In the context of a Chemical Control Order, what is the primary objective of an incident investigation?

• A. Record the event for archival purposes only
• B. Determine root cause and traceability
• C. Assign blame to individuals
• D. Close the incident without implementing changes

Answer: (B)

The aim of an incident investigation is to uncover the underlying cause and establish traceability so corrective actions can be taken to prevent recurrence and strengthen safety and compliance. Instead of focusing on blame, the goal is to understand what systemic factors allowed the incident to occur—such as procedures, equipment, maintenance, or training gaps—and then map those findings to specific controls and records. This root-cause analysis lets you implement effective fixes and verify they’re working. Recording the event is part of the process, but it’s not the primary objective. Assigning blame does not improve safety, and closing an incident without changes misses the purpose of learning and preventing repetition.