This document defines key health and safety terms such as hazard, risk, risk assessment, incident, accident, and near miss. A hazard is something with potential to cause harm, while risk is the likelihood of injury from a hazard. A risk assessment examines potential hazards to prevent harm. An incident is any event, while an accident is an unplanned event that causes injury or damage. A near miss refers to an incident that could have caused injury but did not due to circumstances.

1. Health & Safety Definitions
What does all the Jargon mean?

2. What is a Hazard?
A hazard is an article,
substance or situation
that has the potential to
cause harm or damage.
The key here is the term
potential, not all
hazards will cause
harm all of the time, it
depends upon
circumstances.
Some Typical workplace
hazards might include:
Working at height
Noise
Electricity
Machinery
Chemicals
Manual handling
Fire
03/05/2018
Safety Bites - Health & Safety for
Everyone

3. What is Risk?
Risk is the likelihood of harm occurring.
The degree of risk is based both on the
likelihood and severity of the outcome,
type of injury, numbers involved, cost of
damage, etc.
Risk relates to the immediate consequences
and the long term effects.
03/05/2018
Safety Bites - Health & Safety for
Everyone

4. Hazard & Risk
Hazard = Shark in the
water.
Risk = You swimming in
the water at the same
time.
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5. What is a Risk Assessment?
A Risk Assessment is a careful examination of
what could cause harm to people, damage to
property or loss, so that you can determine
whether you have done enough or you
should do more to prevent harm, damage or
loss occurring.
So the overall aim of a Risk Assessment is to
ensure no one is harmed, property is not
damaged and there are no losses.
03/05/2018
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6. What is an Incident?
There are different interpretations of the
term Incident, but in its simplest form, an
incident is an event or occurrence.
Activities at work may give rise to Incidents
which may, or may not, cause harm to
people, damage or loss.
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7. What is an Accident?
An Accident is an undesired and unplanned
events that may cause personal injury,
serious injury, death, damage to property
or equipment, loss of output, or a
combination of any or all of these potential
outcomes.
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8. What is a Near Miss?
A Near Miss is any incident that does not
cause injury, damage or loss but had
circumstances been slightly different had
to potential to do so.
This could also be identified as a Dangerous
Occurrence in some circumstances.
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Safety Bites - Health & Safety for
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9. 300
No Injury.
29
Minor.
1
Major.
Hienrich’s Accident Triangle