5. Glossary

Corrective action

Action aimed at eliminating the cause(s) of a non-conformity or undesirable event and preventing its recurrence.

Cause tree

A method of analyzing and structuring the facts leading to an event or damage, aimed at reconstructing the primary sequence of said facts by determining the sequence of direct causes. In France, the investigative method using this analysis is also known as a "cause tree", and includes the upstream (fact-finding) and downstream (analysis) phases.

Direct cause (also immediate or apparent)

A fact, generally of a technical or behavioral nature, the sequence and/or conjunction of which leads to the occurrence of an event or damage.

Root cause

A stable socio-technical characteristic...