COMMON TOPICS: hazards and risk

• a hazard is anything with potential to cause harm or damage
• a risk is the probability of someone or something being harmed if they are exposed to the hazard
• oxidising: provides oxygen which makes materials burn more feircely. eg: liquid oxygen

  
• environmental hazard: harmful to organisms and environments eg, mercury

  
• toxic: can cause death by being swallowed, breathed, or absorbed through skin. eg, hydrogen cyanide

  
• warning/harmful: can cause irritation, reddening or blistering of the skin. eg, bleach

  
• highly flammable: catches fire easily. eg petrol

  
• corrosive: destroys materials, including eyes or skin eg. concentrated sulfuric acid

  
• chemistry experiments have risks such as: equipment usage, eg. burning from heater, or chemical risks
• when planning an experiment, identify all hazards. including how likely something could go wrong, and how serious it could be
• after identifying hazards, work out ways to reduce risks. called a risk assessment