What defines a hazard?

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a
hazard, within the context of workplace health and safety, is “any source
of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or someone.” They
go on to say that a hazard can include the potential for harm or adverse effect such as
to people as health effects, to organizations as property or equipment losses, or to the
environment.” A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health
effects on something or someone.

 Harm – physical injury or damage to health.

 Hazard – a potential source of harm to a worker.

Hazards and risks

So what’s the difference between safety hazards and safety risks?

What are hazards? A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm, or adverse
health effects on something or someone. The CCOHS says, “risk is the chance or
probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if
exposed to a hazard.”

What are risks? Risks are described as a “probability or likelihood of developing a

disease or getting injured, whereas hazard refers to the agent responsible.”

How do we categorize hazards?

Regardless of where you work or which industry you are in, workplace hazards can be
categorized into seven sections, making them easier to mitigate and to stay
organized when tackling them.

No matter what hazards your team may be facing, they will fall into one of the
categories below and we will show you how to identify and mitigate them as a result.

What are 7 common workplace hazards?

The 7 common workplace hazards are:

1. Safety hazards
2. Biological hazards
3. Physical hazards
4. Ergonomic hazards
5. Chemical hazards
6. Work organization hazards
 7. Environmental hazards

1. Safety hazards

Safety hazards are number one on the list of 6 types of workplace hazards. These
hazards play an effect on employees who work directly with machinery or on
construction sites. Safety hazards are unsafe working conditions that can cause injury,
illness, and death. According to the National Safety Council, in 2016, 34,673 people in
North America have died in falls at home and at work. Safety hazards are the most
common workplace risks. They include:

 Anything that can cause spills or trips such as cords running across the floor or
ice
 Anything that can cause falls such as working from heights, including ladders,
scaffolds, roofs, or any elevated work area.
 Unguarded and moving machinery parts that a worker can accidentally touch.
 Electrical hazards like frayed cords, missing ground pins, and improper wiring
 Confined spaces.

2. Biological hazards

Definition of biological hazards, commonly known as biohazards, can be any biological

substance that could cause harm to humans. Biological hazards exposure to harm or
disease from working with animals, people, or infectious plant materials. Workplaces
with these kinds of safety hazards include, but are not limited to, work in schools,
daycare facilities, colleges and universities, hospitals, laboratories, emergency
response, nursing homes, or various outdoor occupations.

Types of things you may be exposed to for biological hazards:

 Blood and other body fluids

 Fungi/mold
 Bacteria and viruses
 Plants
 Insect bites
 Animal and bird droppings

To learn more about biological hazards, we dive deeper into our other blog articles:

 Biological hazards in the home

 Workplace Hazards Series: Biological Hazards
3. Physical hazards

Of all the hazards in your workplace, physical hazards might be the least obvious.
Despite their name, physical hazards aren’t always something that you can see or
touch. Physical hazards affect workers in extreme weather conditions or harmful
working environments. Workers who are exposed outside in the sun for a prolonged
period of time can suffer physical hazards which can cause long-term effects to their
health. Physical hazards can be any factors within the environment that can harm the
body without necessarily touching it.

Physical hazards include:

 Radiation: including ionizing and non-ionizing (EMF’s, microwaves, radio waves,

etc.) materials
 High exposure to sunlight/ultraviolet rays
 Gases under pressure
 Temperature extremes – hot and cold
 Constant loud noise

Read more about physical hazards in our workplace hazard series.

4. Ergonomic hazards

Ergonomic safety hazards occur when the type of work, body positions, and working
conditions put a strain on your body. They are the hardest to spot since you don’t
always immediately notice the strain on your body or the harm that these hazards pose.
Short-term exposure may result in “sore muscles” the next day or in the days following
the strain, but extended exposure can result in serious long-term issues.

Ergonomic Hazards include:

 Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs

 Frequent lifting
 Poor posture
 Awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive
 Having to use too much force, especially if you have to do it frequently
 Excessive vibration

To learn more about ergonomic hazards, we dive deeper into our other blog articles:

 Workplace Series: Ergonomic Hazards

 Designing a Safe and Functional Office
5. Chemical hazards

Chemical hazards are present when a worker is exposed to any chemical preparation in
the workplace in any form (solid, liquid or gas). Some are safer than others, but to some
workers who are more sensitive to chemicals, even common solutions can cause
illness, skin irritation, or breathing problems.

Chemical hazards can be present in the following:

 Liquids like cleaning products, paints, acids, solvents – particularly

if hazardous products are in an unlabeled container
 Vapors and fumes that come from welding or exposure to solvents
 Gases like acetylene, propane, carbon monoxide, helium, h2s gas
 Hazardous products and flammable materials like gasoline, solvents, and
explosive chemicals
 Pesticides

6. Work organization hazards

Safety hazards or stressors that cause stress (short-term effects) and strain (long-term
effects). These are hazards associated with workplace issues such as workload, lack of
control and/or respect, etc.

Examples include:

 Workload demands
 Workplace violence
 High intensity and/or pace
 Respect (or lack thereof)
 Flexibility
 Control or say about things
 Social support or relations
 Sexual harassment

7. Environmental hazards

Last but definitely least are environmental hazards which are constantly changing with
increasingly unpredictable – and extreme – weather and climate. The bad news is that
they are mostly out of our control, but the good news is weather challenges and hazards
are somewhat predictable with the change in seasons and advances in meteorology.
Examples include:

 Extreme temperatures (dangerous heat and cold)

 Extreme precipitation (rain and snow)
 Dangerous levels of noise
 Dangerous levels of radiation
 Pollution (air and chemical)
 Unstable infrastructure
 Biological hazards
 Violent members of the public
 Dangerous animals

Conduct regular hazard assessments

Remember that these lists are non-exhaustive. When you are completing a workplace
hazard assessment, take into account these six larger categories to think of factors that
may affect your workers in their particular circumstances. Remember to download our
Hazard Assessment Guide for when you are conducting your own hazard assessment
of your workplace. You can download it directly on the form below: