Barrier Analysis

Barrier analysis is used to identify hazards associated with an accident and the barriers that should have been in place to prevent it. A barrier is any means used to control, prevent, or impede the hazard from reaching the target.

Barrier analysis addresses:

• Barriers that were in place and how they performed
• Barriers that were in place but not used
• Barriers that were not in place but were required
• The barrier(s) that, if present or strengthened, would prevent
  the same or similar accidents from occurring in the future.

Physical barriers are usually easy to identify, but management system barriers may be less obvious (e.g. exposure limits). The investigator
must understand each barrier’s intended function and location, and how it failed to prevent the accident.

The basic steps of a barrier analysis are shown below. The investigator should use barrier analysis to ensure that all failed, unused, or uninstalled barriers are identified and that their impact on the accident is understood. The analysis should be documented in a barrier analysis worksheet.

Source: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. (ISBN 82-7706-181-1)

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