In RM severity, how do catastrophic and severe differ?

• A. Catastrophic is the most severe impact, often fatal or mission-ending; severe is very serious injuries or mission failure, but not as severe as catastrophic.
• B. Severe is the most severe impact, often fatal or mission-ending.
• C. Catastrophic is a minor disruption.
• D. Severe and catastrophic are identical concepts.

Answer: (A)

In RM, understanding severity means grasping how bad the consequences of a hazard would be. Catastrophic is the highest level of impact and typically involves death or a mission-ending event. Severe is still very serious—serious injuries or substantial mission degradation—but it isn’t as extreme as catastrophic. So catastrophic and severe are not the same, and catastrophic is the more severe category.

The other statements mix up the order or meaning: severe isn’t the most severe, catastrophic isn’t merely a minor disruption, and the two terms aren’t identical.