What are the three factor categories?

• A. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
• B. Casual Factors, Factors, Non-factors worthy of discussion NFWODS
• C. Core, Peripheral, Optional
• D. Major, Minor, Trivial

Answer: (B)

Understanding how investigators categorize observations is key. In AMIC analysis, the three factor categories are causal factors, factors, and non-factors worthy of discussion (NFWODS). Causal factors are the elements that directly or indirectly contributed to the mishap and are the focus for corrective action. Factors are observations present that could influence performance but did not by themselves cause the event. Non-factors worthy of discussion are items observed that did not contribute to the outcome and aren’t targets for corrective action, though they’re noted for completeness. This framework helps investigators focus on what actually caused the mishap while still documenting relevant context, and it prevents spending effort on issues that didn’t influence the result. The other triads describe different kinds of classifications (severity, core/peripheral, etc.) that don’t align with how AMIC structures factor analysis.