The Essential Factors model is an incident investigation model based on determining the essential and contributory factors that lead to an incident. An incident is viewed in terms of an interaction of essential and contributing factors that results in damage to people, property or production. An essential factor is one which when removed from, or added to, an incident sequence will interrupt that sequence. A contributing factor is one which increases the likelihood that the sequence of factors will continue but is not essential to the damage.
Every incident has essential factors associated with people, equipment and environment giving the 100% paradigm:
100% / 100% / 100% paradigm –
- 100% of incidents include “people” factors
- 100% of incidents include “equipment” factors
- 100% of incidents include “environment” factors
It is the purpose of the Essential Factors model to attempt to use value-neutral language to give maximum “meaning” and minimum “affect”. This will not always be the case but it is suggested that the use of the word “cause” and “human error” by an accident investigator during data collection and interview phases, will have a potentially greater negative response than the use of alternative words.
All essential factors differ in controllability. Each essential factor, once identified is able to be reviewed for potential points of control. That is potential ways in which to reduce the risk of that incident re-occurring.
Famous quotes containing the words essential, factors and/or model:
“It is essential that there should be organization of labor. This is an era of organization. Capital organizes and therefore labor must organize.”
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
“The goal of every culture is to decay through over-civilization; the factors of decadence,—luxury, scepticism, weariness and superstition,—are constant. The civilization of one epoch becomes the manure of the next.”
—Cyril Connolly (1903–1974)
“... if we look around us in social life and note down who are the faithful wives, the most patient and careful mothers, the most exemplary housekeepers, the model sisters, the wisest philanthropists, and the women of the most social influence, we will have to admit that most frequently they are women of cultivated minds, without which even warm hearts and good intentions are but partial influences.”
—Mrs. H. O. Ward (1824–1899)