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Principles of Diligence and Safety Performance

In the 1930s, William Herbert Heinrich successfully drew attention to workplace accident prevention. After his publications, we saw two ratios emerge as popular beliefs in health and safety, which radically changed the prevention world.The first ratio was 300-29-1: 300 small events would lead to 29 injuries and finally a major event. After this first ratio, a second emerged, namely the 88-10-2 ratio, which maintains that 88% of events are linked to human behavior, 10% to environmental conditions and 2% to chance.

These two ratios led to other well-known concepts such as Bird’s Pyramid and the Bradley Curve, which our organizations currently use. These theories aim to influence human behavior and minor events to prevent major events.

What if Heinrich was wrong? What if Heinrich missed his target and thus on prevention? What if the strategies that have guided our organization’s actions were founded on principles that are the complete opposite of what they should be?

These are some of the questions that will be answered, and some of the things you learn will leave you speechless. This book, listened to in a few hours, will have a completely different perspective on prevention that you will keep forever!

Marc-André Ferron