The Definition Of A Hazard And 52 Workplace Examples

If you are going to carry out health and safety responsibilities as an employer, or as an employee, then you need to know what a hazard is.

Why? Because knowing what hazards are is critical to health and safety.

Identifying hazards is the first step of the 5 steps to risk assessment. And risk assessments are a legal requirement.

But don't worry if you're not exactly sure what a hazard is, or even how it is different to a risk. By the end of this post, you will.

So, what is a hazard?

The definition of a hazard

In health and safety, a hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm. A hazard might not have harmed anyone yet, but it could.

A potential source of danger.

So when someone refers to a hazard, or you are being asked to spot hazards, this means something that could cause harm.

There are probably many hazards in your workplace. A task or activity can involve multiple hazards. An activity with more hazards doesn't necessarily mean you are more likely to come to harm than an activity with few hazards.

A hazard could be a trailing cable in a corridor that someone could trip over. Or a loose-leaning pile of bricks that could topple over. Or a sharp edge that could cut you. Or an obstacle at head height that you have to remember to duck under. Or a faulty light switch you know never to use. Or an icy path on a snowy morning.

A hazard might be something that could hurt you, for example, a ladder you could fall off. Or it could be something that could harm your health, for example, noise that might damage your hearing.

But just because something has the potential to cause harm, doesn't mean it will harm you.

It might be unlikely to harm you. And the harm it could cause might not be serious. Assessing the likelihood and severity of harm will give you the risk level - that comes after you identify the hazards.

How is a hazard different to a risk? Not sure? Find out in our blog post the difference between hazard and risk.

Sometimes hazards are overlooked simply because they are unlikely to harm you. When you work around a hazard regularly, and it hasn't caused any harm, people can get complacent.

Maybe you have been lucky. Or maybe that hazard is unlikely to cause harm. Or maybe it is causing harm, but you just don't realise it yet. Some health hazards, like asbestos and silica dust, take years for illness to develop.

A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm. Anything that might harm you, or others, is a hazard.

Hazards come in many forms. A hazard could be a substance. It could be an item of equipment. It could be materials. It could even be other people.

Examples of workplace hazards

Now we know the definition of a hazard, and what a health and safety hazard means. Let's look at some common examples of hazards that might be present in your workplace.

Activities

The work activities you carry out may create or introduce hazards. This is especially likely in high-risk work like construction, manufacturing and workshops. Your tasks might introduce hazards for you, but also if you work in remote environments, for other people and building occupants.

Here are some examples of work activity hazards:

1. Work at height
2. Confined spaces
3. Vibration
4. Machinery
5. Equipment
6. Work on or near water
7. Hot work
8. Lifting operations
9. Lone work
10. Excavations
11. Manual handling

Substances and Materials

Certain substances and materials used in your business activities, or present in your workplace, can be hazardous to health. They might also be a safety hazard, for example, flammable or explosive substances. This type of hazard will often come under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, or their own regulations, e.g. asbestos.

Here are some examples of hazardous substances and materials:

12. Asbestos
13. Cement
14. Silica dust
15. Wood dust
16. Paint
17. Varnish
18. Chemicals
19. Cleaning substances
20. Flammable liquids
21. Gases
22. Fuels
23. Biological hazards

Equipment

The equipment you use can also be a hazard. For example, ladders are often used for access - are they a hazard? Absolutely. Ladders can be safe when used correctly, but work on ladders is a common cause of falls from height, which is one of the top 5 causes of workplace deaths and serious injuries.

Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. Common causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs.

Here are some equipment hazards to look out for:

24. Ladders
25. Scaffolding
26. Access equipment
27. Mobile equipment
28. Cranes
29. Lifting equipment
30. Forklift trucks
31. Power tools
32. Hand tools
33. Blades
34. Rotating parts
35. Pinch points
36. Display screen equipment (DSE)
37. Electrical hazards

Environmental

Don't forget to spot hazards in your environment. These hazards might not always be created by the work you do. They could be related to the weather. Or caused by other work that is taking place.

Environmental hazards might be changeable. They might be tricky to plan for because they are only sometimes present - like the weather. Or they could always be there.

Here are some examples of environmental hazards:

38. Noise
39. Dust
40. Sun exposure
41. Wind
42. Rain
43. Ice
44. Underground services
45. Overhead services
46. Poor lighting
47. Spills
48. Access restrictions
49. Vehicles
50. Other people
51. Trailing cables
52. Uneven floors

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Remember, a hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm. What hazards can you spot in your workplace? Once you spot them, use our free risk assessment calculator to find out the risk level.