Critical risk
A risk that can kill or cause permanent harm; the risks a critical risk programme names and controls.
Critical risk programmes and life-saving rules name the fatal risks and specify their controls. In energy terms, most critical risks are high-energy hazards. EBS adds the energy model that lets a crew recognise those risks in an unfamiliar task, and the Direct Control test that tells them whether the listed control is actually doing the job on the day. From 1 April 2027 New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act, as amended in 2026, directs PCBUs to prioritise critical risks.
Related terms
- High-energy hazard
- A hazard whose energy, if released, is enough to kill or cause life-altering injury.
- Energy-Based Safety (EBS)
- A hazard recognition and control approach that starts from energy, not from rules.
- Direct Control
- A control that stops a high-energy release even when a person makes a mistake.