INTERNAL USE ONLY

5 WHYS

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The five why’s

Benefits Of The 5 Whys

Help identify the root of a problem. Determine the relationship between different root causes of a problem. One of the simplest tools; easy to complete without statistical analysis.

How To Complete The 5 Whys

1. Write down the specific problem. Writing the issue helps you formalize the problem and describe it completely. It also helps a team focus on the same problem.

2. Ask Why the problem happens and write the answer down below the problem.

3. If the answer you just provided doesn't identify the root cause of the problem that you wrote down in step 1, ask Why again and write that answer down.

4. Loop back to step 3 until the team is in agreement that the problem's root cause is identified. Again, this may take fewer or more times than five Whys.

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Five why’s example

Problem Statement: You are on your way home from work and your car stops in the middle of the road.

Why did your car stop?Because it ran out of gas.

Why did it run out of gas?Because I didn't buy any gas on my way to work.

Why didn't you buy any gas this morning?Because I didn't have any money.

Why didn't you have any money?Because I lost it all last night in a poker game.

Why did you lose your money in last night's poker game?Because I'm not very good at "bluffing" when I don't have a good hand.

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Five why’s safety example from a semiconductor operation

Problem Statement: Employee slipped on a wet hallway surface, fell and broke her leg.

Why did she slip and fall?Because the floor outside the cafeteria was wet.

Why was the floor wet?Because someone dripped coffee on it leaving the cafeteria.

Why did someone drip coffee on it?Because someone didn’t put a lid on the coffee cup.

Why didn't someone put a lid on the coffee cup?Because the person was in a hurry.

Why was the person in a hurry?Because his boss required a project completion that day.

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Recommend corrective actions and improvements

Management controls - make improvements to policies, programs, plans, processes, and procedures in one or more of the following elements of the safety management system:

1. Management commitment2. Accountability3. Employee involvement4. Hazard identification/control 5. Incident/accident analysis 6. Education/training7. System evaluation

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Recommend corrective actions and improvements

System improvements might include some of the following:

– Writing a comprehensive safety and health plan that includes all safety management elements

– Improving a safety policy so that it clearly establishes responsibility and accountability

– Changing a training plan to include demonstration– Revising purchasing policy to include safety considerations as

well as cost– Changing the safety inspection process to include all

supervisors and employees