Difference between Hazards and Disasters

Any object, behavior, or situation that has the potential to injure, damage, or destroy any property or any living being is considered to be a hazard. In contrast, disaster refers to any serious disrupting attack on the community which cannot be tackled or recovered as it crosses its limits to cope with the situation with its resources.

Disaster

Disasters are normally categorized as natural disasters and anthropogenic disasters. Any disaster caused by natural hazards is referred to as a natural disaster, and any disaster caused by human activities or artificial hazards is inferred to be an anthropogenic disaster. Natural disasters include avalanches, floods, cold waves, ice storm volcanos, winter precipitation, tsunamis, hurricane, strong winds, tornadoes, typhoons, droughts, landslides, lightning, heat waves, wildfires, earthquakes, and cyclones. In contrast, criminality, terrorism, war, power outages, fire, civil disorder, industrial hazards, engineering, environmental, and transportation hazards are various anthropogenic hazards. These days, disasters are turning complex due to the absence of a single root cause. This situation of rising complex disasters is rising much more in developing countries compared to others. Sometimes, a particular disaster may lead to the formation of a secondary disaster and intensifies the impact in such a serious situation. The best example of this can be considered an earthquake which sometimes leads to a tsunami. Human activities like fire, management of resources, architecture, and others somewhere contribute to causing natural disasters. As discussed above, anthropogenic disasters, bioterrorism, nuclear war, and climate change also include in the same.

Disasters are also classified as temporary and permanent disasters. Temporary disasters include floods, earthquakes, landslides, etc. Permanent disasters include individual and collective impurity, addiction, pollution, orthodoxy, downfall due to superstitions, population explosion, health crisis, and others.

Hazards

Hazards can be classified based on origin, energy resources, and effects. Hazards, based on origin, are categorized as natural, sociological, technological, anthropogenic, and combination.

• Natural hazards are inferred as extreme events which occur in any of the four spheres of the planet earth.
• Hazards occurring due to human activities and behavior are referred to as anthropogenic hazards.
• Technological hazards are the ones occurring from technology and are considered a subcategory of anthropogenic hazards.
• Also, hazards occurring from social causes are known as sociological hazards.

Based on energy resources, hazards can be classified as biological, chemical, ergonomic, mechanical, physical, and psychosocial hazards:

• Biological hazards occur in living organisms and are referred to as the agents that threaten the health of the being, property, and environment. It includes viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc.
• A chemical can be contemplated as a hazard by its intrinsic properties if it can induce damage or danger to humans, property, or the environment. DDT and atrazine are some of the hazards of the chemicals.
• Ergonomic hazards are the material conditions that may pose a threat of injury to the muscular system of a being. Disturbed body position and unwanted hand vibrations are examples of ergonomic hazards.
• Any hazard about a machine, engine, automobile, or industrial process refers to a mechanical hazard. Motor vehicles, aircraft, and airbags are some mechanical hazards.
• A physical hazard is a naturally occurring process that has the potential to create loss or damage. Physical hazards involve earthquakes, floods, fires, and many more. Physical hazards frequently possess both human and natural components. Psychological hazards are the ones that affect the psychological well-being of beings, comprising their proficiency to partake in a work habitat too in the presence of other humans.

Based on effects, hazards are categorized as health, safety, economic, and environmental hazards:

• Hazards that affect the health of vulnerable persons usually having an acute disorder are referred to as health hazards.
• Hazards that have the potential to affect the safety of an individual are referred to as safety hazards.
• Hazards possessing the ability to affect wealth, property, and the economy are called economic hazards.
• Hazards having the potential to affect the environment are known as environmental hazards. Any particular or combination of toxic chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, toxic waste, etc., are some potential elements to cause such hazards.

Difference between hazard and disaster

• Hazard refers to dangerous, risky circumstances which have enough potential to cause a threat to human life. In contrast, disaster is when a hazard fully occurs, attacks the property and human life, and causes damage to them.
• Disaster has a more ruinous nature compared to hazards.
• Disaster is a result of one or more hazards.
• Hazards have less extreme outcomes, whereas the disaster has more.
• Hazards can be predicted but not disasters.
• Hazards usually have special warnings designed to protect them from becoming a disaster, whereas disasters are the outcomes of hazards that occur due to ignoring warnings and warning signs.