How is risk defined in safety terms?

• A. The actual harm that occurs
• B. The likelihood of completing a task safely
• C. The severity of an injury only
• D. The probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death, economic loss, or damage.

Answer: (D)

In safety terms, risk is the probability that harm will occur when exposed to a hazard, along with how serious that harm could be. The best description explicitly includes both the chance of an adverse outcome and the potential consequences, which can include injury, disease, death, economic loss, or damage. This goes beyond merely whether harm has already happened, or beyond focusing only on whether a task is completed safely, or only on how severe an injury could be. By capturing both likelihood and impact, it reflects how risk is assessed and managed: reduce the chance of exposure, or lessen the possible harm, or both.