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
