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Patient safety part one

Understanding and minimising risk
Hazards
Risk
Campaign challenges
Learning campaign resources

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module menu icon Hazards

One of the first steps in understanding risk is to understand hazards in the workplace and explain how these lead to risks.

A hazard is a source of harm. Hazards are usually categorised in to four terms of how they cause harm.

  • Physical hazards – electricity, vibration, noise and any item that could lead to harm if it comes into contact with or impacts on a person. This category includes sharp objects, heavy weights stored at height and slippery floor surfaces.
  • Chemical hazards – poisons, strong acids or alkalis and anything that could cause harm by its chemical reaction either in or on a person’s body. This category includes medicines.
  • Biological hazards – any biological organism that could cause harm. This is normally focused on microorganisms responsible for contagious diseases but also includes biological organisms that are linked with allergic reactions, such as dust mites. This category includes Escherichia coli, MRSA, HIV and hepatitis C.
  • Ergonomic or psychosocial hazards – these cause harm because of the psychological or physical stressors arising from the work. Examples include stress resulting from the pressures of unmanageable workload or experiencing aggression, bullying in the workplace or performing unsafe manual handling work due to the belief that a person can manage it without harm.

    • Patient safety part one

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