The Core Argument – Are All Accidents Preventable?

Over the past year, I’ve observed a spirited debate among HSE professionals across social media and virtual conferences, centered around one question: “Are all accidents preventable?” This dispute challenges a long-held belief in safety excellence, one that I supported throughout my early career. We educated executives, managers, supervisors, and employees alike on this concept. The fundamental idea was that assuming some incidents are inevitable or just a “cost of doing business” fosters a mindset that inadvertently perpetuates needless accidents and injuries. My 40 plus years of experience in the field have consistently reinforced this notion.

Human Error Tools

In recent years, “human error” theories and tools from the 1960s have made a comeback as the latest advancement in occupational safety. This content, which SRI has utilized since its founding in 1976, has been rebranded as Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) or given other similar names. At the heart of this approach lies a concept I agree with: humans are fallible, especially on psychological, biological, or neurological levels. As a result, we must:

1. Accept the inevitability of error, and
2. Employ available tools to reduce errors and incidents.

To purists, this approach may seem to condone incidents and errors. However, for HOP advocates, it’s simply a recognition of reality. Read our thoughts on Behavioral Based Programs (BBS) here

Adopt a New Philosophy

However, a third approach has emerged among mature organizations, which combines high standards with an acknowledgment of human fallibility. These companies adopt the guiding principle that “no incident is acceptable.” They understand that incidents may occur due to unforeseen circumstances or human error, and that achieving a TRIR below 0.25 for groups of over 1,500 employees may be either an anomaly or the result of exceptional “incident management.” Despite this, they emphasize the importance of setting high standards and communicating a commitment to an incident-free workplace for all employees.

These organizations avoid linking remuneration systems to corporate injury goals, as doing so would inadvertently imply that workplace injuries are inevitable enough to impact bonuses. By adopting the belief that “no incident is acceptable,” these companies find a middle ground that accommodates both perspectives and promotes sound policy.

Read how Accident Projection Techniques (APTs) can help your organization embrace error to prevent injuries.
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