Haddon Matrix

The Haddon Matrix is the most commonly used paradigm in the injury prevention field.

Developed by William Haddon in 1970, the matrix looks at factors related to personal attributes, vector or agent attributes and environmental attributes; before, during and after an injury or death. By utilizing this framework, one can then think about evaluating the relative importance of different factors and design interventions.

A typical Haddon Matrix:

Phase	Human Factors	Vehicles and Equipment Factors	Environmental Factors
Pre-crash	Information Attitudes Impairment Police Enforcement	Road Worthiness Lighting Braking Speed Management	Road design and road layout Speed limits Pedestrian facilities
Crash	Use of restraints Impairments	Occupant restraints Other safety devices Crash-protective design	Crash-protective roadside objects
Post-Crash	First-aid skills Access to medics	Ease of access Fire risk	Rescue facilities Congestion

Preventing injuries

(These ten items are often called "Haddon's Strategies.") Possible ways of preventing injury during the various phases include:

Pre-event

1. Prevent the existence of the agent.
2. Prevent the release of the agent.
3. Separate the agent from the host.
4. Provide protection for the host.

Event

1. Minimize the amount of agent present.
2. Control the pattern of release of the agent to minimize damage.
3. Control the interaction between the agent and host to minimize damage.
4. Increase the resilience of the host.

Post-event

1. Provide a rapid treatment response for host.
2. Provide treatment and rehabilitation for the host.

General and cited references

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192751/http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/CHPP/CAM/4-PublHlthApproach/HaddonMatrix.pdf
• http://www.ibiblio.org/vincentweb/chapter6.html