What are the five whys technique and when is it used?

What are the five whys technique and when is it used?

• A. A training program for five-step incident response.
• B. A method for conducting safety audits every five years.
• C. A method to prioritize hazards by severity ranking 1-5.
• D. A root cause analysis method asking 'Why?' five times to identify underlying causes; used after incidents to determine corrective actions.

Answer: (D)

The five whys is a simple root cause analysis approach that uses asking “Why?” repeatedly to peel back layers of a problem and reach the underlying cause. You start with the observable effect, answer why it happened, then keep asking why the previous answer occurred, often five times, though the number can vary. The goal is to move beyond surface symptoms to the systemic issue that allowed the problem to occur, so you can identify corrective actions that will prevent recurrence. This method is quick and practical for post-incident investigations, helping you focus on process, design, or management factors rather than blaming individuals. It’s not a training program, not an audit schedule, and not a method for ranking hazards, which is why those options don’t fit.

The five whys is a simple root cause analysis approach that uses asking “Why?” repeatedly to peel back layers of a problem and reach the underlying cause. You start with the observable effect, answer why it happened, then keep asking why the previous answer occurred, often five times, though the number can vary. The goal is to move beyond surface symptoms to the systemic issue that allowed the problem to occur, so you can identify corrective actions that will prevent recurrence. This method is quick and practical for post-incident investigations, helping you focus on process, design, or management factors rather than blaming individuals. It’s not a training program, not an audit schedule, and not a method for ranking hazards, which is why those options don’t fit.