Theories to Explain Accidents

¶ … Accident Theory

The incident and accident theory is one of the major theories that has been developed in the literature to attempt to provide a model for accident causation. The theory has been defined as something of an addendum to the human factors theory of accident causation. Therefore, to understand the accident/incident theory fully, an overview of the human factors theory will first be provided. The accident/incident theory works to fill in some of the gaps that have prevented a human factors approach from being able to fully explain how many accidents occur. The theory adds several dimensions to the previous model such as consideration of ergonomic traps, the decision to err, and systems failure among others (Duffy, N.d. ).

Incident and accident theory

There are roughly seven different theories of accident causation that are typically cited in the literature. Such theories include the domino theory that focuses on mistakes, to systems theory that looks at the broader system in a holistic fashion, and to behavioral theory which focuses on the roles of the human participants among the other theories that are provided. However, in my opinion, the incident and accident theory has the greatest applicability due to the fact that combines many of the other factors that are contained in the other theories that have been presented.

Incident and accident theory

The theory has been defined as:

"The accident/incident theory of accident causation is an extension of the human factors theory. It introduces such new elements as ergonomic traps, the decision to err, and systems failures (Goetsch, 2010)."

The human factors theory focuses on both the human dimension of a situation as well as the system in which the individual must interact with in order to complete the desired tasks that desired of them. This theory includes human errors in three categories which are that an individual can get overloaded in their work, that they can respond with an inappropriate action to which the situation calls for, and that a worker can also be placed in an inappropriate situation by error based on a lack of training or other relevant factor (Duffy, N.d. ).

In addition to the factors that are outlined in the human factors theory, the incident and accident theory adds three additional elements that include ergonomic traps, the decision (or lack thereof) to error, and a systems failure factor. The ergonomic trap is explained by an environment or operation that is not suitable for the worker in some fashion. If the work environment is not well designed for the work that is to be performed, then it can be basically just a matter of time before some mistake is made and an accident occurs. The decision to err adds another element that is psychological in nature and includes the decision that a person might make, consciously or subconsciously, that can result in some kind of accident. Finally, the systems failure looks at external factors to the work design such as the failures of the policy, training procedures, support, etc. These dimension, founded upon the human factors theory, can explain a wide range of the most common accidents and incidents that occur in any environment.

Justification of my selection

This theory is superior to the other theories, in my opinion, because it focuses primarily on the limitations of the people involved. Although the system is definitely a key consideration, any work environment system is ultimately designed by a human designer and thus the human element comes into play at each level in the design of work. Thus, by focusing on the limitations that are inherent in human nature, systems can be designed to limit the potential for incidents and accidents to occur.