Hazard: Its Impact, Identification and Risk Assessment

In any workplace or environment, safety works best if hazards and its impacts are identified. Moreover,
assessment of risks accompanying hazards must also be done to ensure safety or at least minimize the impact of hazards,
if not totally eradicated.
A sound safety management program must be established to avoid injuries and unpleasant events brought about
by hazards and accompanying risks.
A hazard is defined is simply a condition or a set of circumstances that present a potential for harm. So far, you also have
learned that hazards are divided into two broad categories: health hazard (can cause occupational illnesses) and safety
hazard (can cause physical harm or injuries). A hazard can also be classified into six types which are biological, chemical,
physical, safety, ergonomic and psychosocial.
On the other hand, risk refers to the potential for loss, damage or destruction a hazard can cause while vulnerability
refers to the characteristics of a community or system that make it susceptible to the possible damaging effects of a
hazard. For example, a doctor who is handling a patient infected with a virus (hazard) has a high chance of getting
infected (risk) if she has poor immune system and does not wear personal protective equipment (vulnerability).

 Activity 1- Monday
Instructions: Refer to the given pictures and captions to guess the word/s by arranging the jumbled
letters.
NEXYITA FOSTER RIFE
Too much fear and worrying after a loved-one died of The burning of Amazon rainforest in Brazil (2019) leaving
COVID-19 many species dead and homeless
____________________ ____________________
LSIYERPR ROVOCIRUSNA
The difficulty to hold firmly or stand on something An invisible enemy that originated from Wuhan,
because it is smooth, wet or slimy China in 2019 that causes respiratory illness and
is highly contagious
____________________ ____________________
UTENMENPMOLY NOITMIRCISNID
No-work-no-pay scenario brought by economic In a world where one culture is not being
dilemma embraced by another’s culture
____________________ ____________________

What are the Different Impacts of Hazards?

A hazard can bring about many impacts which can come in different types. Facilities and infrastructures
are commonly the target of natural hazards. Specifically, these impacts can trigger accidents and the
release of toxic substances, fires and explosions, potentially resulting in health effects, environmental
pollution and economic losses.

One way to classify hazard impacts is by means of general impact themes namely:
 Danger to life which includes physical and psychological harm and diseases
 Denial of access like energy, water, communication and transport access
 Damage to the physical environment like buildings and land

For the purpose of this module, we will focus on six (6) more specific types of hazard
impacts.

Physical impact
 Physical injuries (bone fracture, wounds, bruises)
 Destruction and loss of vital infrastructure like transportation system, roads, bridges, power
lines and communication lines.
 Wide spread destruction of housing and buildings
Psychological impact
 Grief and psychological illness  Depression due to loss of loved ones and
 Marital conflict properties
 Chronic anxiety
Socio- cultural impact
 Displacement of population  Forced of adoption of new sets of culture
 Loss of cultural identity  Ethnic conflicts
Economic impact
  Loss of job due to displacement  Loss of farms, fish cages and other
 Loss of harvest and livestock source of food
 Loss of money and other valuables
Environmental impact
 Loss of forest due to forest fires  Disturbance of biodiversity
 Loss of fresh water due to salination  Loss of natural rivers
Biological impact
 Epidemic to people, flora and fauna  Proliferation of different viral diseases
 Chronic and permanent illness caused by
biological agents

 Activity 2- Tuesday
Instruction: Classify the following hazard impacts by writing them inside the appropriate
boxes.
insanity Amazon forest fire overthinking
amputated leg broken spine bankruptcy
massive lay-off of workers bird’s flu cultural wars
COVID-19 relocation of people volcanic ash

 Activity 3- Wednesday
Instruction: Fill in the blanks with word/s in order to make the idea complete.
1. A______________is any agent in a workplace, can be an object or procedure that can cause potential
harm.
2. A______________refers to the potential harm a hazard can cause.
3. ______________refers to the susceptibility of an element exposed to the risks of a hazard.
4. ______________refers to the process of determining all the agents in a workplace that can cause harm.
5. Risk Assessment takes into account the______________of happening and the of impact of a risk. It
is done to determine which risks should be addressed first or prioritized.
6. The following are the steps in hazard identification and risk assessment______________ (a)
identify the hazards, (b) _ , (c) ______________make changes, and lastly, (d)
______________.
7. Changes must be made after assessing the risks. The changes made should be______________on a
regular basis

 Quiz- Thursday

______1. Which sequence is correct in hazard identification and risk assessment?
I. Modify procedures based on risk assessment. III. Monitor the modifications if followed.
II. Assess risks. IV. Identify hazards.
A. IV, III, I, II B. IV, II, I, III C. II, I, IV, III D. II, IV, I, III
______2. Which of the following is true about risk assessment?
 A. It is done to know which risk should be addressed first.
B. It tells which risk is the most serious.
C. Risk assessment is done by taking into consideration both probability and impact.
D. All of the above
______3. Which impact of a hazard is an economic impact of hazard?
A. Viral disease
B. Anxiety and mental trauma
C. Destruction of houses and buildings
D. Retrenchment of employees in manufacturing companies
______4. For items 4 to 6, match the terms with their meanings: As a construction worker, Tyrel works
in height thus is prone to fall. He is well-trained and wears protective equipment, though. Which is
considered as risk in this given scenario?
A. potential fall
B. being well-trained
C. working in height
D. wearing of protective equipment
______5. Which is considered as the hazard?
A. potential fall
B. being well-trained
C. working in height
D. wearing of protective equipment
______6. Since Tyrel is well-trained and always wears protective equipment, how will you judge his
vulnerability to a fall?
A. high
B. low
C. moderate
D. cannot be determined
______7. For items 7 to 11, given the following hazard impacts, tell whether it is physical, psychological,
socio-cultural, economic, environmental or biological. Pollution of oceans and rivers
A. biological C. environmental
B. economic D. psychological
______8. SARS
A. biological C. environmental
B. economic D. psychological
______9. Retrenchments/ Job loss
A. biological C. environmental
B. economic D. socio-cultural
______10. Mental trauma
A. biological C. psychological
B. economic D. socio-cultural
______11. Broken bones
A. economic C. physical
B. environmental D. socio-cultural
______12. Which is an example of socio-cultural impact?
A. insanity
B. burnt skin
C. closing of factories
D. religious conflict as a result of sudden displacement of group of people
______13. Which of the following should be given consideration in risk assessment?
A. Probability and impact
B. type of hazard and impact
C. severity and type of hazard
D. impact and type of damage/ harm
______14. If the product of probability and impact is 12, what is the descriptive rating of a given risk?
A. low C. high
B. moderate D. extreme
______15. The higher the chance a risk will happen and the greater the severity of the impact, this the
priority that should be given to a risk.
A. higher C. more uncertain
B. lower D. less uncertain