Considering the positive words of "correct" and "action" why are corrective actions viewed so negatively?
Corrective actions are often viewed as identifying failures. The world of auditing has something to answer for here. The audit report arrives and people flick straight to the corrective actions to see what extra work they have been burdened with.
The great advantage corrective actions have is as a record of improvement on one page. It is concise, no long narrative is required. By adopting the corrective action as a record of continuous improvement it provides a great reporting mechanism. A number of small improvements are recorded as corrective actions and a cumulative picture of positive actions can be seen.
It can be quite suprising how many positive actions are taking place throughout a workplace. It makes a welcome balance to the reporting of negative indicators such as LTI's.
The corrective action format doesn't negate the need to assess risks. Often the risk assessment may identify the risk as low. This can easily lead to the hazard or risk not being addressed at all. Recording the action required onto a one page format complete with date due and completion sign off can lead to such risks being addressed and boosting your positive indicators.
So next time an incident report (minor or major) or an issue lands on your desk think about recording the actions required in a corrective action format. On one page is a summary of the issue, action required to improve and record of when it was completed.
Provide a regular report on number of corrective actions developed (don't use negative words such as "issued") and number closed. The corrective action may not get the girl but it can be a lot more sexy than it currently is.
