Define risk assessment and list the four steps in a typical hazard analysis for a BEE program.

• A. Hazard forecasting; exposure measurement; dose calculation; risk acceptance.
• B. Hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response analyses, risk characterization and control selection.
• C. Hazard observation; exposure calculation; risk funding; policy writing.
• D. Hazard ranking; exposure mitigation; PPE selection; training.

Answer: (B)

Risk assessment is the process of estimating potential health impacts from hazards by identifying what could cause harm, how people might be exposed, and how that exposure translates into risk. In a BEE program’s hazard analysis, the four steps are hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response analysis, and risk characterization. Hazard identification asks what hazards are present. Exposure assessment estimates who is exposed, for how long, and at what levels. Dose-response analysis links the amount of exposure to the probability or severity of effects. Risk characterization combines the information to describe the level of risk and its uncertainties, guiding decisions about control measures, which is the risk management step of selecting and implementing controls to reduce risk. The other options use terms that don’t fit this standard sequence or place management activities within the hazard-analysis steps instead of after summarizing risk.