If non-conformities are found in an EMS, what should be done?

• A. Preventative action should be taken
• B. The issue should be documented and ignored until the next audit
• C. A temporary workaround should be implemented without investigation
• D. Only management needs to be informed

Answer: (A)

When a non-conformity is found in an environmental management system, the priority is to prevent it from happening again by addressing its underlying causes. Taking preventive action means digging into why the issue occurred and putting changes in place—such as updated procedures, additional training, or stronger controls—that remove the root cause and reduce the chance of recurrence. This aligns with the purpose of an EMS: continual improvement and better environmental performance over time.

Other approaches fall short because they don’t stop recurrence or fail to manage the issue responsibly. Simply documenting and ignoring the problem leaves the systemic risk unaddressed. Implementing a temporary workaround without investigation might fix symptoms temporarily but can miss the real cause and lead to repeat failures. Limiting communication to management prevents those who run the processes from applying fixes and learning from the incident. Acting to implement preventive measures directly targets the need to improve the system and prevent future non-conformities.