Hazard Identification vs. Risk Assessment: What institutional and community leaders should know

Many organizations stop at “What hazards do we have?” The real strategic value comes from also asking: “What’s the risk from those hazards, and how do we prioritize?”

Hazard identification is the 'what could go wrong' part: spotting potential threats, vulnerabilities, and conditions.

Risk assessment is the so-what and how-bad part: determining how likely those hazards are, what the impacts might be, and how we should rank (and act on) them.

THREAT	TYPE	LIKELIHOOD	IMPACT	RISK SCORE	MITIGATION
Ghost Sighting	Imaginary	1	3	3	Enjoy the Chill
Haunted Mirror	Imaginary	1	4	4	Cover at Midnight
Tampered Treats	Real	1	5	5	Inspect or Buy Sealed
Pedestrian Collision	Real	4	5	20	Visibility Gear, Crosswalks
Candle Fire	Real	3	4	12	Switch to LEDs, Battery-Operated

For leaders in institutions or communities, understanding both means you are aware of dangers, and are ready to act, prioritize, allocate resources wisely, and build resilience.

Let’s move from “we know our hazards” to “we’re ready for what could happen.” Learn more here: https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/hazard-identification