A utilities manager claims hazards and risks are the same because both can hurt people. Which distinction should the risk manager reinforce?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
A frayed cable is the hazard — the thing that can hurt you. Risk is how likely that cable sparks trouble and how bad the fallout would be for your goals. Same neighborhood, different addresses; calling them identical muddies the assessment.
Full Explanation
A hazard is a source or condition with potential to cause harm. Risk describes the combination of the likelihood that harm occurs and the severity of consequences relative to objectives. Both can relate to people getting hurt, but they are not the same concept: one names the source, the other expresses exposure. Equating them because both involve harm collapses that distinction and weakens how utilities prioritize treatments.