Hazard

Situation or object that can cause harm

For other uses, see Hazard (disambiguation).

A hazard pictogram to indicate a hazard from a flammable substance.

A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that harm being realized in a specific incident, combined with the magnitude of potential harm, make up its risk. This term is often used synonymously in colloquial speech.

Hazards can be classified in several ways which are not mutually exclusive. They can be classified by causing actor (for example, natural or anthropogenic), by physical nature (e.g. biological or chemical) or by type of damage (e.g., health hazard or environmental hazard). Examples of natural disasters with highly harmful impacts on a society are floods, droughts, earthquakes, tropical cyclones, lightning strikes, volcanic activity and wildfires.[1] Technological and anthropogenic hazards include, for example, structural collapses, transport accidents, accidental or intentional explosions, and release of toxic materials.

The term climate hazard is used in the context of climate change. These are hazards that stem from climate-related events and can be associated with global warming, such as wildfires, floods, droughts, sea level rise.[2]: 1181  Climate hazards can combine with other hazards and result in compound event losses (see also loss and damage). For example, the climate hazard of heat can combine with the hazard of poor air quality. Or the climate hazard flooding can combine with poor water quality.[3]: 909

In physics terms, common theme across many forms of hazards is the presence of energy that can cause damage, as it can happen with chemical energy, mechanical energy or thermal energy. This damage can affect different valuable interests, and the severity of the associated risk varies.

## Definition

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A hazard is defined as "the potential occurrence of a natural or human-induced physical event or trend that may cause loss of life, injury, or other health impacts, as well as damage and loss to property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service provision, ecosystems and environmental resources."[4]: 2233

A hazard only exists if there is a pathway to exposure. As an example, the center of the Earth consists of molten material at very high temperatures which would be a severe hazard if contact was made with the core. However, there is no feasible way of making contact with the core, therefore the center of the Earth currently poses no hazard.

The frequency and severity of hazards are important aspects for risk management. Hazards may also be assessed in relation to the impact that they have.

In defining hazard Keith Smith argues that what may be defined as the hazard is only a hazard if there is the presence of humans to make it a hazard. In this regard, human sensitivity to environmental hazards is a combination of both physical exposure (natural and/or technological events at a location related to their statistical variability) and human vulnerability (about social and economic tolerance of the same location).[5]

## Relationship with other terms

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### Disaster

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Main articles: Disaster and Natural disaster § Terminology

An example of the distinction between a natural hazard and a disaster is that an earthquake is the hazard which caused the 1906 San Francisco earthquake disaster.

A natural disaster is the highly harmful impact on a society or community following a natural hazard event. The term "disaster" itself is defined as follows: "Disasters are serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources. Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and technological hazards, as well as various factors that influence the exposure and vulnerability of a community."[6]

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) explains the relationship between natural disasters and natural hazards as follows: "Natural hazards and natural disasters are related but are not the same. A natural hazard is the threat of an event that will likely have a negative impact. A natural disaster is the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community.[7]

Disaster can take various forms, including hurricane, volcano, tsunami, earthquake, drought, famine, plague, disease, rail crash, car crash, tornado, deforestation, flooding, toxic release, and spills (oil, chemicals).

A disaster hazard is an extreme geophysical event that is capable of causing a disaster. 'Extreme' in this case means a substantial variation in either the positive or the negative direction from the normal trend; flood disasters can result from exceptionally high precipitation and river discharge, and drought is caused by exceptionally low values.[8] The fundamental determinants of hazard and the risk of such hazards occurring is timing, location, magnitude and frequency.[8] For example, magnitudes of earthquakes are measured on the Richter scale from 1 to 10, whereby each increment of 1 indicates a tenfold increase in severity. The magnitude-frequency rule states that over a significant period of time many small events and a few large ones will occur.[9] Hurricanes and typhoons on the other hand occur between 5 degrees and 25 degrees north and south of the equator, tending to be seasonal phenomena that are thus largely recurrent in time and predictable in location due to the specific climate variables necessary for their formation.[8]

### Risk and vulnerability

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Main articles: Risk and Vulnerability

The terms hazard and risk are often used interchangeably. However, in terms of risk assessment, these are two very distinct terms. A hazard is an agent that can cause harm or damage to humans, property, or the environment.[10] Risk is the probability that exposure to a hazard will lead to a negative consequence, or more simply, a hazard poses no risk if there is no exposure to that hazard.

Risk is a combination of hazard, exposure and vulnerability.[11] For example in terms of water security: examples of hazards are droughts, floods and decline in water quality. Bad infrastructure and bad governance lead to high exposure to risk.

Risk can be defined as the likelihood or probability of a given hazard of a given level causing a particular level of loss of damage. The elements of risk are populations, communities, the built environment, the natural environment, economic activities and services which are under threat of disaster in a given area.[8]

Another definition of risk is "the probable frequency and probable magnitude of future losses". This definition also focuses on the probability of future loss whereby the degree of vulnerability to hazard represents the level of risk on a particular population or environment. The threats posed by a hazard are:

1. Hazards to people – death, injury, disease and stress
2. Hazards to goods – property damage and economic loss
3. Hazards to environment –loss of flora and fauna, pollution and loss of amenity[5]

## Classifications

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Hazards can be classified in several ways. These categories are not mutually exclusive which means that one hazard can fall into several categories. For example, water pollution with toxic chemicals is an anthropogenic hazard as well as an environmental hazard.

