How should non-conformances be prioritized in an inspection plan?

• A. By color of the asset tag.
• B. By safety impact, mission-criticality, and likelihood of recurrence.
• C. Alphabetical order of asset names.
• D. Date of purchase.

Answer: (B)

Prioritizing non-conformances should be driven by risk to safety, mission success, and the chance a problem will happen again. Focusing on safety impact means addressing issues that could injure people or cause unsafe conditions first. Considering mission-criticality ensures assets that keep essential operations running are fixed promptly. Evaluating likelihood of recurrence helps prevent recurring problems and reduces future disruptions. Together, these elements form a practical, risk-based approach that guides where to allocate time and resources first.

Choosing a method like color coding, alphabetical ordering, or purchase date would not reflect the actual risk or urgency of a defect, so they aren’t effective for triaging non-conformances.