OHS incidents are the result of one or more causes, and can be prevented or mitigated with the appropriate controls in place. Identifying the appropriate controls for different hazards requires the OHS professional to possess an understanding of the mechanisms of incident causation. When OHS incidents do occur, determining the causes of the incident is a necessary step of incident investigations that enables employers to improve safety systems or operational practices in order to prevent recurrence. In order to act as an effective resource, OHS professionals should be familiar with:

– Models of causation
– Using appropriate models to inform incident investigations
– Explaining and communicating principles of causation
– Evaluating the effectiveness of existing or proposed risk management controls against the model(s) of causation and, where required, develop new or modified the controls informed by the concepts behind the model(s)