Definition
Structured evaluations used to identify conditions, practices, or situations in the aviation maintenance and operating environment that could lead to injury, equipment damage, or unsafe flight, and to judge the likelihood and severity of the harm they could cause.
Plain English
A careful look at a job or workplace to spot what could go wrong, how likely it is, and how bad it would be if it did.
Context Anchor
Seen in safety discussions, maintenance training, pre-task planning, and risk management before a flight or aircraft maintenance job.
Derivation
‘Hazard’ comes from the Old French ‘hasard,’ originally a game of chance, later meaning risk or danger. ‘Assess’ comes from the Latin ‘assidere,’ meaning to sit beside — a judge sat beside another to help set a value. Together the phrase means a deliberate, sit-down judgment of where danger lies.
Why Pilots Care
Proper hazard assessments by technicians reduce the chance of maintenance mistakes that could affect aircraft airworthiness and flight safety.
Intuition Check
Do not assume a hazard assessment is just noticing that something is dangerous. In aviation, it means identifying the danger, judging the level of risk, and deciding what action is needed.
Example Sentence 1
Before opening the engine cowling, the instructor walked the students through a hazard assessment of the work area.
Example Sentence 2
During training, students practiced hazard assessments to prepare for real-world maintenance on training aircraft.