Citation

Wilde GJS. J. Occup. Accid. 1989; 10(4): 267-292.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Wilde, G.J.S., 1989. Accident countermeasures and behavioural compensation: The position of risk homeostasis theory. Journal of Occupational Accidents, 10: 267-292.This paper discusses various critical arguments and empirical studies with respect to their pertinence to risk homeostasis theory and its essential tenets. This theory maintains that major and lasting reductions in the accident rate per hour of exposure to accident risk can be achieved by those interventions that reduce the level of accident risk people are willing to accept, while other interventions can at best achieve marginal and short-term reductions, because the level of caution people apply in their behaviour and the accident rate resulting from this behaviour are viewed as dependent on each other in a closed-loop, time-lagged dynamic process. No valid counterarguments, nor truly conflicting data could be identified in literature sources that have been cited as being in opposition to this theory. When more closely inspected, several of these empirical studies, as well as other recent publications, are actually found to contain evidence in support of the theory concerned.