Hazardous conditions around you

Hazard is generally describe as a condition or state which if left un-corrected can lead to accident thereby resulting in loss of properties, injuries or even loss of life. Hazards are virtually everywhere, look around you and you will see different kind of hazardous conditions.

Hazard can be classified into two (2) namely:

·        First degree hazard

·        Second degree hazard

First Degree Hazards:

These are hazardous conditions that can be corrected or rectified. In these kind of conditions, accident is yet to occur and can be prevented if attended to without any delay. Examples of such conditions include:

·        Broken bottles left on ground unpacked.

·        A laboratory scientist working without protective kit on.

·        A car with poor brakes.

Note that the above examples all have something in common : they all can be corrected before leading to accident, at the same time they all can lead to accident if left uncorrected.

Now let’s talk about second degree hazard.

Second Degree Hazard : 

This is often referred to as accident because accident has already occurred in this case. Examples are :

·        Someone who stepped on broken bottles and was injured s a result.

·        A laboratory scientist who become sick when exposed to pathogenic microorganisms in the laboratory as a result of not wearing protective kit.

·        A car that run into a building resulting in loss of lives as a result of poor brakes.

Fast Fact About Hazard

1.     Hazardous conditions are virtually everywhere.

2.     First degree hazard can be corrected.

3.     Second degree hazard can be termed accident.

4.     Hazard can be reduced to its nearest minimum.

5.     Reducing hazardous conditions is a key to being safe.

Now let’s talk about sources of hazards.

At home, the following conditions are hazardous and can lead to accident if left uncorrected.

1.     Water spilled on the floor thereby making it slippery.

2.     Improperly disposing broken bottles or leaving items of such on the floor of the house.

3.     Leaving a gas cylinder open after usage.

4.     Not keeping poisonous items out of reach of children.

5.     A stair without staircase. 

At work, some of the hazards include :

Working without helmet at a construction site.

Carrying out experiments without protective like gloves, face masks, laboratory coats etc. in the laboratory.

A driver not using seatbelt.

A laboratory with poor or no labeling of the item contained in it.

Other sources include :

A building situated too close to a network pole.

A sharp corner road without road signs.

An environment without proper drainage system.

A kid wandering about on the road without proper attention.