Which statement best defines a root cause analysis in incident investigations?

• A. Identifying the immediate cause alone.
• B. Identifying the underlying reasons for the incident.
• C. Blaming individuals.
• D. Documenting only the time of occurrence.

Answer: (B)

Root cause analysis looks beyond the immediate event to uncover the underlying factors that allowed the incident to occur. It examines the conditions, processes, and systems—such as gaps in procedures, equipment failures, training deficits, or communication breakdowns—that, if addressed, would reduce the chance of recurrence. The goal is to implement corrective actions that fix the root causes, not to assign blame to individuals. Simply documenting the time of occurrence provides incomplete information and does not explain why the incident happened. So, identifying the underlying reasons for the incident is the essence of root cause analysis.