One of the classification methods is by specifying the origin of the hazard. One key concept in identifying a hazard is the presence of stored energy that, when released, can cause damage. The stored energy can occur in many forms: chemical, mechanical, thermal, radioactive, electrical, etc.[12]

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) explains that "each hazard is characterized by its location, intensity or magnitude, frequency and probability".[13]

A distinction can also be made between rapid-onset natural hazards, technological hazards, and social hazards, which are described as being of sudden occurrence and relatively short duration, and the consequences of longer-term environmental degradation such as desertification and drought.[14]

Hazards may be grouped according to their characteristics. These factors are related to geophysical events, which are not process specific:[15]

1. Areal extent of damage zone
2. Intensity of impact at a point
3. Duration of impact at a point
4. Rate of onset of the event
5. Predictability of the event[5]

## By causing actor

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### Natural hazard

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Main article: Natural disaster

Damage to valuable human interests can occur due to phenomena and processes of the natural environment.[1] Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, volcanoes and tsunami have threatened people, society, the natural environment, and the built environment, particularly more vulnerable people, throughout history, and in some cases, on a day-to-day basis. According to the Red Cross, each year 130,000 people are killed, 90,000 are injured and 140 million are affected by unique events known as natural disasters.[8]

Potentially dangerous phenomena which are natural or predominantly natural (for example, exceptions are intentional floods) can be classified in these categories:

* Meteorological and hydrological hazards, e.g. lightning, storm, flood, sandstorm, fog, rogue wave, tsunami, snow, cold wave, heat wave
* Geological hazards
* Earthquake
* Volcanism, which can cause a wide range of events, such as lava flow and ash fall
* Surface or near-surface events, especially erosion and mass wasting (e.g. landslide)
* Extraterrestrial hazards, e.g. solar storm, impact event[16]

Natural hazards can be influenced by human actions in different ways and to varying degrees, e.g. land-use change, drainage and construction.[17] Humans play a central role in the existence of natural hazards because "it is only when people and their possessions get in the way of natural processes that hazard exists".[5]

A natural hazard can be considered as a geophysical event when it occurs in extremes and a human factor is involved that may present a risk. There may be an acceptable variation of magnitude which can vary from the estimated normal or average range with upper and lower limits or thresholds. In these extremes, the natural occurrence may become an event that presents a risk to the environment or people.[18] For example, above-average wind speeds resulting in a tropical depression or hurricane according to intensity measures on the Saffir–Simpson scale will provide an extreme natural event that may be considered a hazard.[5]

#### Seismic hazard

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This section is an excerpt from Seismic hazard.[edit]

Part of a series on

Earthquakes

Types

* Mainshock
* Foreshock
* Aftershock
* Blind thrust
* Doublet
* Interplate
* Intraplate
* Megathrust
* Remotely triggered
* Slow
* Submarine
* Supershear
* Tsunami
* Earthquake swarm

Causes

* Fault movement
* Volcanism
* Induced seismicity

Characteristics

* Epicenter
* Epicentral distance
* Hypocenter
* Shadow zone
* Seismic waves
* P wave
* S wave

Measurement

* Seismometer
* Seismic magnitude scales
* Seismic intensity scales

Prediction

* Coordinating Committee for
Earthquake Prediction

* Forecasting

Other topics

* Shear wave splitting
* Adams–Williamson equation
* Flinn–Engdahl regions
* Earthquake engineering
* Seismite
* Seismology

* Earth Sciences Portal

* Category
* Related topics

* v
* t
* e

Surface motion map for a hypothetical earthquake on the northern portion of the Hayward Fault Zone and its presumed northern extension, the Rodgers Creek Fault Zone A seismic hazard is the probability that an earthquake will occur in a given geographic area, within a given window of time, and with ground motion intensity exceeding a given threshold.[19][20] With a hazard thus estimated, risk can be assessed and included in such areas as building codes for standard buildings, designing larger buildings and infrastructure projects, land use planning and determining insurance rates. The seismic hazard studies also may generate two standard measures of anticipated ground motion, both confusingly abbreviated MCE; the simpler probabilistic Maximum Considered Earthquake (or Event[21] ), used in standard building codes, and the more detailed and deterministic Maximum Credible Earthquake incorporated in the design of larger buildings and civil infrastructure like dams or bridges. It is important to clarify which MCE is being discussed.[22]

Tsunamis can be caused by geophysical hazards, such as in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Although generally a natural phenomenon, earthquakes can sometimes be induced by human interventions, such as injection wells, large underground nuclear explosions, excavation of mines, or reservoirs.[23]

#### Volcanic hazard

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This section is an excerpt from Volcanic hazard.[edit]

A schematic diagram shows some of the many ways volcanoes can cause problems for those nearby. A volcanic hazard is the probability a volcanic eruption or related geophysical event will occur in a given geographic area and within a specified window of time. The risk that can be associated with a volcanic hazard depends on the proximity and vulnerability of an asset or a population of people near to where a volcanic event might occur.

