HAZARS AND DISASTERS-

PREPARDNESS
DM1
 hazards
 Natural (or physical) events are only termed hazards when they have the
potential to harm people or cause property damage, social and economic
disruption.

 The location of natural hazards primarily depends on natural processes,

including the movement of tectonic plates, the influence of weather systems,
and the existence of waterways and slopes (e.g. that might generate
landslides).

 processes such as urbanization, environmental degradation and climate

change can also influence the location, occurrence (frequency) and intensity
of natural hazards (UNISDR, 2011). These processes are known as risk
drivers.

 UNISDR stands for United Nations International Strategy for Disaster

Reduction ,now  United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. (UNDRR )
Based on energy source
Biological hazard
Biological hazards, originate in biological processes of living organisms,
and agents that pose a threat to the health of living organisms, the
security of property, or the health of the environment.

 venomous wildlife and insects, poisonous plants and mosquitoes

carrying disease-causing agents.(locusts)

 medical waste, virus, parasites, fungi, bacteria, and plant and

seafood toxins that can affect health.

 Use of new GM organisms is regulated by various governmental

agencies.(The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) controls GM
plants that produce or resist pesticides (i.e. Bt corn and Roundup
ready crops). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates
GM plants that will be used as food or for medicinal purposes)
Based on energy source- Chemical
hazard
A chemical can be considered a hazard if by virtue of its intrinsic properties it can cause
harm or danger to humans, property, or the environment.

 Health hazards associated with chemicals are dependent on the dose or amount of the
chemical. (For example, iodine in the form of potassium iodate is used to
produce iodised salt. When applied at a rate of 20 mg of potassium iodate per 1000 mg
of table salt, the chemical is beneficial in preventing goitre, while iodine intakes of
1200–9500 mg in one dose have been known to cause death)

 A variety of chemical hazards (e.g. DDT, atrazine, radon gas or arsenic etc. 

 The organochlorine pesticide, dieldrin has been linked to Parkinson's disease.

  
 Corrosive chemicals like sulphuric acid, which is found in car batteries, can cause severe

skin burns.

 Many other chemicals used in industrial and laboratory settings can cause respiratory,
digestive, or nervous system problems, if they are inhaled or absorbed through the skin
Based on energy source- Ergonomic
hazard
 Ergonomic hazards are physical conditions that
may pose risk of injury to the musculoskeletal
system( muscles or ligaments of the lower back,
  nerves of the hands/wrists, or bones
surrounding the knees). 
 Ergonomic hazards include things such as
awkward or extreme postures, whole-body or
hand/arm vibration, poorly designed tools,
equipment, or workstations, repetitive motion,
and poor lighting.
 Office and home settings
Based on energy source-Mechanical
hazard
 A mechanical hazard is any hazard involving
a machine or industrial process. Motor
vehicles, aircraft, and air bags pose
mechanical hazards. Compressed gases or
liquids.
  regulated by various agencies such as

the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration etc.
Based on energy source-Physical
hazard
 Physical hazards include earthquakes, floods, fires,
and tornadoes.

 Physical hazards often have both human and natural

elements. Flood problems can be affected by the natural
elements of climate fluctuations and storm frequency, and
by land drainage and building in a flood plain, human
elements.
  
 Another physical hazard, X-rays, naturally occur
from solar radiation, but have also been utilized by
humans for medical purposes;  overexposure can lead
to cancer, skin burns, and tissue damage
Based on energy source-Psychosocial
hazard
hazards that affect the psychological well-being of
people, including their ability to participate in a
work environment among other people.
 Psychosocial hazards are related to the way work is

designed, organized and managed, economic and

social contexts of work and are associated with
psychiatric, psychological and/or physical injury or
illness.
 Linked to psychosocial risks are issues such as

occupational stress and workplace violence which

are recognized internationally as major challenges
to occupational health and safety.
Based on origin
 Natural hazards earthquakes, wind-storms, tsunamis,
floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, wildfire, grasshopper and
locust infestations, drought and desertification and other calamities
of natural origin.

 Anthropogenic hazards: due to human behaviour and activity. The

social, natural and built environment are not only at risk from
geophysical hazards, but also from technological hazards including
industrial explosions, release of chemical hazards and major
accident hazards (MAHs)

 Environmental hazards: toxic chemical, biological, or physical

agents in the environment, resulting from human activities or
natural processes, that may impact the health of exposed subjects,
including pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, biological
contaminants, toxic waste, industrial and home chemicals.
Based on effects
 Health hazards affecting the health of exposed
persons, usually having an acute or chronic
illness and Fatality.

 Safety hazards affecting the safety of individuals,

usually having an injury or immediate fatality as
the consequence of an incident.

 Economic hazards affecting property, wealth and

the economy
Disasters
 Disaster can be defined as a serious disruption, occurring over a relatively short time, of the
functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic,
societal or environmental loss and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community
or society to cope using its own resources.

  Disaster can manifest in various forms, threatening those people or environments specifically
vulnerable. Such impacts include loss of property, death, injury, trauma or post-traumatic stress
disorder.

 Disaster can be extensive, including hurricane, volcano, tsunami,

earthquake, drought, famine, plague, disease, rail crash, car crash, tornado, deforestation,
flooding, toxic release, and spills (oil, chemicals). These can affect people and the environment
on the local regional level, national level or international level , where the international
community becomes involved with aid donation, and post-disaster reconstruction.

 'Extreme' in this case means a substantial variation from the normal trend; flood disasters can
result from exceptionally high precipitation and river discharge, and drought is caused by
exceptionally low values.

  The fundamental determinants of hazard and the risk of such hazards occurring is timing,
location, magnitude and frequency.  For example, magnitudes of earthquakes are measured on
the Richter scale from 1 to 10, whereby each increment of 1 indicates a tenfold increase in
severity
 The 5 major hazards countries prepare today.
Hazards may be natural, anthropogenic or
socionatural in origin. Do you know the
difference?
core topics of hazards and disaster research
SOURCE:Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions(2006)
Social response to disaster