Inspection
Corrective Action
An action taken to eliminate the root cause of a non-conformance or undesirable situation to prevent recurrence.
What is Corrective Action?
Corrective action is the process of identifying and addressing the root cause of a non-conformance, defect, or safety incident. It goes beyond fixing the symptom — it ensures the underlying issue is resolved so the problem does not recur.
Corrective vs Preventive Action
- **Corrective** — reacts to an existing non-conformance
- **Preventive** — proactively eliminates potential causes before an issue occurs
The Process
- Identify the non-conformance or incident
- Investigate root cause (5 Whys, fishbone diagram)
- Develop and implement corrective action plan
- Verify the action was effective
- Update procedures as needed
- Close the NCR
Related Terms
- Non-Conformance Report (NCR)
A formal document issued when work, materials, or processes fail to meet specified requirements, triggering a corrective action process.
- Preventive Action
An action taken to eliminate the potential cause of a non-conformance or undesirable situation before it occurs.
- Quality Control (QC)
The operational techniques and activities used to verify that construction work meets specified quality requirements.
Looking for software that helps your team capture these inspections in the field? See our field inspection software or construction inspection software.