Final answer:
Ordinary negligence is the failure to act with the level of care that a reasonable person would under the same circumstances and differs from gross negligence, which indicates a severe lack of care. It does not always refer to bodily injury or impaired driving, but rather the potential risk created by the negligent act.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ordinary negligence is a legal concept that refers to the failure to do what a reasonable person would do in a given situation. It means not exercising the level of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances. The scenario of ordinary negligence does not specifically have to involve bodily injury to a third party, as it can refer to various types of harm or damage caused by lack of ordinary care.
Furthermore, ordinary negligence significantly differs from gross negligence in terms of the level of carelessness or recklessness involved. Gross negligence means a more serious lack of concern for the safety of others than ordinary negligence. Contrary to some interpretations, ordinary negligence does not always include reference to impaired driving, which is a specific instance that can constitute negligence but is not a defining characteristic.
In the context of a workplace or insurance setting, an employee may exercise denial of injury, which is the belief that if nobody got hurt or no apparent damage was done, then the negligent act should not be considered serious. This is a misjudgment, as negligence focuses on the breach of duty and the potential risk created, not solely on the actual outcome of an event.