ABSTRACT
The accident triangle originally developed by Heinrich in the 1930s is a mainstay of safety practitioners and safety training. But the assumptions made about the relationships between different levels of the triangle are flawed. There are few, if any, causal links between minor and major accidents. Effort is made at the lower levels in the mistaken belief that it will have a corresponding effect on more major events. This removes focus from high-risk events and so damages rather than helps efforts to reduce serious injuries and fatalities.
