Which principle is concerned with the idea that new measures carry new risks?

• A. New measures, new risks.
• B. PPE (final control option).
• C. Review the effectiveness of controls.
• D. Consider the route of exposure.

Answer: (A)

When you bring in a new control, you have to think about how it changes the risk landscape. Even a measure that reduces one hazard can create or reveal another. This idea—new measures bring new risks—puts emphasis on looking beyond the intended benefit and anticipating secondary hazards, new exposure routes, or new maintenance challenges that the change might introduce.

For example, switching to a closed-system handling device may cut down on splash exposure, but it can raise new risks if seals fail, if the system requires complex maintenance, or if there’s a hidden release path during setup or cleaning. Substituting a solvent with a less toxic option might reduce toxicity in one respect but could introduce higher flammability or different inhalation risks. In practice, this principle guides you to evaluate not just how a measure reduces the current risk, but what new risks it could create and how you would detect and control them.

The other options focus on specific aspects of protection or evaluation, but they don’t capture the overarching idea that changing measures can introduce new hazards.