Fatal Accident Frequency Rate (FAFR) Calculator

What is Fatal Accident Frequency Rate (FAFR)?

Fatal Accident Frequency Rate (FAFR) is a critical workplace safety KPI that answers: How often do fatal accidents occur? It measures the number of work-related fatalities normalized against total manhours worked, using a standard multiplier (commonly 1,000,000 hours).

FAFR is one of the most sensitive lagging indicators because each fatality represents a catastrophic failure of risk controls. It is commonly used for:

  • Board-level reporting and leadership reviews
  • Regulatory and statutory reporting (based on local legal definitions)
  • Benchmarking safety performance across sites, contractors, and business units
  • Demonstrating safety performance in tenders and client audits

The formula to calculate FAFR is:

FAFR = (Number of Fatal Accidents × Multiplier) ÷ Manhours Worked

A higher FAFR indicates a higher-risk environment and a need for immediate strengthening of critical controls, supervision, and operational discipline. Maintaining a low FAFR is fundamental to protecting workers and sustaining trust with regulators, customers, and the public.

Important Notes (Before You Calculate)

  • Delayed fatality: If an injury results in death later, include it in the period when the fatality is confirmed/recorded (as per your reporting rule and local law).
  • Count each fatality once: Do not double-count the same event across periods.
  • Scope consistency: If contractors are in scope for fatality reporting, include contractor manhours for fair exposure-based calculation.
  • Legal definitions vary: Always follow your company standard and local statutory definitions for what qualifies as a reportable work-related fatality.

Why Do We Use 1,000,000 / 200,000 / 100,000 Multipliers?

  • 1,000,000 hours is common in global corporate reporting and provides stable benchmarking numbers.
  • 200,000 hours is widely used in OSHA-style rate calculations (approx. 100 employees working full-time for one year).
  • 100,000 hours may be used for smaller projects/sites to avoid very small decimals and make trends clearer.

Rule: Use the same multiplier consistently to compare trends and benchmark sites.

FAFR Calculator – Quick & Easy

Use our free FAFR calculator below to compute the Fatal Accident Frequency Rate instantly. Select the multiplier used in your reporting standard.

Result:

Your result will appear here

Tip: FAFR should be reviewed with SIF (Serious Injury & Fatality) learning, critical control verification, and high-risk activity compliance.

Worked Example: How to Calculate FAFR

Assume:

  • Fatal Accidents = 2
  • Manhours Worked = 5,000,000
  • Multiplier = 1,000,000
FAFR = (2 × 1,000,000) ÷ 5,000,000
FAFR = 2,000,000 ÷ 5,000,000
FAFR = 0.40

Result: FAFR is 0.40 per 1,000,000 man-hours.

Why Tracking FAFR is Important?

  • High-consequence visibility: Fatalities reflect breakdowns in critical risk controls and supervision.
  • Compliance & reporting: Supports statutory reporting and internal governance requirements.
  • Leadership accountability: Drives management focus on high-risk operations and control verification.
  • Benchmarking: Enables comparison across sites (only when scope and multiplier are consistent).

How to Reduce Fatal Accident Frequency Rate?

  • Implement and verify critical controls for high-risk activities (work at height, lifting, traffic, electrical, confined space).
  • Strengthen permit-to-work and field-level verification for non-routine tasks.
  • Ensure competency-based training for workers, supervisors, and contractors.
  • Conduct learning-focused serious incident investigations and close CAPA effectively.
  • Improve emergency preparedness and response readiness (first response, escalation, medical support).

Preventing fatalities requires strong controls, consistent supervision, and continuous verification of safety-critical activities.

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FAFR FAQ

1) Does FAFR include non-work-related deaths?
No. FAFR should include only work-related fatalities as defined by local law and company policy.

2) What if a fatality occurs days/weeks after the incident?
Many organizations record the fatality in the period when death is confirmed. Follow your corporate reporting rule and statutory requirements.

3) Which multiplier should we use?
Use the multiplier required by your organization. Consistency is critical for trend analysis and benchmarking.

Conclusion

Monitoring the Fatal Accident Frequency Rate (FAFR) is essential for organizations committed to preventing fatalities and strengthening critical risk controls. Use the calculator above to compute FAFR quickly and support high-quality reporting and management review.

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Fatal Accident Frequency Rate Calculator


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