What an EMR Below 1.0 Actually Means — And Why Facility Managers Should Care

If you manage a commercial or institutional facility, you’ve probably seen “EMR” on a contractor’s prequalification form. It’s one of those fields that procurement asks about and most people fill in without fully understanding what the number represents.

Here’s what it actually means — and why, for certain facilities, it’s one of the most important numbers on that form.

What EMR is

EMR stands for Experience Modification Rate. It’s a number calculated by insurance carriers to measure a contractor’s workplace safety performance relative to their industry peers.

The baseline is 1.0. That’s the average. A contractor with an EMR of 1.0 has injury rates and workers’ compensation costs that are typical for their industry. Below 1.0 means they’re performing better than average. Above 1.0 means worse.

The number is recalculated annually using three years of workers’ compensation claims data. It’s not self-reported. It comes from the insurer. That makes it one of the more reliable, independently verified data points you can use to evaluate a contractor.

What the number actually reflects

EMR isn’t just a math formula applied to claims. It’s a reflection of how a company actually operates day to day.

Contractors with low EMRs tend to have consistent safety training, clear job site protocols, systematic incident reporting, and a culture where supervisors and crew members both take safety seriously. You don’t get a 0.81 by luck. You get it by building habits and maintaining them over years.

Contractors with high EMRs — above 1.0 — tend to have more frequent incidents, higher workers’ comp costs, and often less rigorous safety processes. That risk shows up in your facility, not just their insurance premium.

Why restricted facilities require it

Many institutional and government facilities — particularly international institutions, federal agencies, and healthcare campuses — set minimum EMR thresholds as part of their contractor qualification requirements.

The threshold varies by facility, but a common standard is 1.0 or below. Some facilities require below 0.90. The reasoning is straightforward: they can’t afford incidents on their campus. They need contractors who’ve demonstrated, with verifiable data, that they operate safely.

This is why EMR matters beyond the form. It’s not bureaucratic box-checking. It’s a gating requirement that determines whether a contractor can even bid on certain work.

Reyco’s EMR: 0.81

Reyco’s current EMR is 0.81, which places us in the top 10% of electrical contractors nationally.

That number reflects consistent safety practices since 2004 — the same hiring standards, the same site protocols, the same expectations for our supervisors and crew members, maintained across a 40-person field force working in varied commercial and institutional environments.

It’s also why we work at international institutions and government facilities in the DC metro area that other contractors can’t access. Not because we applied and got lucky, but because we meet their requirements and other contractors don’t.

Dave Reynolds, our founder, doesn’t talk about our EMR unprompted. It’s not a talking point — it’s just how we operate. The number is the byproduct of that.

What to look for when evaluating contractors

When you’re evaluating an electrical contractor for a facility that requires high safety standards, a few questions worth asking:

What is your current EMR, and can you provide documentation?
Have you worked in restricted-access or badged facilities before?
What is your safety training process for new field hires?
Who on your team is responsible for safety oversight on job sites?

A contractor who can answer these questions specifically and quickly — with documentation — has probably earned their safety record. One who deflects or doesn’t know their EMR offhand likely hasn’t made it a priority.

Reyco’s EMR documentation is available on request. Contact us or call (301) 843-1848 to discuss your facility’s requirements.