Outcome 1m. State the difference between a ‘hazard’ and a ‘risk’

Hazards and risks:

• A hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm.
• A risk is the likelihood of a hazard happening.

■ A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm, such as a wax heater that has been left on.
■ A risk is a likelihood that a hazard will cause some sort of harm to someone or something – for example, cleaning a wax heater that has been left on could result in the person cleaning it being burnt.

Employees must always work together with their employer to provide a safe, secure and healthy workplace. A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm. As soon as an employee observes a hazard in the workplace, this must be dealt with or reported to the relevant person so that the problem can be put right. A risk is the likelihood of the potential hazard being realised.

The employer or responsible person should carry out a risk assessment to identify the potential hazards in the workplace. All processes, activities and substances used in the workplace should be considered for their potential to cause injury or harm. Any hazards that have the potential to cause harm should be recorded with actions to be taken to reduce or prevent the risk.

This is a legal requirement. For employers with fewer than five employees, it is not necessary to write these down, although it is good practice to refer to the procedures for compliance and amendment as necessary.

You should have good knowledge of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website, as it has lots of resources and information regarding Health and Safety in the workplace. It also has example risk assessments for salons.