### Anthropogenic hazard

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Anthropogenic hazards, or human-induced hazards, are "induced entirely or predominantly by human activities and choices".[13] These can be societal, technological or environmental hazards.

#### Technological hazard

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Technological hazards are created by the possibility of failure associated with human technology (including emerging technologies), which can also impact the economy, health and national security.

For example, technological hazards can arise from the following events:

* Transport accidents: traffic collisions, navigation accidents, rail accidents, aviation accidents
* Nuclear materials-related accidents: nuclear plant accidents, nuclear weapon accidents and other nuclear accidents
* Chemical accidents and accidental explosions
* Mining accidents
* Space accidents
* Technological failures (including those that affect information and communications technology, such as cybersecurity threats) can cause disruptions to the energy industry (e.g. power outages), telecommunications (e.g. Internet outage), healthcare, banking, transportation, food supply, water supply and other important services.
* Structural failures or construction accidents[16]

A mechanical hazard is any hazard involving a machine or industrial process. Motor vehicles, aircraft, and air bags pose mechanical hazards. Compressed gases or liquids can also be considered a mechanical hazard. Hazard identification of new machines and/or industrial processes occurs at various stages in the design of the new machine or process. These hazard identification studies focus mainly on deviations from the intended use or design and the harm that may occur as a result of these deviations. These studies are regulated by various agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.[24]

Engineering hazards occur when human structures fail (e.g. building or structural collapse, bridge failures, dam failures) or the materials used in their construction prove to be hazardous.

#### Societal hazard

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Societal hazards can arise from civil disorders, explosive remnants of war, violence, crowd accidents, financial crises, etc. However, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Hazard Definition & Classification Review (Sendai Framework 2015 - 2030) specifically excludes armed conflict from the anthropogenic hazard category, as these hazards are already recognised under international humanitarian law.[16][13]

#### Waste disposal

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In managing waste many hazardous materials are put in the domestic and commercial waste stream. In part this is because modern technological living uses certain toxic or poisonous materials in the electronics and chemical industries. Which, when they are in use or transported, are usually safely contained or encapsulated and packaged to avoid any exposure. In the waste stream, the waste products exterior or encapsulation breaks or degrades and there is a release and exposure to hazardous materials into the environment, for people working in the waste disposal industry, those living around sites used for waste disposal or landfill and the general environment surrounding such sites.

### Socionatural hazard

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There are different ways to group hazards by origin. The definition by UNDRR states: "Hazards may be natural, anthropogenic or socionatural in origin."[13] The socionatural hazards are those that are "associated with a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors, including environmental degradation and climate change".[13]

#### Climate hazard

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See also: Effects of climate change

The term climate hazard or climatic hazard is used in the context of climate change, for example in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. These are hazards that stem from climate-related events such as wildfires, floods, droughts, sea level rise.[2]: 1181

Climate hazards in the context of water include: Increased temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns between the wet and dry season (increased rainfall variability) and sea level rise.[25]: 620  The reason why increasing temperatures is listed here as a climate hazard is because "warming temperatures may result in higher evapotranspiration, in turn leading to drier soils".[25]: 663

Waterborne diseases are also connected to climate hazards.[26]: 1065

Climate hazards can combine with other hazards and result in compound event losses (see also loss and damage). For example, the climate hazard of heat can combine with the hazard of poor air quality. Or the climate hazard flooding can combine with poor water quality.[3]: 909

Climate scientists have pointed out that climate hazards affect different groups of people differently, depending on their climate change vulnerability:[27] There are "factors that make people and groups vulnerable (e.g., poverty, uneven power structures, disadvantage and discrimination due to, for example, social location and the intersectionality or the overlapping and compounding risks from ethnicity or racial discrimination, gender, age, or disability, etc.)".[2]: 1181

## By physical nature

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### Biological hazard

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Main article: Biological hazard

Biological hazards, also known as biohazards, originate in biological processes of living organisms and pose threats to the health of humans, the security of property, or the environment.

Biological hazards include pathogenic microorganisms, such as viruses and bacteria, epidemics, pandemics, parasites, pests, animal attacks, venomous animals, biological toxins and foodborne illnesses.[16]

For example, naturally occurring bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella are well known pathogens, and a variety of measures have been taken to limit human exposure to these microorganisms through food safety, good personal hygiene, and education. The potential for new biological hazards also exists through the discovery of new microorganisms and the development of new genetically modified (GM) organisms. The use of new GM organisms is regulated by various governmental agencies. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) controls GM plants that produce or resist pesticides (i.e. Bt corn and Roundup ready crops). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates GM plants that will be used as food or for medicinal purposes.

Biological hazards can include medical waste or samples of a microorganism, virus or toxin (from a biological source) that can affect health. Many biological hazards are associated with food, including certain viruses, parasites, fungi, bacteria, and plant and seafood toxins.[28] Pathogenic Campylobacter and Salmonella are common foodborne biological hazards. The hazards from these bacteria can be avoided through risk mitigation steps such as proper handling, storing, and cooking of food.[29] Diseases can be enhanced by human factors such as poor sanitation or by processes such as urbanization.

