We explain what danger is, its various causes, examples and what types exist. Also, how it relates to risk.
What is the danger?
By danger we understand, according to the dictionary, “the risk or imminent contingency of some evil happening”, that is, the real possibility that we will suffer physical, emotional or other harm.
With this word, coming from Latin periculum (“test”, “risk” or “attempt”), we also call places, situations or things that put us at risk, that is, dangerous things, or that put our properties or the environment at risk. This risk can be real and imminent (that is, in the short term), or possible and abstract (in the medium or long term).
In life, we are usually surrounded by danger. The spread of diseases, domestic accidents, bad emotional decisions, bankruptcy, a terrorist attack, a fall in the bathroom, the list of imaginable dangers is infinite and diverse, but the urgency with which we perceive them always depends on the context in which we perceive them. that we find ourselves in and our ability to perceive said risk as something probable, possible or imminent.
In fact, we have designed a whole series of everyday languages with which to warn third parties about unsuspected or imperceptible dangers, such as traffic signs (danger of collapse, for example, or dangerous curves), or warnings of chemical or toxic risk. or biological that exists in laboratories and hazardous waste.
The feeling of danger, moreover, linked to fear and anguish, is a key element in the survival of species, especially in the wild world where predators abound. In the world of humanity, however, Prevention and planning are collective responses to reduce danger and try to live in a safer environment.
See also: Insecurity
Types of hazards
The way to classify dangers is based on their imminence, that is, the true risk they entail, as follows:
- Latent dangers. Those that are in a state of latency, that is, they could be capable of generating damage and ailments, but they have not yet manifested nor are there signs that they are occurring. For example, a collection of highly flammable waste that is far from any heat source is a latent danger, since there is no real and immediate reason to think that a fire could occur, but there is still a future possibility that it may occur in some way. .
- Potential dangers. Those that have the potential to cause damage and suffering, although they have not yet occurred, that is, they exist in a real and concrete way, but have not occurred. For example, an old bomb from World War II that is discovered buried under a park is a potential danger, since it has not detonated and there is no way to know if it will, but it could do so and hurt many people.
- Active hazards. Those that are occurring continuously, causing damage as time passes, and that merit some type of action to counteract them. For example: a forest fire that advances, devouring more and more trees in its path, generating all kinds of toxic gases and destroying the local fauna and flora.
- Hazards mitigated. Those that have already been identified, and with respect to which measures have been taken to reduce or prevent their damage, that is, whose consequences have been mitigated through prevention strategies. For example: facing a hill whose structure is at risk of collapse, a retaining wall is built to reduce the affected area in case said collapse occurs.
- Public dangers. Those that put the population of a city or a State at open risk, without discriminating between who may be affected or why. For example: a highly contagious epidemic is a public health danger, which if not stopped in time can become a catastrophe.
Risk and danger
In the world of prevention and planning, categories of risk and danger are usually distinguished, depending on the degree of control that human beings can exercise over potentially harmful activity.
Therefore, we talk about danger to refer to an element or condition intrinsic to a process or activityand that may disrupt it or damage life or property. While A risk depends on the probabilities and the ability to control a danger already identified.
In other words: a gas leak is a danger, but we run the risk of explosion and fire if we do not address it in time. A radioactive element is a danger, but we run the risk of radioactive poisoning only if we do not take the respective safeguards, such as an insulating suit and lead containers.
Causes of danger
The danger can have very numerous causes, but in general they can be organized into three categories, according to their origin:
- Natural hazardswhen they are derived from elements, processes and dynamics typical of natural functioning, whether they are obvious or unexpected dangers. An example of this is an active volcano near a city, whose risk of eruption puts the lives of thousands of people in check.
- Anthropic dangerswhen they come from human activities or are a consequence of the human lifestyle on the planet. The best example of this is climate change that affects the entire planet, and whose dizzying speed is a consequence of the accumulation of industrial gases in the atmosphere.
- Hazards inherent to an activitythose that have to do with the immediate performance of a job, an activity or a task. In this case the danger ceases as soon as these activities cease. An example of this is the risk of getting burned that a firefighter runs when putting out a fire.
Continue with: Vulnerability
References
- “Danger” on Wikipedia.
- “Danger” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Danger” in Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Difference between danger and risk” (video) in the Peruvian Association of Risk Preventionists.
