Description
SCALE® by Incident Analytics
Developed by our friends at Incident Analytics, SCALE® is a step-by-step incident analysis methodology that is grounded in evidence-based science and real-world research into workplace incidents.
Their research shows that to truly understand why incidents occur, we must look beyond isolated mistakes or equipment failures and instead examine how entire systems interact. A systems-thinking approach reveals the connections between people, technology, and organisational processes, helping organisations see the bigger picture of risk.
To strengthen and validate the methodology, Incident Analytics partnered with the Collaborative Evaluation and Research Centre (CERC) at Federation University. Together, they reviewed accident research and incident analysis models spanning major single events through to long-term, multi-incident studies. This work informed the refinement of SCALE® into a practical, research-backed framework for analysing and preventing workplace incidents.
Where many traditional investigation models focus narrowly on errors and malfunctions, SCALE® looks deeper. It provides a clear, step-by-step process to identify why an incident happened and what needs to change. The method prioritises events with the potential for the most serious outcomes, beginning with critical control failures and then exploring the human and organisational factors that influence performance including attention, decision-making, workplace conditions, and system design.
By addressing these underlying contributors, SCALE® supports organisations to implement corrective actions that meaningfully strengthen controls and reduce exposure to future harm.
What does SCALE stand for?
Severity – Is there potential for a serious incident and what was the specific high risk task context?
Controls – Which critical controls would have stopped an incident from happening?
Antecedents – Which human, operational, and organisational system factors helped to set the scene for the incident?
Learning – Which factors should be prioritised to resolve the issue?
Exposure – Which actions will have the greatest impact on exposure and reduce the potential for a repeat event?