Latent Condition
Definition
In Reason's model, a pre-existing organisational weakness (poor design, defective procedure, unrealistic scheduling, inadequate training) that lies dormant until aligned with other failures or triggers to produce an accident.
- Model
- James Reason's organisational accident model
- Nature
- Dormant systemic weakness, not an active error
- Examples
- Poor design, unrealistic scheduling, weak training
- Companion concept
- Active failure, the trigger that aligns with it
Common questions
How does a latent condition differ from an active failure?+
An active failure is an immediate unsafe act, such as a slip or a wrong decision made at the point of operation, while a latent condition is a background weakness built into the system long before, which only becomes visible when it combines with an active failure.
Why does identifying latent conditions matter more than blaming the individual who made the active error?+
The active error is often the last link in a chain that latent organisational weaknesses made possible, so fixing only the individual's action leaves the underlying design or procedural flaw in place to produce a similar failure again.
Related terms
- Active Failure
- An error or rule violation by a front-line operator whose effects are felt immediately. Active failures are the triggers Reason calls 'unsafe...
- Blowout Preventer (BOP)
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- Bow-Tie Analysis
- A risk-visualisation method combining a fault tree (left of the bow-tie, hazard to critical event) with an event tree (right, critical event...
- Safety Management System (SMS)
- A formal, documented framework of policies, procedures, responsibilities, and performance monitoring through which an organisation identifies hazards, assesses risks, and manages safety...
- Swiss Cheese Model
- James Reason's accident causation model representing each defensive barrier as a cheese slice with holes. An accident occurs when holes in successive...