### Chemical hazard

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Main article: Chemical hazard

A chemical can be considered a hazardous material if by its intrinsic properties it can cause harm or danger to humans, property, or the environment.[24] Health hazards associated with chemicals are dependent on the dose or amount of exposure to the chemical. For example, iodine in the form of potassium iodate is used to produce iodised salt. When applied at a rate of 20  mg of potassium iodate per 1000 mg of table salt, the chemical is beneficial in preventing goitre, while iodine intakes of 1200–9500  mg in one dose has been known to cause death.[30] Some chemicals have a cumulative biological effect, while others are metabolically eliminated over time. Other chemical hazards may depend on concentration or cumulative quantity for their effects.

Some harmful chemicals occur naturally in certain geological formations, such as arsenic. Other chemicals include products with commercial uses, such as agricultural and industrial chemicals, as well as products developed for home use.

A variety of chemical hazards have been identified. However, every year companies produce more new chemicals to fill new needs or to take the place of older, less effective chemicals. Laws, such as the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act in the US, require protection of human health and the environment for any new chemical introduced. In the US, the EPA regulates new chemicals that may have environmental impacts (i.e., pesticides or chemicals released during a manufacturing process), while the FDA regulates new chemicals used in foods or as drugs. The potential hazards of these chemicals can be identified by performing a variety of tests before the authorization of usage. The number of tests required and the extent to which the chemicals are tested varies, depending on the desired usage of the chemical. Chemicals designed as new drugs must undergo more rigorous tests than those used as pesticides.

Pesticides, which are normally used to control unwanted insects and plants, may cause a variety of negative effects on non-target organisms. DDT can build up, or bioaccumulate, in birds, resulting in thinner-than-normal eggshells, which can break in the nest.[29] The organochlorine pesticide dieldrin has been linked to Parkinson's disease.[31] Corrosive chemicals like sulfuric acid, which is found in car batteries and research laboratories, can cause severe skin burns. Many other chemicals used in industrial and laboratory settings can cause respiratory, digestive, or nervous system problems if they are inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. The negative effects of other chemicals, such as alcohol and nicotine, have been well documented.[citation needed]

Organohalogens are a family of synthetic organic molecules which all contain atoms of one of the halogens. Such materials include PCBs, dioxins, DDT, Freon and many others. Although considered harmless when first produced, many of these compounds are now known to have profound physiological effects on many organisms including man. Many are also fat soluble and become concentrated through the food chain.

### Radioactive or electromagnetic hazard

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See also: Electromagnetic radiation and health

Radioactive materials produce ionizing radiation which may be very harmful to living organisms. Damage from even a short exposure to radioactivity may have long-term adverse health consequences.

### Thermal or fire hazard

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See also: Occupational heat stress

#### Fire hazard

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Further information: Fire safety § Common fire hazards

An active flame front of the Zaca Fire

Threats to fire safety are commonly referred to as fire hazards. A fire hazard may include a situation that increases the likelihood of a fire or may impede escape in the event a fire occurs.

Casualties resulting from fires, regardless of their source or initial cause, can be aggravated by inadequate emergency preparedness. Such hazards as a lack of accessible emergency exits, poorly marked escape routes, or improperly maintained fire extinguishers or sprinkler systems may result in many more deaths and injuries than might occur with such protections.

### Kinetic hazard

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Kinetic energy is involved[32] in hazards associated with noise, falling, or vibration.

## By type of damage

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### Health hazard

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GHS hazard pictograms for health hazards.

See also: Disease and Injury

Hazards that would affect the health of exposed persons, usually having an acute or chronic illness as the consequence. Fatality would not normally be an immediate consequence. Health hazards may cause measurable changes in the body which are generally indicated by the development of signs and symptoms in the exposed persons, or non-measurable, subjective symptoms.[33]

#### Ergonomic hazard

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Main article: Ergonomic hazard

Ergonomic hazards are physical conditions that may pose a risk of injury to the musculoskeletal system, such as the muscles or ligaments of the lower back, tendons or nerves of the hands/wrists, or bones surrounding the knees. Ergonomic hazards include things such as awkward or extreme postures, whole-body or hand/arm vibration, poorly designed tools, equipment, or workstations, repetitive motion, and poor lighting. Ergonomic hazards occur in both occupational and non-occupational settings such as in workshops, building sites, offices, home, school, or public spaces and facilities.[34]

#### Occupational hazard

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Occupational hazards

* Physical
* Chemical
* Biological
* Psychosocial

Hierarchy of hazard controls

* Elimination
* Substitution
* Engineering controls
* Administrative controls
* Personal protective equipment

Occupational hygiene

* Occupational exposure limit
* Exposure assessment
* Workplace exposure monitoring

Study

* Occupational toxicology
* Occupational epidemiology
* Workplace health surveillance

See also

* Aerosol
* NIOSH ratings
* Source control
* COVID-19 controls
* Fire fighter fatality investigation

* v
* t
* e

See also: Control banding and Occupational exposure banding

This section is an excerpt from Occupational hazard.[edit]

Construction workers at height without appropriate safety equipment An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This encompasses many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards (biohazards), psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conduct workplace investigations and research addressing workplace health and safety hazards resulting in guidelines.[35] The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes enforceable standards to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.[36] In the EU, a similar role is taken by EU-OSHA.

