Corrective actions

Purpose: an action is a job that must be done to fix a problem or stop it coming back: “fit anti-slip mats”, “retrain the night shift”. Custos gives each action an owner, a due date and a second person who confirms the work was really done. An incident cannot be closed while its actions are still open, so findings turn into fixes.

An action can be created on its own, or for an incident, a near miss, or a failed checklist item.

1. Who does what

Role	What they do with actions
Worker	See and do the actions given to them (start, complete)
Supervisor, Safety Manager, Org Admin	See all actions; create, give, change, cancel; verify the work of others

The person who completes an action should not be the one who verifies it: a second person checks.

2. The steps

Open → In progress → Completed → Verified. An action can also be Cancelled.

1. Open: created and given to someone.
2. Start: the assignee selects Start.
3. Complete…: the assignee describes what was done and attaches photos as evidence if useful. It now waits for verification.
4. Verify…: someone with the right to verify checks the work and adds notes (optional). Or Send back… with the reason, and it returns to In progress.
5. Cancel action…: a manager can cancel an open, started or completed action, with a reason.

3. Find your actions

Open Actions (navigation). Workers see Your actions (given to them or created by them). Managers see all, and can switch Whose: Everyone’s or Given to me.

Filters: by status, still to be finished (the default), and needs attention: overdue, due within 7 days, waiting for verification. Order by soonest due, newest, or most urgent. Overdue actions are marked in red.

4. Create an action

Managers: New action (or Create action on an incident, near miss or form). Fill in:

Field	What to enter
What is to be done	The job, in a sentence. Required.
Details	More explanation (optional).
Type	Corrective (fixes a problem that happened) or Preventive (stops one that could).
Priority	Low, Medium, High or Critical. The due date is suggested from the priority and can be changed.
Category	Training, procedure, equipment, maintenance, housekeeping, protective equipment, supervision, communication, other.
Level of control	How strong the fix is: elimination, substitution, engineering control, administrative control, protective equipment. Stronger levels remove the hazard; protective equipment is the weakest.
Site	Where it is to be done.
Done by	The person who does it.
Due date	A day at the action’s site.

Select Create action. When you start from a report or a form, the action names its source and takes you back there.

5. Change or give it to someone else

On the action, Change what this action says (until it is completed) or Give to someone else or change the due date… under Who does it, by when. The history shows every change.

6. Actions from reports and forms

• On an incident: the Actions tab lists them. An incident with unfinished actions shows “This incident cannot be closed yet”.
• On a near miss: a review that asks for an action leaves a note until one is created.
• On a form: a failed checklist item that is serious (High or Critical) proposes an action to managers: This failure is serious: an action is proposed. Create action starts it with the item filled in.

7. Why verification matters

Completion is a claim; verification is the proof. Closure of an incident needs every action verified or cancelled, so a safety manager can show an auditor not only that something was found but that it was fixed and checked.

8. If something goes wrong

What you see	What it means
“You may not create actions in this company.”	Your role cannot create actions. Ask a supervisor or safety manager.
“This incident takes no actions now: it is a draft, closed or void.”	Actions are only for submitted, open reports.
“A form gets corrective actions once it is submitted.”	Submit the form first.
“This action is completed; what it says can no longer be changed.”	Send it back first, or create a new action.