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Safety Triangle

Safety Triangle Analysis

Published on: March 2, 2021 Published in: Health & Safety

The safety triangle is also known as Heinrich’s triangle, Bird’s triangle, accident triangle, accident pyramid or safety pyramid, and often confused as incident pyramid. It is a theory of industrial accident prevention. The Heinrich triangle seeks to develop links between fatal accidents, minor accidents, and near misses.

It suggests that reducing the number of minor accidents will lead to a fall in fatal accidents.

Herbert William Heinrich first proposed the safety pyramid in 1931, hence the term, Heinrich accident triangle, derived from his last name. Moreover, other writers like Frank E. Bird, thus also known as the “Bird Safety Triangle” have since expanded upon the theory. A triangle or pyramid often shows this relationship pictorially. Analysts have described the triangle of safety as a cornerstone of 20th-century workplace health and safety philosophy. However, recently, it has come under criticism over the scores designated to each accident category and for focusing on reducing minor injuries.

Heinrich Safety Pyramid Theory

The Heinrich safety pyramid shows the link between the volume of accidents causing significant, minor, or no injuries. The Heinrich triangle was first proposed in 1931 by Herbert William Heinrich in his book Industrial Accident Prevention: A Scientific Approach. He was a workplace health and safety leader and worked in the insurance sector. So, he had an interest in reducing the number of serious industrial accidents.

All Accidents

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By reducing the number of minor accidents, factories would also see a correlating fall in the number of significant casualties. Various health and safety programs have used this safety or incident triangle for about 80 years. According to the Heinrich Safety Pyramid theory, human error causes 88 percent of all accidents.

Accident Reports

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Since fewer accidents would mean his company would have to pay fewer claims, he commenced a study of more than 75,000 accident reports. He compiled this data from his company’s files and records held by individual industry sites. From this data, he deduced a relationship between one major injury accident, 29 minor injury accidents, and 300 injury-free accidents. He established a direct connection between minor and major accidents.

Revision of the Heinrich Safety Pyramid

Million Accident

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Frank E. Bird later contributed to the Heinrich Pyramid theory in 1966. He based his findings on 1.7 million accident reports from almost 300 companies. So his updated triangle, known as “the Bird’s Triangle,” showed a relationship of one serious injury accident to 10 minor injury accidents, 30 damage-causing accidents, and 600 near misses. Therefore, he established a link between the number of near misses and the number of significant casualties. Later, he claimed that human intervention could predict and prevent most accidents. During this time, this concept also became popular known as the injury pyramid.

Moreover, a 1974 study titled “The Human Element in Systems Safety” by A. D. Swain supported Bird’s triangle theory. Hence, they both expanded on this study in their book Practical Loss Control Leadership in 1985.

The Triangle of Safety Components

What does the Accident Triangle or Incident Pyramid represent?

The Safety Triangle, also known as the Accident Triangle, illustrates the relationship between accident severity and accident frequency. Moreover, it envisions the relations and normal distributions between fatal or severe accidents, minor accidents, and near misses.

Starting with the most severe consequences, details are below on all aspects of the safety triangle:

Near Misses

It is an incident in which a worker narrowly avoids getting injured.

Fatality

Fatality is the most critical aspect of the safety triangle. First, it demonstrates the occurrence of death by accident.

Minor Injuries

Any injury that does not require hospitalization or a visit to a Doctor. For instance, a wound can be treated immediately on-site, like cuts, minor wounds, or scratches. So they are non-life-threatening injuries.

Unsafe Acts

Any instance of a breach of safety protocols is an unsafe act. Such instances will raise the probability of accidents at the workplace.

Prevention

The most effective way to prevent injuries and accidents in any workplace is through completing the OSHA 30-Hour online training since these courses complement the safe triangle and include all essential site safety topics that train workers on recognizing, controlling, and preventing potential site hazards.

Lost Time & Severe Injury

The definition of workplace injury covers both accidents resulting in disabilities and those not resulting in injuries. These injuries may include:

An incident causing severe eye damage, requiring a trip to the Doctor
An accident resulting in broken bones
Injuries requiring hospitalization
An accident resulting in unconsciousness for the involved workers
Accidents requiring treatment by a healthcare professional
Illnesses resulting in loss of mobility

Criticism of the Heinrich Theory About the Safety Pyramid

The Heinrich Safety Pyramid theory profoundly impacted the health and safety culture in the 20th century. This theory suggested a relationship between minor injuries, major injuries, and fatalities in workplace accidents. However, recent analysts have criticized some aspects of this Safety Triangle theory.

Study on Confined Spaces

One of the key criticisms of Heinrich's theory relates to the use of exact figures. A study showed there can be differences.

Minor Injuries

for each severe injury or death in confined spaces.

Study on Confined Spaces

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A 2010 report about the oil and gas industry revealed that the original values still applied to a large dataset and various activities. However, some studies show different patterns when applied to specific conditions or settings.

Injuries caused three or more days of lost time.

Major Injuries.

Minor Injuries.

In Conclusion

Unfortunately, Heinrich’s original records have since been lost, making it impossible to definitively verify the accuracy of his accident figures or fully support the Safety Triangle theory.

Despite the criticisms of Heinrich's theory, understanding safety concepts, including the safety pyramid, OSHA guidelines, and other safety elements, remains crucial. Creating a safe and accident-free work environment is essential for all industries.