#### Psychosocial hazard

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Main article: Psychosocial hazard

Psychological or psychosocial hazards are hazards that affect the psychological well-being of people, including their ability to participate in a work environment among other people. Psychosocial hazards are related to the way work is designed, organized, and managed, as well as the economic and social contexts of work, and are associated with psychiatric, psychological, and/or physical injury or illness. Linked to psychosocial risks are issues such as occupational stress and workplace violence, which are recognized internationally as major challenges to occupational health and safety.[citation needed]

### Environmental hazard

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This section is an excerpt from Environmental hazard.[edit]

The international pictogram for environmentally hazardous materials.

There are two widely used meanings for Environmental hazards; one is that they are hazards to the natural environment (biomes or ecosystems),[37] and the other is hazards of an environment that are normally present in the specific environment and are dangerous to people present in that environment. [38]

Well known examples of hazards to the environment include potential oil spills, water pollution, slash and burn deforestation, air pollution, ground fissures,[39] and build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide.[40] They may apply to a particular part of the environment (slash and burn deforestation) or to the environment as a whole (carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere)..

Similarly, a hazard of an environment may be inherent in the whole of that environment, like a drowning hazard is inherent to the general underwater environment, or localised, like potential shark attack is a hazard of those parts of the ocean where sharks that are likely to attack people are likely to exist.

### Property

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See also: Property insurance and Property crime

#### Cultural property

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Cultural property can be damaged, lost or destroyed by different events or processes, including war, vandalism, theft, looting, transport accident, water leak, human error, natural disaster, fire, pests, pollution and progressive deterioration.

## By status

[edit]

Hazards are sometimes classified into three modes or statuses:[41]

* Dormant—The situation environment is currently affected. For instance, a hillside may be unstable, with the potential for a landslide, but there is nothing below or on the hillside that could be affected.
* Armed—People, property, or environment are in potential harm's way.
* Active—A harmful incident involving the hazard has actually occurred. Often this is referred to not as an "active hazard" but as an accident, emergency, incident, or disaster.

## Analysis and management

[edit]

Hierarchy of hazard controls: Those hazard control methods at the top of the graphic are potentially more effective and protective than those at the bottom. Following this hierarchy of controls normally leads to the implementation of inherently safer systems, where the risk of illness or injury has been substantially reduced.[42]

A range of methodologies are used to assess hazards and to manage them:

* Hazard analysis – Method for assessing risk
* Hazard analysis and critical control points – Systematic preventive approach to food safetyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets (HACCP)
* Hazard and operability study – Study of risks in a plan or operation (HAZOP)
* Hierarchy of hazard controls – System used in industry to eliminate or minimize exposure to hazards

### Hazard symbol

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This section is an excerpt from Hazard symbol.[edit]

Skull and crossbones, a common symbol for poison and other sources of lethal danger (GHS hazard pictograms)

## See also

[edit]

* Moral hazard – Increases in the exposure to risk when insured, or when another bears the cost

