Principia College
PA-12: Workplace Health and Safety

Part 1 

Institution has reduced its total number of reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee compared to a baseline. 

Part 2 

Institution has fewer than 5 reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases annually per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. 

This credit includes employees of contractors working on-site for whom the institution is liable for workplace safety, for example workers for whom the institution is mandated to report injuries and disease cases by a health and safety authority such as the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) or the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). Injuries and disease cases include OSHA/CCOHS-reportable fatal and non-fatal injuries (or the equivalent) arising out of or in the course of work and cases of diseases arising from a work-related injury or the work situation or activity (e.g. exposure to harmful chemicals, stress, ergonomic issues). See Sampling and Data Standards, below, for further guidance on reporting injuries and disease cases. 

This credit applies to all institutions.

Each part is scored independently. 

Part 1 

Institutions earn the maximum of 1 point available for Part 1 for having no reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases in the performance year. Incremental points are awarded based on the reduction achieved from a baseline. For example, an institution that reduced its total number of reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee by 50 percent compared to a baseline would earn 0.5 points (half of the points available for Part 1). 

STARS awards only positive points; points will not be deducted if the total number of reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per FTE employee increased rather than decreased during the time period. 

Points earned are calculated according to the formula below. Please note that users do not have to calculate the number of points earned themselves; points earned will be calculated automatically when the data listed under Section E: Reporting Fields is entered in the online Reporting Tool. 

Points Earned = 1 x { [ (A/B) – (C/D) ] / (A/B) } 

A = Number of reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases, baseline year 

B = Full-time equivalent of employees, baseline year (annualized FTE) 

C= Number of reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases, performance year 

D= Full-time equivalent of employees, performance year (annualized FTE) 

Part 2 

Institutions earn the maximum of 1 point available for Part 2 for having no reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases in the performance year. Incremental points are awarded based on the institution’s performance between the minimum performance threshold of 5 reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per 100 FTE employees and the performance target of 0 reportable injuries and disease cases. For example, an institution that had 2.5 reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per 100 FTE employees in the performance year would earn 0.5 points (half of the points available for Part 2). 

Points earned for Part 2 are calculated according to the formula below. Please note that users do not have to calculate the number of points earned themselves; points earned will be calculated automatically when the data listed under Section E: Reporting Fields is entered in the online Reporting Tool. 

Points Earned = 1 x { [ 0.05 – (A / B) ] / 0.05 } 

A = Number of reportable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases, performance year 

B = Full-time equivalent of employees, performance year (annualized FTE)  

Timeframe

Performance Year

Report the most recent data available from the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission. Institutions may use the most recent single year for which data is available or an average from throughout the period. Institutions may choose the annual start and end dates that work best with the data they have (e.g. fiscal or calendar year), as long as data are reported from a consecutive 12-month (or 3-year) period. 

Report annualized FTE employees from the same time period as that from which workplace health and safety data are drawn (e.g. the consecutive 12-month or 3-year period that most closely overlaps with the injuries and disease cases performance period). Institutions may use an average from throughout the period or a snapshot at a single representative point during the period (e.g. the fall figures reported to IPEDS by U.S. institutions). 

Baseline Year

Report data from the baseline year, which may be: 

• Any year from 2005 to the present 
• A baseline year, 1990 to 2004, that the institution has adopted as part of its sustainability plans or policies or in the context of other reporting obligations 

Recommended best practices for defining a baseline include: 

• Using the average of three consecutive years to reduce the impact of outliers 
• Ensuring that baseline and performance year data are valid and reliable (e.g. that the data were gathered in the same manner) 

Institutions without valid and reliable historical data should use performance year data for both the baseline and performance year. Following this approach, an institution would not be able to claim points during its first STARS submission, but would be able to use its newly established baseline for subsequent submissions. 

Institutions may choose the start and end dates that work best with the data they have (e.g. fiscal or calendar year), as long as data are reported from a consecutive 12-month (or 3-year) period. Report annualized FTE employees from the same period as that from which workplace health and safety data are drawn (e.g. the consecutive 12-month or 3-year period that most closely overlaps with the injuries and disease cases baseline period). 

Sampling and Data Standards

U.S. and Canadian institutions should report the total number of fatal and non-fatal injuries and occupational disease cases as reported to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), respectively. Other institutions should report data as generally required by the health and safety authority with jurisdiction over the institution. Minor (first-aid level) injuries should be excluded to the extent feasible.