Severity is defined as which of the following?

Severity is defined as which of the following?

• A. The likelihood of an event
• B. The cost of mitigation
• C. The degree to which the negative effects occur or are experienced
• D. The probability of detecting a hazard

Answer: (C)

Severity is the degree to which the negative effects would occur or be experienced if a hazard materializes. It measures how serious the outcome would be—the extent of injury, damage, or disruption—rather than how likely the event is to happen or how much it costs to address it. This is why it’s the best fit: it directly characterizes the impact, not the probability or mitigation costs. For example, a drone incident that could cause only minor cosmetic damage has low severity, while one that could injure people or cause major property damage has high severity.

Severity is the degree to which the negative effects would occur or be experienced if a hazard materializes. It measures how serious the outcome would be—the extent of injury, damage, or disruption—rather than how likely the event is to happen or how much it costs to address it. This is why it’s the best fit: it directly characterizes the impact, not the probability or mitigation costs. For example, a drone incident that could cause only minor cosmetic damage has low severity, while one that could injure people or cause major property damage has high severity.