What Is a Hazard in Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS)

A hazard is a risk management concept that identifies:

• A dangerous condition, such as an object, situation, etc. that could cause harm
• A state of being that can lead directly to safety mishap
• A primary contributing factor to safety mishap

Hazards are often confused with Risks (risk occurrence) and Root Causes (hazard mechanisms). Hazard mechanisms are inherently benign actions/objects that can become dangerous (i.e., result in hazard occurrence) depending on the situation. Risks are associated with the actual mishap/accident/damages that (can) result from hazard occurrence. For example:

• A flock of birds is a hazard mechanism
• A flock of birds in flight path, close to aircraft, or close to the airport are each a hazard
• Striking a bird/flock is a risk (risk occurence