Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) reached an exciting achievement in workplace safety—one that reflects the hard work, vigilance and shared commitment of facilities operations teams on Ohio State’s Columbus campus.
Throughout the year, workplace safety metrics are closely monitored to understand trends, identify risks and continuously improve how staff stay safe on the job. One of the most important measures, the “Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred,” (DART) rate – also known as the lost time incident rate – tracks how often injuries are severe enough to keep someone from returning to work the next day. The national DART benchmark rate is 1.5.
This past year, the FOD Operations team made significant progress in workplace safety, improving from a 1.4 DART rate in 2024 to 0.62 in 2025. This reduction places the team below the national industry average and highlights the power of proactive planning, wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and prioritizing safe behaviors every day. While injuries can still happen, the milestone demonstrates that when incidents occur, they are far less severe. Teams are getting care, recovering quickly and returning to work the next day.
“This safety achievement is more than a number,” said Berry Grant, senior facilities safety program manager with FOD’s Environmental Health and Safety department. “It’s a testament to the intentional choices teams make—before, during and after each task— to create a strong safety culture on campus.”