Domino theory

A theory of accident causation and control, developed by H.W. Heinrich, that states that all accidents, whether in a residence or a workplace environment, are the result of a chain of events. The chain of events consists of the following sequential factors: ancestry and social environment, an individual's mistake, an unsafe action and/or physical hazard, the actual accident, and an injury as the result of the preceding factors. These factors are described as dominoes, and the removal of any one of these five factors can prevent the accident.

1. Domino Theory A theory of accident causation and control, developed by H.W. Heinrich, that states that all accidents, whether in a residence or a workplace environment, are the result of a chain of events. The chain of events consists of the following sequential factors: ancestry and social environment, an individual's mistake, an unsafe action and/or physical hazard, the actual accident, and an injury as the result of the preceding factors. These factors are described as dominoes, and the removal of any one of these five factors can prevent the accident. Domino 1: ancestry and the worker’s social environment, which impact the worker’s skills, beliefs and “traits of character”, and thus the way in which they perform tasks Domino 2: the worker’s carelessness or personal faults, which lead them to pay insufficient attention to the task Domino 3: an unsafe act or a mechanical/physical hazard, such as a worker error (standing under suspended loads, starting machinery without warning…) or a technical equipment failure or insufficiently protected machinery Domino 4: the accident Domino 5: injuries or loss, the consequences of the accident

2. Domino Theory