Latent conditions are persistent weaknesses in design, management, staffing, maintenance, or training that can combine with local events to undermine defenses. Examples include maintenance backlogs, ambiguous responsibilities, and staffing pressures. Their causal relevance must be traced in the particular incident rather than inferred solely from their presence beforehand.
- Entry typeRelated entry
- FromSwiss Cheese Model (model)
- Category of its source unitTheories & Explanatory Models
- DomainRisk, Crisis & Safety
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Entry type
Related entry
Related entries name an idea, effect or practice that belongs to a model or tool of the series. They are not models or tools themselves and are not counted as such; each one leads to the model or tool it comes from, and to its Executive Insight Brief.
Editorial orientation · Category
Theories & Explanatory Models
Explains how or why a communication process works by relating mechanisms, conditions or variables. Its value is an account that can guide inquiry into what produces an outcome, rather than a name for the outcome alone.