In risk assessment, what does risk estimation involve?

• A. Assigning blame for incidents.
• B. Assessing severity and probability.
• C. Drawing aesthetic design.
• D. Installing protective guards.

Answer: (B)

Risk estimation in risk assessment means estimating both how likely a hazard is to cause harm and how severe the outcome would be if it occurs. By considering probability and severity together, you end up with a risk level that can be qualitative (low/medium/high) or quantitative (a numeric score). This helps you prioritize which hazards need controls and determine how strong those controls should be.

Assigning blame focuses on accountability after an incident, not on predicting risk. Drawing aesthetic design is outside safety risk work, and installing protective guards is a mitigation step used to reduce risk, not to estimate it.