1st Edition

Preventing Industrial Accidents Reappraising H. W. Heinrich – More than Triangles and Dominoes

By Carsten Busch Copyright 2021
304 Pages 17 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

304 Pages 17 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

304 Pages 17 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Herbert William Heinrich has been one of the most influential safety pioneers. His work from the 1930s/1940s affects much of what is done in safety today – for better and worse. Heinrich’s work is debated and heavily critiqued by some, while others defend it with zeal. Interestingly, few people who discuss the ideas have ever read his work or looked into its backgrounds; most do so based on... Read more
1. Introductions 2. A biography 3. Heinrich’s work 4. A scientific approach 5. The economics of safety 6. Accidents are caused 7. The human element 8. The role of management 9. The triangle 10. Other main themes 11. Heinrich in the 21st century

Biography

Carsten Busch has studied Mechanical Engineering, Safety, and Human Factors. He has over 25 years of experience in Safety and Quality Management at various levels in organisations ranging from railway to oil & gas to police in The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Norway. He is professionally active on various forums, owner of mindtherisk.com, tutor at Lund University Human Factors and System Safety programme, and author of Safety Myth 101, Veiligheidsfabels 1–2–3, and If You Can’t Measure It… Maybe You Shouldn’t. His main research interests include the history of knowledge development and discourse in safety.

"I would recommend this book to practitioners of Human Factors; it is much more than just a biography of Heinrich but also a discussion of his work as relevant to the current landscape of Safety, and Human Factors. The discussion is both broad and comprehensive, well referenced and not simply an accolade to the man. Only by better understanding of Heinrich, his journey and the milestones of that genesis can the work it produced be fully evaluated and applied effectively. It is rarely possible to meet and discuss seminal works with their author, this book’s comprehensive delivery gives insight and comment as an alternative. This insight is then expanded into the areas and works which were developed following or directly as a result, allowing better understanding and evaluation of the whole."

- Martin Birtle, Chartered Ergonomist & Human Factors Specialist