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Natural Hazards | National Risk Index". hazards.fema.gov. FEMA. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
2. ^ a b c Birkmann, J., E. Liwenga, R. Pandey, E. Boyd, R. Djalante, F. Gemenne, W. Leal Filho, P.F. Pinho, L. Stringer, and D.Wrathall, 2022: Chapter 8: Poverty, Livelihoods and Sustainable Development. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1171–1274, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.010.
3. ^ a b Dodman, D., B. Hayward, M. Pelling, V. Castan Broto, W. Chow, E. Chu, R. Dawson, L. Khirfan, T. McPhearson, A. Prakash, Y. Zheng, and G. Ziervogel, 2022: Chapter 6: Cities, Settlements and Key Infrastructure. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 907–1040, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.008.
4. ^ IPCC, 2021: Annex VII: Glossary [Matthews, J.B.R., V. Möller, R. van Diemen, J.S. Fuglestvedt, V. Masson-Delmotte, C.  Méndez, S. Semenov, A. Reisinger (eds.)]. In Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 2215–2256, doi:10.1017/9781009157896.022.
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6. ^ "What is a disaster?". www.ifrc.org – IFRC. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
7. ^ "Natural Hazards | National Risk Index". hazards.fema.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
8. ^ a b c d e Alexander, David E. (2000). Confronting catastrophe: new perspectives on natural disasters. Harpenden, England: Terra Publishing. ISBN 0-19-521695-4.
9. ^ Wolman, M. Gordon & Miller, John P. (1960) in Alexander, David E. (2000). "2". Confronting catastrophe: new perspectives on natural disasters. Harpenden, England: Terra Publishing. ISBN 0-19-521695-4.
10. ^ Sperber, William H. (2001). "Hazard identification: from a quantitative to a qualitative approach". Food Control. 12 (4): 223–228\. doi:10.1016/s0956-7135(00)00044-x.
11. ^ Hoekstra, Arjen Y; Buurman, Joost; van Ginkel, Kees C H (2018). "Urban water security: A review". Environmental Research Letters. 13 (5): 053002. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aaba52. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
12. ^ "Environmental Health Hazards". www.iloencyclopaedia.org. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
13. ^ a b c d e "Hazard | PreventionWeb". www.preventionweb.net. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
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15. ^ Hewitt, Kenneth; Burton, Ian (1971). The hazardousness of a place: a regional ecology of damaging events. University of Toronto Department of Geography Research Publications, Volume 6. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802032812.
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17. ^ Gill, Joel C.; Malamud, Bruce D. (2017-03-01). "Anthropogenic processes, natural hazards, and interactions in a multi-hazard framework". Earth-Science Reviews. 166: 246–269\. Bibcode:2017ESRv..166..246G. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.01.002.
18. ^ Smith, Keith (1992). Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster. Routledge Physical Environment Series (first ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9780415012171.
19. ^ Baker, Jack; Bradley, Brendon; Stafford, Peter (2021). Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108425056. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
20. ^ Natural Resources Canada page on Seismic Hazard Calculations Archived 2008-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
21. ^ Craig Taylor and Erik VanMarcke, ed. (2002). Acceptable Risk Processes: Lifeline and Natural Hazards. Reston, VA: ASCE, TCLEE. ISBN 9780784406236.
22. ^ ["Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2011-10-06.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Earthquake Definitions, Oregon State University
23. ^ Bruce A. Bolt at the Encyclopædia Britannica
24. ^ a b Jones, David (1992). Nomenclature for hazard and risk assessment in the process industries. Rugby, Warwickshire, UK: Institution of Chemical Engineers. ISBN 0-85295-297-X.
25. ^ a b Caretta, M.A., A. Mukherji, M. Arfanuzzaman, R.A. Betts, A. Gelfan, Y. Hirabayashi, T.K. Lissner, J. Liu, E. Lopez Gunn, R. Morgan, S. Mwanga, and S. Supratid, 2022: Chapter 4: Water. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 551–712, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.006.
26. ^ Cissé, G., R. McLeman, H. Adams, P. Aldunce, K. Bowen, D. Campbell-Lendrum, S. Clayton, K.L. Ebi, J. Hess, C. Huang, Q. Liu, G. McGregor, J. Semenza, and M.C. Tirado, 2022: Chapter 7: Health, Wellbeing, and the Changing Structure of Communities. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1041–1170, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.009.
27. ^ Li, Ang; Toll, Mathew; Bentley, Rebecca (2023). "Mapping social vulnerability indicators to understand the health impacts of climate change: a scoping review". The Lancet Plentary Health. 7 (11): e925 – e937. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00216-4.
28. ^ Natio-clearnal Restaurant Association. (2008). Servsafe Essentials (5th ed.).
29. ^ a b Ropeik, David (2002). Risk. New York, New York, US: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-14372-6.
30. ^ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Public Health Service (April 2004). "Toxicological profile of iodine. Retrieved from" (PDF). Atlanta, Georgia: Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
31. ^ Song, C.; Kanthasamay, A.; Anatharam, V.; Sun, F.; Kanthasamy, A.G. (2010). "Environmental neurotoxic pesticide increases histone acetylation to promote apoptosis in dopaminergic neuronal cells: relevance to epigenetic mechanisms of neurodegeneration". Mol Pharmacol. 77 (4): 621–632\. doi:10.1124/mol.109.062174. PMC 2847769. PMID 20097775.
32. ^ Hazard at the Encyclopædia Britannica
33. ^ "Health Hazard Definitions (Mandatory)". Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR) Part 1917: Marine Terminals, Subpart B: Marine Terminal Operations, Standard: 1917.28 App A. Washington, DC: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
34. ^ Staff. "Ergonomic hazards". Comcare. Australian Government. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
35. ^ "About NIOSH". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
36. ^ "About OSHA". United States Department of Labor. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
37. ^ "Environmental Hazards & Health Effects" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
38. ^ Cruikshank, Craig. "3 Types of Environmental Hazards in the Workplace". safetydocs.safetyculture.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
39. ^ "Environmental hazard". Defined Term - A dictionary of legal, industry-specific, and uncommon terms. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2017. quoted from Code of Maryland, January 1, 2014
40. ^ Smith, Keith (1993). Environmental hazards: assessing risk and reducing disaster. Routledge physical environment series (Reprint ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-01217-1.
41. ^ David MacCollum (December 18, 2006). Construction Safety Engineering Principles: Designing and Managing Safer Job Sites. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-148244-8. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
42. ^ "Hierarchy of Controls". U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved 2017-01-31.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Hazards at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Risk management

Risk type & source|

| Risk type|

* Business risks
* Reputational damage
* Personal risk
* Health risk
* Psychosocial hazard
* Natural risk
* Natural disaster
* Anthropogenic hazard
* Political risk
* Technology risk
* IT risk
* AI
* Macro risk / External risk
* Extreme risk
* Global catastrophic risk
* Safety hazard
* Security risk
* Vulnerability (computing)
* Threat
* Accident
* Operational risk
* Execution risk
* Model risk
* Reputational risk
* Country risk
* Legal risk
* Financial risk
* Credit risk
* Liquidity risk
* Interest rate risk
* Exchange rate risk
* Market risk
* Profit risk
* Systemic risk
* Strategic risk
* Residual risk

|

Risk source|

* Hazard
* Conflict
* Uncertainty
* Vulnerability

Countermeasures|

* Enterprise risk management
* Corporate governance
* Regulatory compliance
* GRC
* Internal control
* Personal risk management
* Health insurance
* Stress management
* Disease management
* Operational risk management
* Supply chain
* Project
* Quality
* Security management
* Identity and access management
* Vulnerability management
* Incident management
* Business continuity planning
* Disaster risk reduction
* Financial risk management
* Diversification
* Hedge
* Risk pool
* Strategic management
* Risk communication
* Warning system
* Precautionary principle
* Insurance
* Crisis management
* Disaster management
* Occupational safety and health
* Swiss cheese model

