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Legal costs are an example of a cost associated with severity because they often arise as a result of accidents or incidents that lead to injuries or damages. When such events occur, they can lead to lawsuits, regulatory fines, or other legal ramifications that can impose significant financial burdens on an organization. The severity of an incident typically drives the extent of these legal costs; more severe incidents generally result in higher legal liabilities and associated costs due to potential claims and the need for legal representation.

While other costs, like training, recruitment, or maintenance, can play a role in overall operational expenses, they do not directly correlate with the severity of incidents in the same way legal costs do. For instance, training costs are preventive and aimed at reducing risk, rather than being a consequence of the severity of an incident.