factors outside raw safety performance. Moreover, a single incident can disproportionately spike a small firm’s EMR due to the way the calculation weighs losses against payroll, potentially misrepresenting the contractor’s true safety capabilities.

For these reasons, Highwire views EMR as an incomplete and lagging indicator – useful for insurance pricing but too blunt to standalone as a contractor safety gauge.

OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)

Beyond metrics, government and industry recognition programs serve as a form of safety rating. The premier U.S. government safety recognition is OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

Established in 1979, VPP recognizes employers with outstanding safety and health systems. “VPP Star” is the highest level, awarded to exemplary worksites with excellent safety systems and low injury rates. Below Star, there is “Merit” representing good safety systems but with some improvements needed. Star sites are reevaluated every 3-5 years to ensure they continue to meet criteria.

Being a VPP Star site is a strong badge of safety excellence. For contractors, striving for VPP can drive improvements and signal to employees and clients a top safety culture. For organizations evaluating contractors, a company that is a VPP Star (or has VPP sites) clearly demonstrates a commitment to safety.

OSHA also runs the Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) for small businesses, which is another recognition for exemplary safety programs. Additionally, OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) is a negative designation. It’s not a “rating” per se, but if a contractor is listed as a Severe Violator (due to egregious OSHA violations), that would be a red flag when evaluating them.

The Highwire Perspective

OSHA’s VPP is a positive indicator of a contractor’s safety commitment. In our contractor Safety Score methodology, participation in programs like VPP is explicitly factored under “Advanced Initiatives.” We recognize its role in fostering a proactive safety culture.

Industry Safety Evaluation Programs and Certifications

Various industry organizations have created safety evaluation programs that effectively rate or rank a company’s safety performance and practices. These include:

• ABC STEP: The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) developed a Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) in 1989 as a benchmarking and improvement tool for construction safety programs. Companies complete a detailed self-assessment of their safety program and submit safety performance data (like TRIR, DART). They earn a STEP level based on their score and incident rates. The levels (from lowest to highest) are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

• AGC Safety Awards: The Associated General Contractors (AGC) runs annual Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA) and other recognition programs. These are competitive awards rather than an ongoing rating system, but a contractor who consistently wins AGC safety awards, or is part of AGC’s programs, demonstrates safety leadership.
• Gold Shovel Standard (GSS): The GSS was originally a not-for-profit initiative (started with utility and pipeline companies, including PG&E) to reduce underground utility damage and excavation accidents. In 2023, it was acquired by the Common Ground Alliance’s Damage Prevention Institute, integrating it into a broader damage prevention accreditation.
• Other Industry Certifications: Depending on the sector, there may be additional safety ratings or programs. For example, the National Safety Council offers awards for occupational safety performance, and various client organizations (like some large oil & gas or chemical firms) have their own contractor safety recognition programs.

Third-Party Contractor Prequalification and Rating Platforms

In the last two decades, third-party platforms have become very influential in contractor safety prequalification. These services verify contractors’ safety information and give hiring clients a “rating” or score to help them select safe contractors. Major platforms in the USA include ISNetworld (ISN), Avetta, Veriforce (formerly PEC Premier), and Highwire (formerly ConstructSecure). Each platform has its own rating system:

ISNetworld (ISN)

ISN assigns each contractor an ISN rating/grade, typically expressed as a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) which correlates with a numerical score. An “A” grade is most desirable (often above 90% score), indicating strong safety compliance, while a “B” is acceptable but could limit opportunities; “C” or lower is a red flag. The grade is calculated based on several weighted factors, including:

• Safety performance data: OSHA incident rates (TRIR), recent injury history, and even OSHA citation history.
• Safety programs and documentation: ISN’s Review and Verification Services (RAVS) checks whether the contractor has written safety programs that meet regulatory and client standards. RAVS compliance can account for a significant portion (30-40%) of the ISN score.
• Insurance and Experience Modifier: Contractors must submit valid insurance (workers’ comp, liability) and EMR; an unfavorable EMR or lapsed insurance will hurt the score.
• Training and certifications: Documenting employee OSHA training, operator certifications, etc., also factors in.
• Other: ISN allows hiring clients to customize criteria, so there may be questionnaire scores, drug/alcohol program checks, etc., that factor in.

