On this episode of the IHSA Safety Podcast, IHSA’s Maren Gamble discusses the distinction between two concepts that are often confused in health and safety: corrective action and preventative action.

Corrective actions are taken in response to existing hazards or incidents in the workplace. Preventative actions, on the other hand, take a more proactive approach with the aim to minimize or eliminate hazards and prevent incidents from reoccurring. The difference between the two is that one focuses on dealing with an incident as it happens, while the other focuses on how to stop the incident from happening again.

Maren shares some real-life examples of what a corrective action may look like versus a preventative action. If a fire were to break out, for example, a corrective action would be to put out the fire. A preventative action would be to eliminate the root cause of the fire to prevent future outbreaks.

Maren also emphasizes the importance of considering both corrective and preventative action plans when building an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS). If we focus solely on corrective action, there’ll be an increased number of incidents to address in future because of the lack of a preventative action plan in place. If we focus solely on preventative action and an incident occurs that calls for corrective action, we will find ourselves unprepared. Both action plans are necessary for maximizing efficiency and maintaining worker health and safety.

Free resources 

Hazards, Risks, Assessment, and Control (IHSA Podcast – Episode 75)

Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems: The Plan, Do, Check, Act Model (IHSA Podcast – Episode 66)

The Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) Model: A Deeper Dive (IHSA Podcast – Episode 67)

IHSA Magazine: Plan, Do, Check, Act

Occupational Health and Safety: The Physical Work Environment

Hierarchy of Controls (YouTube)

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