A factory safety protocol reduced accidents by 40%. What effect did the protocol have on accidents?

A factory safety protocol reduced accidents by 40%. What effect did the protocol have on accidents?

• A. It increased productivity by 40%
• B. It reduced accidents by 40%
• C. It had no effect
• D. It caused accidents to increase by 40%

Answer: (B)

When something is described as reduced by 40%, it means the number of accidents after the protocol is 40% lower than before. If the original count was X, the new count is X minus 0.40X, which equals 0.60X. So the protocol caused a 40% decrease in accidents. This statement doesn’t imply anything about productivity, no effect, or an increase in accidents—those would contradict the stated reduction.

When something is described as reduced by 40%, it means the number of accidents after the protocol is 40% lower than before. If the original count was X, the new count is X minus 0.40X, which equals 0.60X. So the protocol caused a 40% decrease in accidents. This statement doesn’t imply anything about productivity, no effect, or an increase in accidents—those would contradict the stated reduction.