The top priority of incident response is the safety of responders and the general public. Risk assessment is the most important aspect of an incident response because the incident cannot be managed safely if the problem and risks are not understood. Failure to do a risk assessment can result in serious injuries or death. Each incident is unique, so deciding what to do and when, can be difficult. This module will cover various hazard identification techniques to help you make better decisions when responding to hazardous material incidents.

• Describe the purpose of a risk assessment • Differentiate between hazard and risk • Describe the factors that affect risk • Describe different ways to identify hazardous materials • Describe the sequence of events for hazardous material incidents and how to determine the current stage • List resources that can help responders perform an incident risk assessment