Avetta

Avetta traditionally has used a compliance scoring system often shown in a dashboard as green/yellow/red statuses for each requirement (green = compliant, red = deficiencies). Simply meeting all of a client’s requirements (submitting documents, having acceptable incident rates, etc.) gives a “green light” status. However, Avetta has recently introduced a more advanced Safety Maturity Index (SMI) to provide a deeper safety rating beyond basic compliance.

The SMI, developed in partnership with the National Safety Council, assesses the maturity of a contractor’s Safety Management System across key categories (leadership, hazard control, training, incident management, etc.). Contractors complete a detailed assessment and provide evidence of their safety processes, which Avetta validates. They then receive a score on a 0–100 scale, which is also converted to a letter grade (A through D). For example, A = 90–100, D = below 70.

This SMI rating is meant to be predictive of future safety risk, not just reflective of past incidents. In trials, Avetta found that many contractors who were “green” on basic compliance actually scored poorly (C or D) on the SMI, indicating potential hidden risks.

Highwire

Highwire was originally ConstructSecure, a spin-off from a Harvard University internal risk project, and has proprietary algorithms developed at the Ivy League university. Today, Highwire offers a rigorous Safety Assessment Program that combines both lagging and leading indicators to evaluate contractors. The platform balances historical safety performance (lagging metrics like injury rates, OSHA recordables, EMR, etc.) with current safety management practices (leading indicators). These contribute roughly 55% and 45% of the total score, respectively.

Highwire then normalizes these scores by industry. For example, a contractor’s incident rates (TRIR/DART) are compared against BLS benchmarks for their specific trade, ensuring companies are assessed relative to peers in their sector. This approach yields an objective 0–100 Safety Score (analogous to an academic grade) that reflects both past outcomes and safety culture.

The scoring process is transparent. Users can view a detailed breakdown of how each factor affects their score and even see identified strengths and weaknesses on their dashboard.

As a result, Highwire’s assessments are regarded as consistent and fair, providing a strong indicator of how seriously a contractor values safety and serving as a credible predictor of future jobsite performance.

Highwire has seen growing adoption across the construction and capital projects industry, including use by leading general contractors and project owners. Some of the world’s top organizations–Skanska, Merck, and Bond Brothers–rely on Highwire to help manage subcontractor safety and risk on their projects.

In practice, Highwire’s Safety Score and award system have started to influence procurement decisions. The platform awards Gold and Platinum Safety Awards to contractors with outstanding safety performance (a Safety Score of 85–94 earns Gold, and 95+ earns Platinum). These designations serve as industry-recognized badges of excellence in safety management, which contractors can publicize on their profiles and websites.

Such accolades help contractors stand out as safe, reliable partners when bidding for new work, and may even translate into tangible benefits like improved insurance terms.

From the client’s perspective, a high Highwire score or a Platinum/Gold award is a useful indicator in the vetting process. It signals that the contractor prioritizes safety and is likely to maintain high standards on future jobs. This way, Highwire’s system not only drives safety improvements but also provides a common metric that owners and GCs can trust when making procurement and project award decisions.

Putting It Into Practice

The landscape of contractor safety ratings in the USA spans from straightforward metrics (like TRIR and EMR defined by OSHA and insurance bodies) to certifications and programs (OSHA VPP, ABC STEP, Gold Shovel, etc.) to sophisticated third-party risk platforms (Highwire).

Each type of rating was created by a specific organization – be it a government agency, industry association, or private company – with the aim of improving safety transparency and performance.

Use these ratings to benchmark and strengthen your own safety programs, and to select contractors who will uphold high safety standards on your projects.

Ultimately, leveraging these safety ratings effectively helps ensure that everyone on the jobsite goes home safe at the end of the day.