Which term best describes actions taken in advance to prepare for contamination to protect assets?

• A. Contamination Avoidance
• B. Decontamination
• C. Containment
• D. Recovery

Answer: (A)

Contamination avoidance focuses on proactive steps taken before any contamination occurs to protect assets. It involves planning and implementing controls ahead of time—things like risk assessments, preventive measures, secure environments, access controls, training, and pre-incident procedures so contamination is prevented or minimized from the outset. Decontamination is the after-the-fact cleanup process to remove contaminants once exposure has happened. Containment aims to limit the spread of contamination that has already begun. Recovery is about restoring operations and normal function after an incident. Since the question describes actions taken in advance to prepare for contamination to protect assets, the best fit is contamination avoidance.