Remedial action

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A remedial action is a change made to a nonconforming product or service to address the deficiency. This also can refer to restoration of a landscape from industrial activity^[1]

Rework and repair are generally the remedial actions taken on products, while services usually require additional services to be performed to ensure satisfaction.

In some settings, corrective action is used as an encompassing term that includes remedial actions, corrective actions and preventive actions.

‘Remedial Action’ is a term referring to actions taken by businesses to counteract deficiencies or undesirable characteristics in their products. In this way it is distinct from ‘Corrective Action’, which aims to change the processes that led to these deficiencies, and ‘Preventive Action’, which aims to strengthen weak management systems not yet responsible for any deficiency^[2]

Remedial Action is often enacted through ‘Remedial Action Plans’ (RAPs) of three or more stages. For example, one North American river protection scheme drew up a plan that identified environmental problems and sources of pollution, evaluated and carried out actions to restore the area, and confirmed that these actions had been effective ^[3]

These actions normally have negative effects on a company’s image and profits. A fine balance is often struck between denying the existence of problems or wrongdoing and choosing to publicise this existence before being exposed removes the company’s ability to control the way any scandal is seen.^[4]