Knowing the difference between hazards and risks
Most people think that hazards and risks are synonymous. We often use and interchange them as a single concept communicating the same thing. However, when it comes to the effective management of health and safety in the workplace, as an employer, you’re required by law to protect your employees, and others, from harm. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, it’s important to understand and relay the difference between hazards and risks. This distinction also plays a core role when performing risk assessments and developing action plans for health and safety.
Hazard vs risk
A hazard is something that can harm you, while a risk is the probability or likelihood of a hazard harming you. In risk assessments, you can measure how high or low a risk is.
What is a hazard?
A hazard is an object or occurrence that can harm you. These are common in any workplace and include a printer, a slippery walkway, or heavy-duty machinery.
You and your employees must recognize the hazards in different work environments to reduce the likelihood of accidents, injuries and fatalities. For instance, ladders in warehouses are hazards, but safety training on how to use and store them mitigates the severity by preventing harm to people and property.
- Mechanical hazards are machinery or obstacles. They can cause trips, falls and other injuries. The HSE noted that slips and trips are the most frequent cause of workplace injuries.
- Hazardous substances include poisonous and flammable materials, as well as toxic fumes that can damage the respiratory system. Risk assessments should include the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators if these are present.
- Physical hazards can include but not be limited to mechanical hazards. They represent things such as pressurised installations, drowning, and injuries caused by tools such as hammers.
- Environmental hazards include pollution, extreme temperatures and noise. You can control some of these, while others may be natural phenomena.
- Psychological dangers are often overlooked but can cause significant harm. Just think of the stress and exhaustion linked to some high-risk jobs.
- Electrical hazards are all around us. For instance, a kettle in an office kitchen can electrocute someone.
What is a risk?
As stated, a risk deals with the likelihood of getting injured by a hazard. You can plot these in measurable terms when doing your risk assessments. Measurements can include a 5×5 grid where you determine the consequences on one axis and the degree of probability on the other. Qualify your likelihood with terms such as ‘negligible’, ‘minor’, ‘moderate’, ‘significant’ and ‘catastrophic’. For example, a blow torch is a hazard with a grade-3 likelihood of causing a grade-25 (catastrophic) injury, because the handler can sustain serious burns and possibly burn down a building.
You can assign a score of:
- 1 to 4 for an acceptable risk requiring no action
- 5 to 9 for adequate risks needing some attention
- 10 to 16 for tolerable risks that needs mitigation
- 17 to 25 for severe risks that must stop immediately.
Hierarchy of hazard and risk control
The highest level of control is when you eliminate hazards and risks. This is followed by limiting a risk by substituting, isolating or controlling it. The next tier deals with managing risks through administrative measures. Your lowest level of control is issuing PPE. It’s impossible to prevent all risks, but we can control and manage them through sound health and safety practices.