What is the purpose of performing a root-cause analysis after documenting an incident?

• A. To delay corrective actions.
• B. To identify underlying causes and prevent recurrence.
• C. To classify incidents by severity only.
• D. To replace safety protocols.

Answer: (B)

Root-cause analysis is about uncovering the underlying factors that allowed the incident to occur and figuring out steps to prevent it from happening again. After you’ve documented what happened, you look beyond the immediate cause to identify gaps in processes, equipment, training, supervision, or safety culture that made the incident possible. By pinpointing these deeper contributors, you can implement targeted corrective actions that address the real sources of risk, reducing the likelihood of recurrence rather than just treating the symptom.

Delaying corrective actions, classifying incidents by severity alone, or simply replacing safety protocols don’t address why the incident happened in the first place, so they won’t reliably prevent future occurrences.