What is a hazard and what is risk? (2024)

FAQs

What is a hazard and what is a risk? ›

The magnitude of the hazard is the amount of harm that may result, including the number of people or things exposed and the severity of consequence. The concept of risk further quantifies hazards by attaching the probability of being realized to each level of potential harm.

A hazard is a dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition. It may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.

A 'hazard' is something in the workplace that could cause harm. Whereas a 'risk' refers to the likelihood and severity of harm resulting from exposure to that hazard. Take a bottle of bleach, for example. Whether this is stored safely up high or in a locked cupboard, it can still be thought of as a hazard.

In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environment), often focusing on negative, undesirable consequences.

Examples of uncertainty-based risks include: damage by fire, flood or other natural disasters. unexpected financial loss due to an economic downturn, or bankruptcy of other businesses that owe you money.

noun. an unavoidable danger or risk, even though often foreseeable: The job was full of hazards. something causing unavoidable danger, peril, risk, or difficulty: The many hazards of the big city did nothing to convince her to leave.

Risk is the possibility that harm (death, injury or illness) might occur when people are exposed to a hazard. Health and safety risks in the workplace need to be managed, either by eliminating risks or, if this is not reasonably practicable, minimising them.

A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm. The risk is the chance of that harm occurring. A hazard can generate various risks, as it may have the potential to cause harm in several ways. Hazards are not risks themselves, but they create risks.

Risk is the probability of an outcome having a negative effect on people, systems or assets. Risk is typically depicted as being a function of the combined effects of hazards, the assets or people exposed to hazard and the vulnerability of those exposed elements.

How do you control risk? ›

Workplace hazards fall into six core types – safety, biological, physical, ergonomic, chemical and workload.

When we refer to risk in relation to occupational safety and health the most commonly used definition is 'risk is the likelihood that a person may be harmed or suffers adverse health effects if exposed to a hazard. '

A hazard is a source or a situation with the potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill-health, damage to property, damage to the environment, or a combination of these.

A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm, or adverse health effects on something or someone. The CCOHS says, “risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard.”

Workplace hazards are situations on the job that have the potential to cause injury ranging from burns to back pain to loss of life or limb. Workplace hazards stem from a range of sources: Substances: the carcinogenic chemical benzene, for example. Materials: staphylococcus bacteria, for example.