Complacency is defined as

• A. Comfortable or relaxed state of mind
• B. A sign of hypervigilance
• C. Lulls you into a false sense of security and safety
• D. A method of risk assessment

Answer: (C)

Complacency in safety means becoming so comfortable with how things usually go that you stop actively watching for hazards. That mindset can lull you into a false sense of security and safety, so you might skip steps, overlook risks, or rely on past luck rather than current precautions. This is why the description that emphasizes a false sense of security is the best fit—it captures how ease and familiarity can undermine vigilance.

The other statements don’t fit as well. Being merely comfortable or relaxed describes a mood, but not the dangerous effect—complacency is about the resulting careless or lax behavior. Hypervigilance is the opposite of complacency, referring to being overly alert rather than under-alert. And treating complacency as a method of risk assessment mischaracterizes it as a tool, whereas it’s a mindset that can sabotage proper risk evaluation.