Henrich Triangle
Theory
For every severe accident
(with serious injury/fatality), there were 29 minor accidents and 300 near
misses.
This “300-29-1” ratio is known
as Heinrich's Law, often depicted in the form of a triangle, which serves as a
visual representation of the relative frequency of different accident types.
Heinrich is most famous for
originating the concept of the “safety pyramid”.
This idea proposes that if the
number of minor accidents is reduced then there will be a corresponding fall in
the number of serious accidents.
The triangle was first
proposed by Herbert William Heinrich in 1931 and has since been updated and
expanded upon by other writers, notably Frank E. Bird.
Use of Heinrich’s Triangle
in Safety Management
The Heinrich Accident Triangle is also known as the
accident triangle or the Bird's triangle.
It is an industrial accident prevention theory that
shows the relationship between minor accidents, serious accidents, and near
misses.
The theory proposes that if there are zero accidents
in the minor category, you will realise a corresponding reduction in serious
accidents.
The accident triangle was invented by Herbert
William Heinrich in 1931 and expanded and updated by others such as Frank E.
Bird.
Heinrich based his law on assumptions and the
probability that accident numbers are inversely proportional to the accident's
severity.
Heinrich's Accident Triangle Theory suggested
that 88 per cent
of all accidents happen
due to human decision to carry out an unsafe act.
Frank E. Bird developed the theory further in 1996,
basing his development on an analysis of 1.7 million accident reports from
about 300 companies.
He came up with an amended triangle. It showed a
relationship between one serious injury accident and ten minor injury
accidents.
It further showed 30 damage-causing accidents to 600
accidents as near misses.
Significant workplace
injury has ties to the Heinrich pyramid in safety management. Since 1931 when Heinrich created
the pyramid, it infiltrated health and safety procedures.
Human factors
contribute directly to safety incidents, and safety managers should influence
their employees to make better choices.
Safety professionals
must emphasize the near misses proportion to prevent severe harm and the
potential of significant injury fatalities.
The
ultimate aim of the Heinrich Triangle is to widen the bottom of the triangle to
identify while analysing the risk behaviours, unsafe acts, unsafe conditions,
and near misses avoiding significant injuries.
The
critical factor is that all identified risk behaviours are analysed using the
root cause analysis method.
You
can use any other problem-solving methodology to identify the root cause and
devise ways of terminating it permanently.
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