Form library · Quality and compliance
Corrective action register template
A register for every corrective action in your management system, in one place. Each entry records where it came from (audit, complaint, incident, NCR, inspection or supplier), what was found with photos, the containment, the root cause by 5 whys or a fishbone, the action, the owner, the due date and the status, then the check that the action worked. Live tiles count open, closed, overdue and closed-but-unverified actions. For one problem worked through in depth, use the non-conformance report and log its actions here.
For quality, health and safety and operations managers who keep the corrective action log for an ISO 9001, 14001 or 45001 system, or their own, and need it current before an audit or management review.
- One entry per action: reference, source and source reference, date raised, severity, what was found and photos
- Product, batch, asset or document label scan and an optional GPS point for where the problem was found
- Root cause by 5 whys or fishbone (people, machine, material, method, measurement, environment), and systemic or one-off
- Owner, due date, status and days overdue, then the effectiveness check with its date, result and evidence
- Live tiles: open, closed, overdue, closed but not verified effective, major still open, and actions by source
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What should a corrective action register include?
A register is useful when every action can be traced from where it came from to the evidence that it worked, and when the overdue and unverified ones stand out at a glance. Due dates and severity grades are your own.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 28 October 2026 against ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group, Guidance on nonconformity: review and closing (ISO/TC 176 and IAF, 2016), ISO, ISO 9001:2026 Quality management systems: Requirements and ISO, ISO 9001:2026: What businesses need to know.
How to keep a corrective action register
Add each action when it is raised, and review the whole register on a set date and before every audit.
Log it
Give it a reference, the source and its reference, the date raised, the severity and what was found, with photos or a label scan.
Contain it
Record what was done straight away: product held, tool taken out of use, work re-checked.
Find the cause
Use 5 whys or a fishbone, write the root cause and say whether it could happen elsewhere.
Act and track
Set the corrective action, owner and due date. Update the status at each review; the register shows days overdue.
Check it worked
After closing, record the effectiveness check, its date and the evidence. Closed actions without an effective result are counted.
What makes a corrective action register useful
Effectiveness result
CA-26-036, walkway near miss at goods-in door 3. Walkways repainted 15 Oct and floor markings added to the weekly inspection, closed 16 Oct. Effectiveness: too early to say. Check due 13 Nov: walk the markings and look at four weekly inspections.
Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.
A common recording mistake
Closing an action the day the work is done and never coming back to check that the problem has stopped.
What happens next
Chase overdue owners for a new date, book the effectiveness checks, and take the summary tiles to the next management review.
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Want to see one filled in? See a completed corrective action register report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
Every question in the corrective action register template
A corrective action register for a quality, environmental or safety management system: one entry per action with reference, source (audit, complaint, incident, NCR, inspection), date raised, photos, a product or asset label scan and GPS, containment, the root cause by 5 whys or fishbone, the corrective action, owner, due date and status, and the effectiveness check. Live tiles count open, closed, overdue and closed-but-unverified actions. 4 sections and 75 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Site or premises address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Organisation: the project's customer
Register details
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Site or premises addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- OrganisationShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Location (GPS)Short answer
- Register date*Date
- Register kept by*Short answer
- Register reference*Short answer
For example CAR-2026. Keep one register per site or management system.
- Management system*Choose one
- Quality (ISO 9001)
- Environmental (ISO 14001)
- Health and safety (ISO 45001)
- Integrated (more than one standard)
- Own system, not certified
- Sites, departments or processes covered*Short answer
- Why the register is being reviewed todayChoose one
- Routine review (for example monthly)
- Before an internal audit
- Before a certification or customer audit
- Before a management review
- After a serious complaint or incident
- Register owner or manager who signs it offShort answer
- CheckThis register supports a management system record. It does not certify conformity with ISO 9001 or any other standard, and it does not replace your own procedure. For one problem worked through in depth, use a non-conformance report and log its corrective actions here.
- GuidanceTerms used. The ISO 9000 definitions, as quoted by the ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group: a correction is action to eliminate a detected nonconformity; a corrective action is action to eliminate the cause of a nonconformity and to prevent recurrence. Each entry below records both, the cause in between, and the check that the action worked.
- GuidanceISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026 and replaces ISO 9001:2015. If you are certified, agree the transition with your certification body.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
Corrective actions
- GuidanceOne entry per corrective action. Add new entries as they are raised and update the status, dates and effectiveness result each time you review the register.
- Corrective actionsRepeat for each corrective action. Each one asks:
- Reference*Short answer
For example CA-26-031.
- Source*Choose one
- Internal audit
- External or certification audit
- Customer complaint
- Incident or near miss
- Non-conformance report (NCR)
- Inspection or test
- Supplier issue
- Management review
- Other
- Source referenceShort answer
Audit finding, complaint, incident or NCR number.
- Date raised*Date
- Raised byShort answer
- Process, department or locationShort answer
- Severity*Choose one
Your own grading, as your procedure defines it.
- Minor
- Major
- Critical
- What was found*Notes
The requirement and what actually happened, in a sentence or two.
- Photos of the problemPhotos
- Scan the product, batch, asset or document labelScan a label: part or product number, batch or lot number, serial number, asset tag, document number
Optional. Where the problem is about a product, batch, tool or document.
- Product, batch, asset or document IDShort answer
- Where it was found (GPS)Short answer
Optional. Useful on a large site or for a problem in the field.
- Containment or correction done straight awayNotes
For example product quarantined, tool taken out of use, work re-checked.
- Correction done onDate
- Root cause method*Choose one
- 5 whys
- Fishbone (cause and effect) diagram
- Other method
- Not done yet
- The whys, in orderNotes
Start from the problem and ask why until you reach a cause the system can fix.
