Safety Tidbit 7.03 - The 5-Why Analysis

 

Safety Tidbit 7.03 – The 5-Why Analysis

 

Reference: 5 whys: The ultimate root cause analysis tool. Kanban Software for Agile Project Management. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://kanbanize.com/lean-management/improvement/5-whys-analysis-tool#:~:text=The%205%20Whys%20technique%20is%20a%20simple%20and%20effective%20tool,root%20cause%20of%20any%20problem.

This Safety Tidbit was written by my student, Mr. Ryan Pearce – a senior in the Safety Sciences Program at the Indiana University of PA graduating Spring 2022.

A 5-Why Analysis is a method to find the root cause of an accident or incident. A root cause analysis is a systematic approach to find the management deficiency within a workplace that is the underlying cause of occupational accidents or incidents. The primary goal of using a root cause analysis is to analyze problems or events to determine what happened, how it happened, why it happened, and preventative action for recurrence.

Professionals use the 5-Why method to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying an accident or incident. The methodology used in this tool is to ask why until you reach a root cause. The first step in conducting a 5-Why Analysis is forming a team. Try to assemble a team of representatives from different departments to gather different points of view and is an excellent method for gathering helpful information. The second step is to define the problem. Discuss the problem with the cross-functional team and develop a clear objective. A clear objective sets a scope for your analysis and keeps your investigation focused. The third step in this methodology is to ask why. Facts and actual data must drive the answers to the Why questions. Ask "why" until the team can identify the underlying reason or root cause of the accident or incident. The team might discover multiple root causes. Consequently, the team may be able to detect and eliminate organizational issues that have negatively affected overall performance in their company.

The last step in conducting a 5-Why Analysis is to act. After identifying the root cause(s), immediately develop corrective actions to ensure the problem doesn't arise again. But, more importantly, it is time for the team to develop preventative actions to correct identified management deficiencies. By doing so, the team may prevent the problem(s) from arising again, not just give a temporary solution.

The 5-Why is a simple and effective tool for identifying and solving the underlying cause(s) or root cause(s) of an accident or incident in a workplace. By asking why things happen, you can find the root cause of an accident or incident, and by doing so, you can develop measures to prevent the recurrence of these problems.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

 

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.