risk assessment

This term is primarily used in professional, technical, and regulatory contexts, such as occupational health and safety, finance, and project management. It carries a formal, clinical tone and implies a structured, documented procedure rather than a casual guess or a simple intuition about danger.

In a corporate or legal setting, a risk assessment is often a mandatory compliance requirement. It is distinct from risk management, which is the broader ongoing process of handling risks; the assessment is the specific diagnostic phase used to identify and quantify those risks before action is taken.