prads, I believe RA matrices are something you can invent yourself, a tool to help prioritise, so they don't have an origin with H&S I expect. The matrix I use, for harm severity and likelihood, has been developed over years with managers.

The HSE do offer some guidance on the subject here

http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/faq.htm#q27


JohnW

I like your reasoning JohnW. However, your use of the terms for cuts prompted me to look whether cuts can be graded like burns, i.e. superficial burn, or a first-degree burn; partial-thickness burn, or a second-degree burn; Full-thickness, or third-degree burns.

So far all I can find id this:

A cut, scrape, or scratch?
Cuts, or lacerations, are openings into or through the skin. Cuts may just go through the skin or they may go into the deeper fatty or muscle tissues. Scrapes and scratches are areas of damage to the upper layers of skin. They may go into the deeper layers of skin and they may bleed, but they don't gape open to expose the fatty tissue beneath the skin.

A puncture wound?
A puncture wound is any wound caused by something sharp and narrow that stabs through the skin and into the soft tissue. Common examples of puncture wounds are animal bites and wounds from stepping on a nail or toothpick.

I would be interested to know if there was a more detailed chart.