Hazard and Risk definition
- Hazard: something with potential to cause harm
- Risk: the likelihood of harm occurring
Risk factor & protective factor definition
- Risk factor: increases the risk of harm
- Protective factor: decreases the risk of harm
Susceptibility definition
- Susceptibility: influences the likelihood that something will cause harm
Categories of hazards
- Physical
- Chemical
- Mechanical
- Biological
- Psychosocial
Route of exposure
- Skin
- Blood/sexual
- Inhalation
- Ingestiona
Risk
Factors that influence the degree of risk
include:
- how much a person is exposed
- how the person is exposed
- conditions of exposure
Risk combines the probability that a particular outcome will occur and the severity of the harm involved
Risk perception: determinants
- Feeling in control
- Size of the possible harm
- Familiarity with the risk
- Feeling in Control
- Involuntary vs. voluntary risks: e.g Plane Trip v. Car Trip
- Involuntary risks (situations where we believe we have little control) are perceived as having greater risk
- Voluntary risks (situations we believe we have some control over) are perceived as less risk
- The Size of the Possible Harm
- Tornado v. chip pan fire
- Risks that involve greater possible harm are perceived as greater than those involving less harm
- Even if the less harmful events are more likely
- Familiarity with the Risk
- Nuclear plant accident vs. Food poisoning
- Risks that are less familiar are perceived as being greater than more familiar risks
Individual variables in risk perception
- previous experience,
- attitudes towards risk,
- values,
- beliefs,
- Socio economic factors
- personality,
- demographic factors
The environment
- Diret pathological effects
- Indirect effects
Direct pathological effects
- Physical
- Ionising and non-ionising radiation
- Noise and Vibration
- Chemical
- Pesticides
- VOCs (volatile organic compounds) [that easily become vapors or gases. Along with carbon, they contain elements such as H, O, F, S, Cl, Br etc 23 Aug 2017[
- Biological
- Infectious agents
- Allergic substances
Indirect effects
- Housing e.g. overcrowding
- Transport e.g. does it encourage walking/car use
- Town planning e.g. access to amenities, social networks
- Income/welfare/wealth distribution
Categories of hazardous exposure
- Diet
- Inhalarion
- Dermal
Diet
Fat
Salt
Bacteria
Pesticides
Acrylamide (a chemical created when some foods, particularly starchy foods like potatoes and bread, are cooked for long periods at high temperatures, such as when baking, frying, grilling, toasting and roasting)
Phthalates (a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break)
Inhalation
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Smog
Asbestos
Legionella
Pesticides
Dermal
– UV-A / UV-B
– Bacteria
– Cosmetics
– Pesticides
