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Acute Hazard

Last updated: May 12, 2017

What Does Acute Hazard Mean?

An acute hazard refers to the potential for injury that is likely to result from short term exposure to the effects of an incident. Typically acute hazards refer to extremely severe, short-term, dangerous scenarios.

Acute hazards have an obvious and immediate impact. They can be classified as physical, chemical, ergonomic, psychological, biological or radiation.

Safeopedia Explains Acute Hazard

Hazards belong to one of two classifications, being acute or chronic hazards.The opposite of an acute hazard is a chronic hazard. This is a hazard which has a longer term impact that is more subtle and long-lasting than that of an acute hazard.

Acute hazards in the workplace tend to appear suddenly, such as a fallen electrical line or a gas-line break. Acute hazards may result in very short-term injuries, but they can also have the potential to lead to long-term chronic medical conditions.

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