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Workplace hazards: identify them, control them, prevent them

A workplace hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm — a machine, a chemical, a height, a load to carry, or the way work is organized. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 5,000 workers die from work-related injuries in the United States each year, and private employers record millions of nonfatal injuries and illnesses. Behind almost every one is a hazard that could have been identified and controlled.This guide walks through the major hazard categories — from falls to workplace violence — and the hierarchy of controls, the ranking OSHA and NIOSH use to decide how to address them. To find which of these hazards exist in your workplace, follow our hazard assessment guide; to see the rules that apply to each, see OSHA standards by industry.

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Updated on July 14, 2026

Safety hazards: falls, struck-by, caught-in, electrical

Safety hazards cause immediate, traumatic injury. In construction they are so dominant that OSHA names a “Fatal Four” responsible for the majority of the sector’s deaths — and the same mechanisms kill and maim in every industry:

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Health hazards: chemical, noise, biological

Health hazards act over time — some in minutes (an acid splash), most over months or years (hearing loss, occupational disease). They are easy to underestimate precisely because the harm is delayed:

Ergonomic and psychosocial hazards

Musculoskeletal disorders — from lifting, repetitive motions, awkward postures and vibration — consistently account for roughly a third of all injuries involving days away from work, making them one of the largest injury categories in the economy. There is no specific federal ergonomics standard: OSHA addresses serious ergonomic hazards through the General Duty Clause and industry guidance. Practical controls are well established: mechanical lifting aids, workstation adjustment, job rotation, team-lift thresholds, and early symptom reporting.

Psychosocial hazards harm through stress and violence rather than force or chemistry. Workplace violence is the extreme case — a leading cause of death for healthcare, retail and late-night service workers — and OSHA cites serious, recognized violence hazards under the General Duty Clause, with dedicated guidance for healthcare and late-night retail. Prevention programs, environmental design (lighting, visibility, cash handling policies), staffing and training are the expected controls. Chronic stressors — excessive workload, harassment, isolated work — belong in your hazard assessment too.

The major hazard categories at a glance

CategoryTypical examplesFirst controls to consider
FallsRoof edges, ladders, wet floors, docksGuardrails, fall arrest, housekeeping, ladder inspection
Struck-by / caught-inForklifts, falling loads, unguarded machines, trenchesPedestrian separation, machine guarding (1910.212), trench protective systems
ElectricalLive parts, damaged cords, overhead linesDe-energization, lockout/tagout (1910.147), GFCI, clearance distances
ChemicalSolvents, cleaning agents, dusts, fumesSubstitution, ventilation, hazcom program (1910.1200), PPE
NoisePresses, saws, compressors, kitchensEngineering noise reduction, hearing conservation program (1910.95)
BiologicalBlood, needlesticks, mold, infectious contactsExposure control plan (1910.1030), vaccination, sharps safety
ErgonomicManual lifting, repetitive motion, awkward posturesLifting aids, workstation design, rotation, early reporting
Psychosocial / violenceAggression from public, robbery risk, harassment, stressViolence prevention program, environment design, staffing, training

The hierarchy of controls: five levels, in order

Once a hazard is identified, the hierarchy of controls — used by OSHA and NIOSH — ranks responses from most to least effective. Work down the list only when the level above is not feasible; PPE alone is the weakest answer, not the default one.

  1. 1

    Elimination

    Physically remove the hazard: design out the work at height, discontinue the dangerous task, remove the unused chemical stock. Most effective because no exposure remains possible.

  2. 2

    Substitution

    Replace the hazard with something less dangerous: a less toxic degreaser, a lower-noise machine, prefabrication at ground level instead of assembly at height.

  3. 3

    Engineering controls

    Isolate people from the hazard without relying on their behavior: machine guards, local exhaust ventilation, guardrails, acoustic enclosures, interlocks. They work even on a bad day.

  4. 4

    Administrative controls

    Change how people work: procedures and JHAs, training, job rotation to limit exposure, warning signs, permits for hot work or confined spaces. Effective only as long as they are followed — which is why they rank below engineering.

  5. 5

    Personal protective equipment

    The last barrier: gloves, eye protection, respirators, harnesses, hearing protection. Required PPE must be selected from a written hazard assessment and provided at no cost to workers (1910.132). PPE protects one person, only when worn, and fails silently — never let it substitute for the levels above.

From hazard list to action plan — with OSHAid

Knowing the categories is the easy half; the work is finding which hazards exist in your workplace and driving each one to a control. That is a four-beat loop: assess (walk the floor, area by area), prioritize (severity × likelihood risk scores), act (corrective actions with owners and due dates, following the hierarchy above), and learn (incidents and near misses feed the next assessment).

OSHAid runs this loop from your phone: the AI assistant suggests the hazards typical of your industry, photos, video and audio document each one, risk scores rank them, and every control becomes a tracked corrective action. Incidents feed both your prevention work and your OSHA 300/301/300A records. Start with our hazard assessment guide, or try OSHAid free.

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The regulatory information on this page is based on the official texts and references below.

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Create my accountFreeDownload on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle PlayContentsFrequently asked questionsON THIS PAGE — WORKPLACE HAZARDSSafety hazards: falls, struck-by, caught-in, electricalHealth hazards: chemical, noise, biologicalErgonomic and psychosocial hazardsThe major hazard categories at a glanceThe hierarchy of controls: five levels, in orderFrom hazard list to action plan — with OSHAidFrequently asked questionsOSHAid

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