Risk assessment|

* Exposure assessment
* Hazard analysis
* Scenario planning
* Contingency plan
* Brainstorming
* Structured or semi-structured interviews
* Delphi method
* Checklist
* Preliminary hazard analysis (PHA)
* Hazard and operability study (HAZOP)
* Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP)
* Threat assessment
* Toxicity assessment
* Structured What If Technique (SWIFT)
* Scenario analysis
* Business impact analysis
* Root cause analysis
* Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) / FMECA
* Fault tree analysis
* Event tree analysis
* Cause and consequence analysis
* Cause-and-effect analysis
* Layers of protection analysis (LOPA)
* Decision tree
* Human reliability analysis (HRA)
* Bow tie analysis
* Reliability centered maintenance
* Sneak circuit analysis
* Markov analysis
* Monte Carlo simulation
* Bayesian statistics and Bayes nets
* FN curve
* Risk index
* Risk Matrix
* Cost/benefit analysis
* Risk–benefit ratio
* Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)

Related concepts|

* ISO 31000
* ISO/IEC 31010
* COSO
* Risk appetite
* Hazard map
* Rare events
* Problem solving
* Security
* Opportunity cost
* Crisis management

* v
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* e

Occupational safety and health

Occupational
diseases
and injuries|

* Acrodynia
* Asbestosis
* Asthma
* Barotrauma
* Berylliosis
* Brucellosis
* Burnout
* Byssinosis ("brown lung")
* Cardiovascular
* Chalicosis
* Chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy
* Chronic stress
* Chimney sweeps' carcinoma
* Coalworker's pneumoconiosis ("black lung")
* Concussions in sport
* Decompression sickness
* De Quervain syndrome
* Erethism
* Exposure to human nail dust
* Farmer's lung
* Fiddler's neck
* Flock worker's lung
* Glassblower's cataract
* Golfer's elbow
* Hearing loss
* Hospital-acquired infection
* Indium lung
* Laboratory animal allergy
* Lead poisoning
* Low back pain
* Mesothelioma
* Metal fume fever
* Mule spinners' cancer
* Noise-induced hearing loss
* Phossy jaw
* Pneumoconiosis
* Radium jaw
* Repetitive strain injury
* Silicosis
* Silo-filler's disease
* Sports injury
* Surfer's ear
* Tennis elbow
* Tinnitus
* Writer's cramp

Occupational
hygiene|

* Occupational hazard
* Biological hazard
* Chemical hazard
* Physical hazard
* Psychosocial hazard
* Occupational stress
* Hierarchy of hazard controls
* Prevention through design
* Exposure assessment
* Occupational exposure limit
* Occupational epidemiology
* Workplace health surveillance

Professions|

* Environmental health
* Industrial engineering
* Occupational health nursing
* Occupational health psychology
* Occupational medicine
* Occupational therapist
* Safety engineering

Agencies and
organizations|

| International|

* European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
* International Labour Organization
* World Health Organization

|

National|

* Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (Canada)
* Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Germany)
* Istituto nazionale per l'assicurazione contro gli infortuni sul lavoro (Italy)
* National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (Spain)
* Health and Safety Executive (UK)
* Occupational Safety and Health Administration
* National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US)
* Safe Work Australia (Australia)

Standards|

* Bangladesh Accord
* OHSAS 18001
* ISO 45001
* Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981
* Worker Protection Standard (US)
* Working Environment Convention, 1977

Safety|

* Checklist
* Code of practice
* Contingency plan
* Diving safety
* Emergency procedure
* Emergency evacuation
* Hazard
* Hierarchy of hazard controls
* Hazard elimination
* Administrative controls
* Engineering controls
* Hazard substitution
* Personal protective equipment
* Job safety analysis
* Lockout-tagout
* Permit To Work
* Operations manual
* Redundancy (engineering)
* Risk assessment
* Safety culture
* Standard operating procedure
* Immediately dangerous to life or health

Legislation|

* Diving regulations
* Occupational Safety and Health Act (United States)
* Potty parity (United States)
* Right to sit (United States)
* Workers' right to access the toilet

See also|

* Aerosol
* Break
* Break room
* Drug policy
* Effects of overtime
* Environment, health and safety
* Environmental toxicology
* Ergonomics
* Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
* Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster
* Health physics
* Hostile work environment
* Indoor air quality
* International Chemical Safety Card
* Job strain
* National Day of Mourning (Canada)
* NIOSH air filtration rating
* Overwork
* Process safety
* Public health
* Quality of working life
* Risk management
* Safety data sheet
* Source control
* Toxic tort
* Toxic workplace
* Workers' compensation
* Workplace hazard controls for COVID-19
* Workplace health promotion

* Category
* Occupational diseases
* Journals
* Organizations
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Global catastrophic risks

