What is the difference between eliminating and controlling a hazard?

• A. Eliminating a hazard removes the risk entirely, while controlling a hazard reduces the likelihood or impact to an acceptable level.
• B. Eliminating a hazard removes only the impact, while controlling reduces the likelihood only.
• C. Both actions remove the same amount of risk.
• D. Elimination is for equipment hazards; controlling is for personnel hazards.

Answer: (A)

Elimination removes the hazard from the system so there is no exposure, taking the risk away entirely. Controlling a hazard means putting measures in place to reduce either the chance of harm occurring or the severity of harm if exposure happens, so the risk is kept at an acceptable level rather than eliminated.

Think of it this way: if you can remove the hazard—like taking a dangerous chemical completely out of the workflow—you’ve eliminated the risk. If you can’t remove it, you implement controls—such as guarding the machinery, changing procedures, training, or using PPE—that lower the likelihood of exposure or the potential impact.

The other ideas don’t fit because they misstate how risk is reduced or imply limits to what elimination or controls affect (for example, that elimination only affects impact or only affects likelihood, or that one method is limited to certain types of hazards).