Hazard vs. Risk, are these two terms the same?
While they may seem interchangeable, they actually refer to distinct concepts that play a crucial role in understanding and managing potential dangers. Grasping the difference between hazard and risk is essential for making informed decisions about safety measures, mitigating harm, and creating effective protection strategies.
Hazard Vs. Risk
A hazard is a situation or source that has the potential to cause harm such as injury, damage to property, or environmental damage. It can be a physical object, substance, activity, or a situation.
Examples: Chemicals in the workplace, exposed electrical wires, wet stairs, etc.
OSHA’s website has a Hazard Identification Training Tool that is an interactive, online, game-based training tool. This training tool gives users a better understanding of the process to identify hazards in the workplace.
A risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard. This can also apply to situations involving property or equipment loss, or harmful effects on the environment. Risks can take into account the chance that something dangerous will happen and how serious the outcome could be.
Example 1: Icy sidewalk in a well-traveled area. The risk of someone slipping and falling is higher compared to a sidewalk in a less-traveled spot.
Example 2: Working with faulty electrical equipment that may result in electric shock or electrocution.
To summarize the differences, a hazard is the source or situation with potential to cause harm, while a risk is the likelihood and severity of that harm happening.
Hazard Identification Vs. Risk Assessment
Hazard identification and risk assessments are closely related, but are different. The first step in the process of risk management is hazard identification. This involves recognizing and listing potential hazards that have the potential to cause harm. This step focuses on identifying anything in the workplace that has the potential to cause injury, illness, death, or damage, without yet considering the likelihood or severity of these outcomes.
During this process, you’ll ask questions like:
- What could go wrong?
- What are the potential sources of harm?
- And, where are these hazard located?
The main objective during hazard identification is to spot all the existing or potential hazards in a given scenario.
Risk assessments take things further by evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm that could result from the identified hazards. After the hazards have been identified, a risk assessment aims to understand the potential risks associated with each hazard. This can be done by asking:
- How likely is it that this hazard will cause harm?
- What would the consequences be if the hazard did cause harm?
- And, how severe could the harm be?
Once the information is gathered, risk assessments help prioritize which hazards pose the greatest threat and require immediate attention or mitigation.
Conclusion
While the terms hazard and risk are often used interchangeably, recognizing the distinction between the two is crucial for effective safety management. Hazards are the potential sources of harm, while risks are the likelihood and severity of harm occurring from those hazards. By identifying hazards and assessing the associated risks, we can take informed steps to reduce or eliminate dangers and create safer environments.