Which statement correctly contrasts Type 1 and Type 2 errors in risk assessment?

Which statement correctly contrasts Type 1 and Type 2 errors in risk assessment?

• A. Type 1 = false positive (overestimates hazard); Type 2 = false negative (misses hazard).
• B. Type 1 is misses hazard; Type 2 is overestimates hazard.
• C. Type 1 and Type 2 errors both overestimate hazard.
• D. Type 1 is always lower risk; Type 2 is higher risk.

Answer: (A)

In risk assessment, two kinds of mistakes can occur when deciding if something is hazardous. A Type I error is a false positive—concluding there is a hazard when there isn’t one. That leads to overestimating hazard. A Type II error is a false negative—concluding there isn’t a hazard when there actually is one. That results in missing the hazard. So the statement mapping Type I to false positive and Type II to false negative correctly describes how these errors relate to overestimating or missing hazard. The other choices mix up which error corresponds to missing hazards or overestimating hazards, or claim both errors have the same effect, which isn’t how these error types work.

In risk assessment, two kinds of mistakes can occur when deciding if something is hazardous. A Type I error is a false positive—concluding there is a hazard when there isn’t one. That leads to overestimating hazard. A Type II error is a false negative—concluding there isn’t a hazard when there actually is one. That results in missing the hazard. So the statement mapping Type I to false positive and Type II to false negative correctly describes how these errors relate to overestimating or missing hazard. The other choices mix up which error corresponds to missing hazards or overestimating hazards, or claim both errors have the same effect, which isn’t how these error types work.