Risk assessment

Risk is the combination of the likelihood and the severity of an incident. A situation could be both unlikely but fatal, highly likely but not cause any injury, or something in between. Evaluating both aspects requires attention to details and knowledge of all factors in the situation. Individuals may reach different conclusions based on their personal experiences. Participants must ultimately decide their own risk acceptance levels based on the facts and their trust in other participants.

Risk matrix

A risk matrix is a mechanism for determining risk levels by evaluating their likelihood and their severity. It is a qualitative tool; user judgement is required to evaluate how probable events or how severe they may be without comprehensive data. The resulting risk levels are only estimates and subject to re-evaluation.

Below is an example of a risk matrix, based on NASA and US Department of Defense standards:

	Consequence
Likelihood	1 Minimal	2 Minor	3 Moderate	4 Significant	5 Catastrophic
5 Very High	Low	Medium	High	High	High
4 High	Low	Medium	Medium	High	High
3 Moderate	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium	High
2 Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Medium
1 Very Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium

Consequence could be evaluated using the following table:

	1 Minimal	2 Minor	3 Moderate	4 Significant	5 Catastrophic
Health	Injury not requiring professional medical attention.	Injury resulting in doctor consultation.	Injury resulting in emergency room visit.	Injury resulting in hospitalization.	Death, or permanent total or partial disability.
Legal	No legal exposure for civil or criminal litigation.	Misdemeanor conviction, or civil litigation resulting in minor financial penalties	Misdemeanor conviction, or civil litigation resulting in moderate financial penalties.	Felony conviction, or civil litigation resulting in substantial financial penalties.	Felony conviction with substantial penalties, such as imprisonment or the death penalty.
Equipment	Normal wear and tear on equipment.	Damage to equipment requiring simple repairs.	Damage to equipment requiring substantial repairs.	Damage to equipment requiring specialized, expensive, and/or long-duration repairs.	Irreparable damage, or loss of an irreplaceable item.
Release time	Participants can be released and ambulatory within 60 seconds, and specific limbs can be released within 30 seconds.	Participants can be released and ambulatory within 2 minutes, or specific limbs can be released within 60 seconds.	Participants can be released and ambulatory within 5 minutes, or specific limbs can be released within 2 minutes.	Participants can be released and ambulatory within 10 minutes, or specific limbs can be released within 5 minutes.	Participants cannot be released and ambulatory within 10 minutes, or specific limbs cannot be released within 5 minutes.

Per NASA methodology, the estimated probability of occurrence informs the likelihood categorization. However this is difficult to assess for kink activities because of the lack of data. It is the responsibility of participants to determine the probabilities of the activities being assessed using their experience.

Consider a hypothetical scene where a participant is suspended in a full body harness. Using general utility carabiners not rated for loads to support the suspended participant would have a higher likelihood of failure than a double bolt snap, which in turn have a higher likelihood of failure than a climbing carabiner with a high strength rating. Conversely, using general utility carabiners with simple squeeze gates for limb-only supports could enable faster release times than attachment devices requiring keyed or threaded unlocks.

Portrayal and reality

Most media do not depict the reality of scenes. Artistic license is often taken to frame and describe a scene in a way that appears to be more extreme than it actually is for the purpose of appealing to the audience's fantasies. In reality a responsible scene should have people off-camera, communication between participants, and safety equipment that is not visible to the viewer.

There is not an inherent problem in portraying a scene in a performative manner; it is a form of creative expression. However, it is important to remember when creating a scene that media is not a good benchmark. Precautions must be taken to ensure safety above all else.