Hazard analysis

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A hazard analysis is one of many methods that may be used to assess risk. At its core, the method entails describing a system object (such as a person or machine) that intends to conduct some activity. During the performance of that activity, a potential source of harm (referred to as a “factor” or hazard) may be encountered that could cause or contribute to an occurrence (mishap, incident, accident, hazardous event). Finally, that occurrence will result in some outcome that may be measured in terms of the degree of loss or harm. This outcome may be measured on a continuous scale, such as an amount of monetary loss, or the outcomes may be categorized into various levels of severity e.g. environmental damage, personal injury, or reputational damage etc. The first step in hazard analysis is to identify the potential source of harm. If an automobile is an object performing an activity such as driving over a bridge, the potential source of harm may be the icy road condition may be icy. If this hazard is encountered, it could cause or contribute to the occurrence of an automobile accident, and the outcome of that occurrence could range in severity from a minor fender-bender to a fatal accident. A hazard analysis may be used to inform which risk mitigation strategy: probability, occurrence, or outcome to pursue. For instance, the probability of encountering an icy bridge may be mitigated by adding salt such that the ice will melt. Or, a risk mitigation strategy may target the occurrence of the hazard.