* Future of the Earth
* Future of an expanding universe
* Ultimate fate of the universe
* Human extinction risk estimates

Technological|

* Chemical warfare
* Cyberattack
* Cyberwarfare
* Cyberterrorism
* Cybergeddon
* Ransomware
* Gray goo
* Nanoweapons
* Kinetic bombardment
* Kinetic energy weapon
* Nuclear warfare
* Mutual assured destruction
* Dead Hand
* Doomsday Clock
* Doomsday device
* Antimatter weapon
* Electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
* Safety of high-energy particle collision experiments
* Micro black hole
* Strangelet
* Synthetic intelligence / Artificial intelligence
* AI takeover
* Existential risk from artificial intelligence
* Technological singularity
* Transhumanism

Sociological|

* Anthropogenic hazard
* Collapsology
* Doomsday argument
* Self-indication assumption doomsday argument rebuttal
* Self-referencing doomsday argument rebuttal
* Economic collapse
* Malthusian catastrophe
* New World Order (conspiracy theory)
* Nuclear holocaust
* cobalt
* famine
* winter
* Riots
* Social crisis
* Societal collapse
* State collapse
* World War III

Ecological|

| Climate change|

* Anoxic event
* Biodiversity loss
* Mass mortality event
* Cascade effect
* Cataclysmic pole shift hypothesis
* Deforestation
* Desertification
* Plant or animal species extinctions
* Civilizational collapse
* Tipping points
* Climate sensitivity
* Flood basalt
* Global dimming
* Global terrestrial stilling
* Global warming
* Hypercane
* Ice age
* Ecocide
* Ecological collapse
* Environmental degradation
* Habitat destruction
* Human impact on the environment
* coral reefs
* on marine life
* Land degradation
* Land consumption
* Land surface effects on climate
* Ocean acidification
* Ozone depletion
* Resource depletion
* Sea level rise
* Supervolcano
* winter
* Verneshot
* Water pollution
* Water scarcity

|

Earth Overshoot Day|

* Overexploitation
* Overpopulation
* Human overpopulation

Biological|

| Extinction|

* Extinction event
* Holocene extinction
* Human extinction
* List of extinction events
* Genetic erosion
* Genetic pollution

|

Others|

* Biodiversity loss
* Decline in amphibian populations
* Decline in insect populations
* Biotechnology risk
* Biological agent
* Biological warfare
* Bioterrorism
* Colony collapse disorder
* Defaunation
* Dysgenics
* Interplanetary contamination
* Pandemic
* Pollinator decline
* Overfishing

Astronomical|

* Big Crunch
* Big Rip
* Coronal mass ejection
* Cosmological phase transition
* Geomagnetic storm
* False vacuum decay
* Gamma-ray burst
* Heat death of the universe
* Proton decay
* Virtual black hole
* Impact event
* Asteroid impact avoidance
* Asteroid impact prediction
* Potentially hazardous object
* Near-Earth object
* winter
* Rogue planet
* Rogue star
* Near-Earth supernova
* Hypernova
* Micronova
* Solar flare
* Stellar collision

Eschatological|

* Buddhist
* Maitreya
* Three Ages
* Hindu
* Kalki
* Kali Yuga
* Last Judgement
* Second Coming
* 1 Enoch
* Daniel
* Abomination of desolation
* Prophecy of Seventy Weeks
* Messiah
* Christian
* Futurism
* Historicism
* Interpretations of Revelation
* Idealism
* Preterism
* 2 Esdras
* 2 Thessalonians
* Man of sin
* Katechon
* Antichrist
* Book of Revelation
* Events
* Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
* Seven bowls
* Seven seals
* The Beast
* Two witnesses
* War in Heaven
* Whore of Babylon
* Great Apostasy
* New Earth
* New Jerusalem
* Olivet Discourse
* Great Tribulation
* Son of perdition
* Sheep and Goats
* Islamic
* Al-Qa'im
* Beast of the Earth
* Dhu al-Qarnayn
* Dhul-Suwayqatayn
* Dajjal
* Israfil
* Mahdi
* Sufyani
* Jewish
* Messiah
* War of Gog and Magog
* Third Temple
* Norse
* Zoroastrian
* Saoshyant

Others|

* 2011 end times prediction
* 2012 phenomenon
* Apocalypse
* Apocalyptic literature
* Apocalypticism
* Armageddon
* Blood moon prophecy
* Earth Changes
* End time
* Gog and Magog
* List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events
* Messianism
* Messianic Age
* Millenarianism
* Millennialism
* Premillennialism
* Amillennialism
* Postmillennialism
* Nemesis (hypothetical star)
* Nibiru cataclysm
* Rapture
* Prewrath
* Posttribulation rapture
* Resurrection of the dead
* Vulnerable world hypothesis
* World to come

Fictional|

* Alien invasion
* Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
* List of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
* List of apocalyptic films
* Climate fiction
* Disaster films
* List of disaster films
* Zombie apocalypse
* Zombie

Organizations|

* Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
* Future of Humanity Institute
* Future of Life Institute
* Nuclear Threat Initiative

General|

* Disaster
* Depression
* Financial crisis
* Survivalism

* World portal
* Categories
* Apocalypticism
* Future problems
* Hazards
* Risk analysis
* Doomsday scenarios

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