Hazard | Vulnerability | Risk | Emergency | Incident
What's the difference?
A Hazard or Vulnerability is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or someone.
The Risk is the consequence of result of exposure to a hazard or vulnerability.
A risk is generally associated to a hazardous or vulnerable situation, condition or thing that may be dangerous to the safety or well being of any person (s), or place (s). Vulnerabilities or hazards have the potential to cause harm to infrastructures including but not limited to cyber, transportation, industrial and manufacturing, communications, as well as financial networks. Risks also have the potential to cause injury, illness, damage to property, loss of life, or grievous bodily harm.
Risks exist by association to vulnerabilities with respect to our on-going exposure to our physical environment, the cyber environment, information security, operational security, as well as our ever-present drive to maintain our competitive edge during our social economic growth. As such, hazards and vulnerabilities should be identified, studied and eliminated if possible. If this is not possible each one must be controlled to a point where they present the least amount of risk.
An Emergency is defined under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act as “a situation or an impending situation that constitutes a danger of major proportions that could result in serious harm to persons or substantial damage to property and that is caused by the forces of nature, a disease or other health risk, an accident or an act whether intentional or otherwise.” Visit Emergency Management Ontario for more details.
According to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety an Incident is defined "as an occurrence, condition, or situation arising in the course of work that resulted in or could have resulted in injuries, illnesses, damage to health, or fatalities."
"The term "accident" is also commonly used, and can be defined as an unplanned event that interrupts the completion of an activity, and that may (or may not) include injury or property damage. Some make a distinction between accident and incident. They use the term incident to refer to an unexpected event that did not cause injury or damage that time but had the potential. "Near miss" or "dangerous occurrence" are also terms for an event that could have caused harm but did not."
The fundamental priority for all businesses, loss prevention program, risk management system, health and safety, and emergency management department is a provision made for incident, emergency and disaster response planning. No workplace, infrastructure, plant, office, community, should be without such a plan.
When an incident, emergency or disaster unfolds, there is no time to plan.
Whether your business requires a field level risk assessment, a security and vulnerability analysis, an emergency preparedness plan, an independent health and safety consultation, or in need of independent investigative services, we can help. Our Primary goal is to help you.
We can help you identify the overall risks, determine how susceptible your assets are to loss (vulnerability), and determine how important those assets are.
Argus Research Group utilizes a variety of research applications and investigative methods that can identify vulnerabilities, help implement mitigation controls, and consult on corrective strategies that keep you and the public safe, and your business moving forward.
Safety and Security
“The safety and security of everyone on the team is a responsibility of every team member, regardless of his or her position on the team. The goal is to prevent accidents and injuries, avoid situations that compromise personal security, and protect the safety and health of all team members on and off the job. When a team member becomes sick, injured, or involved in a security incident and must be cared for, rescued, and possibly evacuated, the team’s ability to deliver the maximum assistance possible to those affected by the disaster is diminished.”
Relief Central, Unbound Medicine, US Aid Field Operations Guide
“If a written Safety and Security plan is available, team members should obtain a copy. Team members should get briefings before they leave on the safety and security situation in the disaster area and stay current on these issues when deployed. If the team has a Safety and Security Officer, team members should get briefings and a copy of the Safety and Security Plan from this team member.”
Relief Central, Unbound Medicine, US Aid Field Operations Guide
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Written documentation such as a logbook, or an employee daily briefing book that chronologically describes and identifies your activity, along with a Job Safety Analysis, or a written Security and Vulnerability Assessment, can serve as evidence of due diligence in the event of an incident or an investigation.
Due Diligence in Occupational Health and Safety means that; employers shall take all reasonable precautions, under the particular circumstances, to prevent injuries or accidents in the workplace. With the safety of everyone on the work-site and the public in mind, a detailed and documented job briefing that includes a job safety analysis can provide the employer, it’s supervisors and managers, as well as their employees with the critical information required to complete their tasks safely and effectively everyday.
Additionally, as the Job Safety Analysis and the Security and Vulnerability Assessment are a systematic breakdown of tasks, hazards/vulnerabilities, and control measures, they can help increase security and safety awareness. Communicating this information can also help reduce the risks associated with the area or task.
These assessments, along with an in depth analysis of the information collected also help provide valuable insight with respect to emergency preparedness, disaster control planning, as well as assisting you and your business in building a reliable intelligence profile.