How to Help Workers Distinguish Hazards from Risks?
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm (objects, substances, or situations that can be sources of injury, accidents, or damage to equipment and the environment). A risk is the likelihood that a hazard will be realized — a combination of the probability of an event and its consequences.
Some employees confuse these concepts, and to help them, I use two methods:
- I explain the difference between risk and hazard using the example of a lion. A lion is a wild animal and represents a hazard. The probability of it biting someone is the risk (the risk of being bitten). The likelihood of a lion attacking a worker in Russia is incredibly low, making it a non-critical risk for us. It is a completely different story for a worker in Africa.
- The second method involves discussing what constitutes a hazard and what constitutes a risk based on the image below. You don't need to be an HSE specialist to identify examples, as they are literally everywhere:
These two methods can be used in any training session, and it is best to use both together.