Which of the following is a common practice in risk management?

• A. Reducing ventilation
• B. Wearing personal protective equipment
• C. Ignoring alarms
• D. Increasing chemical inventory without controls

Answer: (B)

In risk management, protecting people relies on layers of controls, with engineering and administrative controls prioritized and personal protective equipment serving as a reliable safeguard when higher-level measures aren’t enough. Wearing PPE creates a barrier between the worker and the hazard, reducing skin contact, eye exposure, and inhalation of harmful chemicals. It’s a common, practical practice because it directly lowers the dose that a worker can receive, even when other controls aren’t perfect or fully in place.

The other options would actually raise risk: reducing ventilation can let hazardous vapors accumulate; ignoring alarms removes an early warning system; increasing chemical inventory without proper controls increases the chance and scale of exposure.