Serious incident and
fatality prevention model
Focusing on what matters most
A serious incident and fatality prevention model is a framework to identify, understand and manage complex risks that can cause life-altering harm.
While traditional safety programs focus on reducing all injuries, this model focuses on severity potential. In this way, it helps workplaces prevent the incidents most likely to cause death or serious injury.
WorkSafe Saskatchewan’s serious incident and fatality prevention model blends the plan-do-check-act framework with human and organizational performance principles. It helps organizations understand where their most serious risks exist, verify that controls work and continuously learn from what happens at work.
Why this model matters
Not all incidents are equal.
This model helps workplaces distinguish between:
- Non-serious or fatal incidents: Minor injuries or property damage.
- Serious incidents or fatalities: Events that result in a fatality or life-altering injury.
- Potential serious incidents or fatalities: “Near misses” or lower-severity incidents that could have caused a fatality or serious injury if circumstances had been slightly different.
By focusing on potential severity rather than
outcomes, organizations can find and fix weaknesses
before they lead to tragedy.
Learn how to investigate and learn from near misses using the sample investigation flow.
Who should use this model
Any workplace with exposure to high-energy hazards, such as falls, mobile equipment, high pressure or electricity, can use this model.
A high-energy hazard is any source of energy that could cause a serious injury or fatality if released or uncontrolled.
Use the energy wheel to identify and assess these hazards.
How the model works
The WorkSafe Saskatchewan serious incident and fatality prevention model follows a continuous improvement cycle:
Preventing serious incidents and fatalities starts with leadership. The PLAN phase focuses on building the foundation for success – commitment, clarity and communication.
Begin by reviewing your current safety systems through a serious-risk lens. Identify gaps, gather worker input and align definitions, goals and expectations. This phase ensures everyone understands what serious incident and fatality prevention means and what’s needed to make it work.
A clear plan with leadership sponsorship, defined roles and open communication prepares your organization for the next step: assessing and managing high-energy hazards.
Assess and understand serious incident and fatality risk
The DO phase is about finding and understanding the hazards that could cause the most harm. Use the energy wheel to identify sources of high energy, such as gravity, motion, electricity, pressure, temperature or chemicals, and using the severity and control risk matrix to rate how serious each risk could be.
Prioritize the hazards that combine high severity with weak (or non-existing) controls. These represent the greatest potential for serious or fatal outcomes. Record your findings, note which controls need improvement and create a clear action list for your next phase: verifying control effectiveness.
Analyze and verify the effectiveness of controls
In the CHECK phase, you confirm your safeguards are working as intended.
List your critical controls, the ones that prevent or mitigate serious harm, and classify them using the hierarchy of controls.
Verify that each control is properly designed, maintained and used as intended.
Focus first on higher-order controls such as elimination, substitution and engineering solutions. Use the severity and control risk matrix to test whether your defences are strong enough, and develop an action plan for any weaknesses you find.
This step ensures your most important safeguards are reliable every time work happens.
Ensure continuous improvement
The ACT phase turns learning into lasting change. Review what’s been learned through verification, investigations and feedback. Update policies and procedures to reflect how work really happens and use human and organizational performance principles to design systems that expect – and can withstand – human error.
Track both leading and lagging indicators to measure improvement.
Share lessons widely, close corrective actions and celebrate progress.
Continuous improvement strengthens your organization’s capacity to prevent serious incidents and fatalities and adapt to change.
Learning through collaboration
WorkSafe Saskatchewan’s serious incident and fatality prevention model was developed with support from the National Safety Council, SaskPower and numerous subject matter experts across industries. It is designed to evolve as your safety system matures.
A model is only effective if it's used. Apply the tools and
adapt the framework to fit your organization and culture.
Need help getting started?
WorkSafe Saskatchewan’s prevention team can walk you through the model and help you get started with using these tools to better understand and manage the complex risks that are present in your workplace.
Phone: 306.787.7248
Toll free: 1.800.667.7590
Email: worksafeinquiry@wcbsask.com