Shown when “Root cause method” is “5 whys” - Where the causes satTick all that apply
- People
- Machine
- Material
- Method
- Measurement
- Environment
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Method usedShort answerShown when “Root cause method” is “Other method”
- Root cause*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Systemic or a one-off?Choose one
- Systemic: could recur or exist elsewhere
- One-off
- Not yet known
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Other areas, products or sites checkedNotesShown when “Systemic or a one-off?” is “Systemic: could recur or exist elsewhere”
- CheckFind the cause before you settle the corrective action, so the action removes the cause and not just this occurrence.Shown when “Root cause method” is “Not done yet”
- Corrective action (removes the cause)*Notes
- Owner*Short answer
- Due by*Date
- Status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Closed
- Days overdueWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckPast its due date and not closed. Agree a new date with the owner and record why it slipped.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Date closed*DateShown when “Status” is “Closed”
- Days from raised to closedWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Evidence the action was done*Notes
What you saw: the changed procedure, the record, the training list.
Shown when “Status” is “Closed” - Photo after the actionPhotosShown when “Status” is “Closed”
- Could the action itself cause a new problem?Yes or NoShown when “Status” is “Closed”
- What, and how it is handled*Short answerShown when “Could the action itself cause a new problem?” is Yes
- Effectiveness check dueDate
- Effectiveness resultChoose one
- Effective: no recurrence
- Not effective: reopened
- Too early to say
- Not yet checked
- Date of the effectiveness checkDateShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Checked byShort answerShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- What was looked at to judge it*Notes
For example records sampled since the change, repeat audit, no repeat complaints.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - WarningClosed, but the action is not yet shown to be effective. Keep the effectiveness check open and record the result when it is done.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- WarningNot effective. Reopen this entry, look at the cause again and set a new action.Shown when “Effectiveness result” is “Not effective: reopened”
Register summary
- Entries in the registerWorked out by the form
- Open or in progressWorked out by the form
- ClosedWorked out by the form
- Overdue (past due, not closed)Worked out by the form
- Closed, effectiveness not verifiedWorked out by the form
- Major or critical still openWorked out by the form
- Closed and verified effective (% of all entries)Worked out by the form
- Register statusWorked out by the form
- Raised from auditsWorked out by the form
- Raised from complaintsWorked out by the form
- Raised from incidentsWorked out by the form
- CheckSome actions are past their due date. Chase the owners and agree new dates in the follow-ups below.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- WarningSome actions are closed without a recorded effective result. Before an audit or management review, check them and record the evidence.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceThe status line is SiteSurvey's own summary of the entries, not a rating from any standard.
Review, follow-ups and sign-off
- Overdue or unverified actionsWorked out by the form
- Review resultWorked out by the form
- Follow-ups from this reviewRepeat for each follow-up. Each one asks:
- Action*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- This week
- Before the next audit
- Before the next management review
- Who will do it*Short answer
- Due byDate
- Status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Done, checked
- Photo when donePhotosShown when “Status” is “Done, checked”
- Follow-ups still openWorked out by the form
- Decision*Choose one
- Register up to date
- Up to date once the follow-ups are done
- Escalate to the management review
- Next register reviewDate
- Summary for managementNotes
- Register keeper nameShort answer
- Register keeper signature*Signature
- Register owner or manager nameShort answer
- Register owner or manager signatureSignature
See it filled in
A completed corrective action register report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Corrective action register FAQs
What is the difference between a correction and a corrective action?
The ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group quotes the ISO 9000 definitions: a correction is action to eliminate a detected nonconformity, and a corrective action is action to eliminate the cause of a nonconformity and to prevent recurrence. Replacing a faulty part is a correction; changing the process so it does not happen again is a corrective action. The register records both for each entry.
Which root cause method should I use?
Whatever fits the problem. The Auditing Practices Group paper says methods range from simple brainstorming to root cause analysis, fish-bone diagrams and 5 whys, that corrective action cannot be taken without first finding the cause, and that you should check whether the cause was systematic or accidental. The register offers 5 whys, a fishbone with the six categories the paper names, or another method.
When can a corrective action be closed?
When there is objective evidence that the action has been fully implemented and is effective in preventing recurrence, according to the Auditing Practices Group paper on closing nonconformities. The register lets you close the action when it is done and then record the effectiveness check separately. Any closed action without an effective result is counted in its own tile, so it is not forgotten.
How does the register work out overdue actions?
An action is overdue when its due date is before the register date and its status is not closed. Each entry shows its days overdue and the summary counts them. The due dates are your own: no free source sets a time limit for closing corrective actions, so set dates that fit the risk.
Does this register make us ISO 9001 compliant?
No. It supports a management system record; it does not certify conformity with any standard. Note that ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026 and replaces ISO 9001:2015. ISO says there will be a transition period and certified organisations should agree a transition plan with their certification body.
Sources: ISO, ISO 9001:2026 Quality management systems: Requirements and ISO, ISO 9001:2026: What businesses need to know.
How is this different from the non-conformance report?
The non-conformance report works through one problem in depth, from what was found to closure. The register tracks many corrective actions side by side so you can see what is open, overdue or not yet verified. Many teams use both: an NCR for each significant problem, and the register as the running log.
Related
Related templates
Templates that go with the corrective action register form
Internal audit of a quality, health and safety or environmental management system, a 5S area or a procedure, with findings, corrective actions and sign-off.
Record a non-conformance, contain it, find the root cause with 5 whys, set corrective actions with owners and dates, then verify and close.
Structured walk of a work area: what you saw against the standard, the eight wastes, conversations with the people doing the work, observations and actions.
Approve or re-evaluate a supplier or subcontractor: insurance, certificates and competence checks, scored performance, audit findings and a decision with conditions.
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