Seat-belts are preventative; surgery is reactive. Most people would rather take the time to prevent injury by putting on a seat-belt then correct an injury through medical procedures. Prevention is an issue every business leader should take seriously — especially if they conduct high-risk operations or use hazardous materials.

Overview: What are preventative actions?

Preventative actions are best defined alongside their close counterpart: corrective actions. Corrective actions are steps taken to address a current or ongoing problem, while preventative ones address sources of potential problems. Both of these activities are designed to enhance commercial operations by reducing non-conforming products, unsafe practices and workplace inefficiency.

3 benefits of preventative action

The benefit of prevention over correction is that the company doesn’t have to suffer the consequences of the problem before solving it. Emphasizing prevention means fewer resources spent on correcting and managing defects or disasters.

1. Establish a solid reputation

It’s better to deliver quality and consistent products the first time than issue apologies and replacements later. A company committed to defect prevention over correction is more likely to establish a strong reputation among its clients or customers, which encourages them to trust and recommend them in the future.

2. Identify new opportunities

Since preventative actions require a thorough assessment and examination of all current operations, this process can uncover lots of opportunities for improvement. Take this time to eliminate waste, improve oversight and fine-tune procedures.

3. Improve employee relations

Employers that emphasize preventative actions show an active concern for their employees’ well-being. Adopting a proactive stance on employee safety and education can significantly improve morale, loyalty and retention.

Why is preventative action important to understand?

Every business leader should understand the basic strategies and implications of preventative planning and action. These principles are essential for efficient and effective management strategies.

1. Frontline for crisis management

Prevention planning and implementation is a company’s front-line defense in crisis management. Addressing potential sources of disaster-level scenarios, and the peripheral factors that could exacerbate a crisis, makes it easier to solve these scenarios if they do occur.

2. From correction to prevention

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between preventative and corrective actions. Even if you’ve taken corrective action to solve a problem, you can still take preventative action to stop that problem from happening again. These two concepts are often applied simultaneously as part of a broader problem-solving strategy.

3. Cost-efficiency complexities

Not all problems are worth preventing. This might seem strange, but you should always consider cost-efficiency for any preventative actions that aren’t related to safety. Sometimes it’s more efficient to simply inspect and remove defective products at the end of the manufacturing cycle than try to create perfect batches every time.

An industry example of preventative action

A regional bank that handles a lot of online transactions also retains a significant database of sensitive customer information, including photo records, identification documents and account numbers. Even though they haven’t experienced any cybersecurity breaches, the bank decides to conduct a full audit of their network and computer security measures.

After finding several weaknesses that could be exploited, the bank’s IT team takes preventative action by upgrading their infrastructure to eliminate these weak points. A proactive stance is particularly important in this situation because banks can’t fully compensate or repair the damages from loss of customer information.

3 best practices when thinking about preventative actions

You can’t predict and prevent every possibility, but don’t let that stop you from digging deep into potential problems. Always prioritize major threats that compromise safety before considering product non-conformity and operational efficiency.

1. Invite discussions

One of the most important parts of the risk assessment is to talk to everyone. Set up open discussions with the general workforce, team leaders and major customers to brainstorm potential problems or pinpoint known weak spots.

2. Examine all operating procedures

Businesses also need to carefully examine all of their current procedures and policies through a comprehensive internal audit. It’s not just about knowing official policy. You also need to know if the policy is actually enforced and followed consistently by employees throughout the organization.

3. Conduct risk analysis

Risk analysis is a vital step for taking preventative actions as well as developing crisis management plans. This is something every new company should do in their infancy and continue to do every single year.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about preventative actions

1. How do you write a preventive action plan?

This plan should describe all relevant details regarding problem identification, assessment of prevention measures and steps for implementation. As an official document, it should be formatted and written to be easily understood and followed by all readers.

2. What is CAPA?

A corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) plan is one that combines both remedial and proactive solutions. This approach is typically used as part of a comprehensive procedural review and improvement initiative across an entire organization.

3. Are preventative actions required by law?

Many businesses are required to take certain degrees of preventative actions according to local law or industrial regulations. These requirements vary depending on industry, but almost all workplaces are subject to preventative requirements to preserve the health and safety of employees.

Action and prevention

It’s one thing to think about all the things that could go wrong; it’s another thing to actually do something about it. Action is key to prevention. After developing awareness of potential problem sources, leaders need to be decisive about prioritizing and solving these issues. There are many ways to address and mitigate risks, so don’t let information overload stop you from making meaningful changes to reduce the risk of non-conformity, increase efficiency and improve safety.