What is the purpose of a risk assessment?

• A. Measuring the speed of a workflow
• B. Estimating costs
• C. Determining equipment maintenance schedule
• D. Identification of source of harm

Answer: (D)

The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify sources of harm so you can understand what could cause injury or damage and decide how to control those risks. Spotting hazards in a task, process, or environment provides the essential information needed to evaluate how serious the risk is and what protections are appropriate. It’s not primarily about measuring workflow speed, estimating costs, or planning maintenance; those may come into play later, but they aren’t the core aim. By recognizing where harm could originate, you can implement controls to eliminate or reduce the risk and then monitor effectiveness to keep people safe.