Using the Hazard Type Field
The Hazard Type field helps you identify and categorize the main source of potential harm during an incident or near miss. Each hazard type, such as chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial, or environmental, represents a different kind of risk your organization may face.
By selecting the right hazard type, you help your team analyze trends, strengthen investigations, and take focused preventive actions. This consistency makes it easier to understand what is happening across your workplace instead of relying on individual stories or assumptions.
How It Helps You
1. Improve Risk Visibility
Using the Hazard Type field gives you a clearer view of where risks are coming from. When everyone logs incidents with consistent hazard types, patterns start to stand out, such as an increase in “slip, trip, and fall” hazards that point to flooring or housekeeping issues instead of isolated worker behavior.
2. Strengthen Root Cause Analysis
Each incident you record is connected to a hazard category, helping you trace back to the true root cause faster. This structure supports deeper investigations and makes corrective actions more effective
3. Support Regulatory Compliance
Many safety standards, including OSHA, require hazard classification. Using this field ensures your data aligns with compliance requirements and remains easy to review during audits or internal checks.
4. Drive Data-Based Decisions
Over time, hazard data builds a detailed picture of your organization’s risk profile. You can track which hazards occur most often, compare them with severity levels, and use that information to prioritize safety initiatives and resource planning.
Where to Find It
You will find the Hazard Type field in all incidents and near-miss reports within the Incident Management capability in Accelerate. It appears between the Risk Assessment and Root Cause Analysis sections of the Investigation page.
The field is and includes a hazard tree with standard categories to help you get started.
- Any time a selection within the Hazard Type field is added, updated, or removed, the change is recorded in the Audit Trail.
- Hazard Types can also be used in Advanced Reports and Dashboards to track key indicators like SIF and PSIF frequency. (Reports coming soon.)
Note
Make sure you save your changes after selecting or removing hazard types so updates appear in the Audit Trail.
FAQ
1. Why can’t I see the new Hazard Type field?
The Hazard Type field is only available in the Safety solution on Accelerate.
2. What new insight does the Hazard Type field provide beyond standard incident details?
It adds context by describing why or how an event occurred, giving you more information for prevention and trend analysis.
3. The EHS Risk capability already has a “Hazards” list. Will changing that list affect the Hazard Type list in Incident Management?
No. The Hazard Type list in Incident Management is separate. It was designed with industry experts and does not sync with the EHS Risk list.
4. How can I report on or export data from this field?
Once reporting is available, you will be able to view and export data for the Hazard Type field through Advanced Dashboards and Reports.
5. Is this a required field?
No. The Hazard Type field is optional. You can submit a Near Miss or Incident record without specifying any hazard types.
6. Can I make changes to the Hazard Types available?
Yes. Custom configurations to your Hazard Type list can be made as part of a purchased project.
7. Can I remove or turn off the Hazard Type tree?
No. The Hazard Type tree cannot be turned off. However, you can skip it or leave it blank without affecting your record or workflow.
8. Can anyone edit data in this field, or is it limited to certain roles?
Anyone with a role that allows them to edit an incident investigation, such as the Person Responsible for Investigation, can update the values in the Hazard Type field.
9. Can I use the Hazard Type field in already closed or historical records?
Yes. If your role allows you to make updates to closed incident records, you can edit the Hazard Type field in those records.
