Hazard-related incidents/exposures

If a hazard is not avoided, eliminated, or controlled, its potential may be realized, and a hazards-related incident may occur that will or will not result in harm or damage, depending on exposures. 

If there are no unwanted releases or transfers of energy, or exposures to hazardous environments, hazard-related incidents will not occur. That... 

Unwanted releases of energy and exposures to hazardous environments are fundamental in the occurrence process for hazards-related incidents. 

Recognizes unwanted energy releases or exposures to hazardous enviromnents as necessary to the occurrence of hazards-related incidents. 

I encourage safety professionals to give particular attention to Haddon s concepts and to MORT. Both establish that if there are no unwanted eneigy releases or exposures to hazardous environments, no hazards-related incidents will occur. 

Hazard severity is defined as the aggregate of the worst credible outcomes of a hazards-related incident, considering the exposure. 

Exposure includes the people, the property, and the environment that could be harmed or damaged if a hazards-related incident occurs. 

In establishing a risk level, two judgmental estimates must be made of the probability of a hazard-related incident or exposure occurring, and of the severity of harm or damage that may result. Rarely will precise incident or exposure probability data be available, and the differences in the estimates made by risk assessors of the severity of harm or damage that can occur in a given situation may be very large. 

A hazard analysis is made to estimate the severity of harm or damage that could result from a hazards-related incident or exposure. The hazard analysis process need not include an estimate of incident or exposure probability. Examples of hazards analyses that do not include probability indicators are the estimates made by fire protection engineers of Maximum Foreseeable Loss... 

Risk is defined as an estimate of the probability of a hazards-related incident or exposure occurring and the severity of harm or damage that could result. [ZIO defines risk as an estimate of the combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event or exposure(s), and the severity of injury or illness that may be caused by the event or exposures.]... 

Severity is defined as the extent of harm or damage that could result from a hazards-related incident or exposures. 

When the severity of the outcome of a hazards-related incident or exposure is determined, a hazard analysis has been completed. 

Define the Risk. Conclude with a statement that addresses the probability of a hazards-related incident or exposure occurring, the expected severity of adverse results, and a risk category (e.g., high, serious, moderate, or low). Using a risk assessment matrix for that purpose assists one in communicating on the risk level. 

In the operational mode where, integrated within a continual improvement process, hazards are eliminated or controlled, before their potentials are realized and hazards-related incidents or exposures occur... 

Post incident, through investigation of hazards-related incidents and exposures to determine and eliminate or control their causal factors... 

Hazards-related incidents or exposures, even the ordinary and frequent, are complex and may have multiple and interacting causal factors. 

Severity is defined as an estimate of the magnitude of harm or damage that could reasonably result from a hazard-related incident or exposure. (Severity considerations include injury and illness to people, damage to property and the environment, business down time, loss of business, etc.)... 

Note For simplicity of expression in this chapter, the terms hazard, risk, and safety apply to all hazard-related incidents or exposures that could result in injury or illness or damage to property or the environmental. 

Avoiding, eliminating, or reducing the probability of a hazard-related incident or exposure occurring... 

A concept that is internationally used for risk management decision-making is defined as low as reasonably practicable risk . Once the risk of the operation or item in question has been assessed, a determination must be made of how effective any controls are that are put in place. Acceptable risk is defined as that risk for which the probabiUty of a hazard-related incident or exposure occurring and severity of harm or damage that may result are as low as... 

The techniques used to evaluate the possible hazards of chemical exposure in humans fall within the term epidemiology , which involves observing human populations and collecting data about the incidence of disease in the population. This is then related to common factors in the population. 

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