What is the purpose of a post-incident debrief?

• A. Assign blame to responsible individuals.
• B. Review actions, identify lessons learned, and update procedures to prevent recurrence.
• C. To document the incident solely for regulatory reporting.
• D. To award bonuses to staff involved.

Answer: (B)

The purpose of a post-incident debrief is to review what happened, identify lessons learned, and update procedures so the same incident is less likely to recur. It focuses on learning and improvement, not assigning blame, and it translates findings into concrete changes to processes, training, and controls. This non-punitive discussion helps uncover gaps, evaluate how actions were effective, and assign owners and timelines for implementing improvements. The other options miss the ongoing goal: blaming individuals doesn’t prevent recurrence, documenting only for regulatory reasons may not drive practical changes, and awarding bonuses isn’t part of incident analysis.