Corrective action
– action to eliminate the root cause of a nonconformity and to prevent recurrence.
Correction
– action to eliminate a detected nonconformity
Preventive action
– action to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity or other potential undesirable situation.
This has been illustrated with below mentioned example.
Day -1 Suppose a boy is suffering from fever and he takes a medicine on his own choice, taking the medicine on his own decision is called correction action.
Day -2 After taking medicine on day -1, he did not feel well, he went to doctor’s clinic. Doctor advised and prescribed some medicines and blood test. The reports concluded that he is suffering from malaria. Doctor prescribed him medicines for malaria. The action taken by doctor after detection of malaria is called correction. But why he has been diagnosed with malaria is still not clear.
So further investigation/Why Why analysis is required.
Why -1 : Why body temperature of the boy is high ?
- Because the boy is suffering with fever.
Why -2 : Why the Boy is suffering with fever ?
- Because the boy is infected with malaria.
Why – 3: – Why the boy is infected with malaria.?
Because mosquito has bitten him
Why – 4 : From where mosquitoes have come
- Mosquitoes have originated from stagnant water surrounding his house.
So root cause is accumulation of water or stagnation of water, in which mosquitoes have developed. The action taken to clean all stagnant water surrounding the house of the boy is called corrective action.
After watching the whole story of the boy, his neighbours are now taking action to clean all stagnant water surrounding his home. Now this action taken by boy’s neighbours is called preventive action.