Outline the typical steps in a process safety incident investigation and corrective action cycle.

• A. Secure the scene, detect/record, collect data, determine facts, identify root causes, implement corrective actions, verify effectiveness, and share lessons learned.
• B. Determine facts, collect data, secure the scene, detect/record, analyze root causes, respond.
• C. Detect/record, secure the scene, collect data, determine facts, identify root causes, develop and implement corrective actions, assign accountability, verify effectiveness, and share lessons learned.
• D. Identify root causes, implement corrective actions, verify effectiveness, and close the incident without sharing lessons learned.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is the full cycle of handling a process safety incident from immediate preservation to long‑term learning. You start by detecting or recording the incident and securing the scene to preserve evidence. Then you collect data and determine facts to understand what happened. Next, you identify root causes to uncover why it occurred, not just what happened. From there you develop and implement corrective actions to address those causes, and you assign accountability so someone owns each action. After actions are taken, you verify their effectiveness to ensure the problem is truly resolved and doesn’t recur. Finally, you share lessons learned so others can benefit and prevent similar incidents. This sequence ensures evidence integrity, thorough analysis, accountability, effective improvements, and organizational learning.