cost · Free · Open Source · MIT

Incident Cost Calculator

Direct + indirect cost per incident (OSHA $afety Pays). Based on OSHA $afety Pays. Results shown with the full formula so you can verify. Zero signup, zero tracking, zero data sent to a server — all calculation is client-side.

Inputs
Total incident cost
$21,000
Direct
$10,000
Indirect (hidden)
$11,000
Revenue needed (10%)
$210,000
Raw JSON result
{
  "direct": 10000,
  "indirect": 11000,
  "total": 21000,
  "revenueNeeded": 210000
}
Overview

About the Incident Cost Calculator

OSHA $afety Pays model — direct + indirect cost per incident. Indirect costs (investigation, lost productivity, training replacement, morale) run 1.1× to 4.5× direct cost depending on severity. Revenue-needed calculation shows sales required at your profit margin to offset the incident cost.

Used in safety ROI business cases, board reports, and insurance negotiations. Aligns with OSHA's published $afety Pays estimator.

Formula
Total = Direct + (Direct × indirect-ratio)
Regulation

OSHA $afety Pays

How to use

Step-by-step: using the Incident Cost Calculator

  1. 1
    Enter the direct cost (medical, lost wages, workers comp).
  2. 2
    Select severity — first aid / medical / restricted / lost time / fatality.
  3. 3
    Read total cost + revenue needed to recover at your margin.
Worked examples

Incident Cost Calculator — real-world examples

$10,000 medical-treatment incident at 10% margin

Direct $10K + indirect $11K (1.1× ratio) = $21K total. Revenue needed to net $21K at 10% margin = $210K. A reportable medical case costs roughly 20× its direct medical cost in net revenue impact.

Who uses this calculator

Used by safety professionals worldwide

Watch out for

Common mistakes when calculating incident cost calculator

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What's the ratio of indirect to direct incident cost?+

OSHA's $afety Pays model uses 4.5× for first-aid (high ratio because direct is tiny), 1.1× for medical and restricted, 1.0× for lost-time, 0.6× for fatality.

Regulation citations

Authoritative sources

Related calculators

More free HSE calculators

Embed this calculator

Free for any website, blog, or course — MIT / CC BY 4.0. Attribution stays visible.

<script src="https://tools.smartqhse.com/embed.js" data-calc="incident-cost-calculator"></script>
Optional attributes: data-theme, data-width, data-min-height. Works on any CMS (WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, plain HTML).
Track this KPI automatically

Need more than a calculator?

SmartQHSE is the AI-powered HSE / QHSE platform built on top of these formulas — permits-to-work, AI risk assessments, incident management, contractor prequalification, ISO 45001 compliance dashboards. Used in 40+ countries.

Start free on smartqhse.com →