What is a direct cause?

• A. The immediate event that sets off the incident
• B. The underlying organizational failure
• C. An unpredictable external factor
• D. A minor contributing factor

Answer: (A)

Direct cause means the immediate trigger—the event or action that directly brings the incident about. It’s the last link in the chain of events that, if it hadn’t happened, the incident would not occur in the same way. For example, a spill on the floor that causes a slip is the direct cause because the slip happens as a direct result of that spill. The underlying organizational failure is a root cause—systemic conditions like poor housekeeping or inadequate training that create the environment for incidents to occur. An unpredictable external factor isn’t the direct trigger, and a minor contributing factor is something that worsens the outcome but does not start the incident.