Dictionary

occupational hazard en · NOUN

Meanings

1. A substantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being which is present in a certain task, job, or profession.
   • They are the abrasive breed of radio and television personalities, most of them talk-show hosts, who treat their profession as a verbal adjunct to street fighting. . . . Threats and sometimes violence are indeed an occupational hazard. 1984 July 9, Richard Lacayo et al., “Show Business: Audiences Love to Hate Them”, in Time:
2. (broadly, figuratively) An unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment.
   • Today he was going to make a few stops at the rare-book shops in the area—an occupational hazard of his new profession. 2008, Steve Berry, The Venetian Betrayal, →ISBN, page 557:
   • "Student crushes are an occupational hazard. Ask any teacher." 2010, Lisa Gardner, The Neighbor, →ISBN, page 237:
   • Normally I'm a big fan of managers handling performance problems on their staff themselves rather than looking to HR to do it for them, but in this case, since she's putting curses on her manager, I can see an argument for you having a one-time meeting with her and her manager and jointly laying down the law. (Of course, this may just get you added to the list of people she's cursing, but black magic is one of many occupational hazards.) 2013 July 26, Alison Green, “an employee is putting magic curses on her coworkers”, in Ask a Manager, archived from the original on 14 Dec 2023:
   • The attentions of passionate spinsters were an occupational hazard for all members of the clergy. 1988, Susan Howatch, Glittering Images, →ISBN, page 10:
   • "Sorry. Asking uncomfortable questions at the most inopportune time is an occupational hazard." 2009, Jon Talton, Concrete Desert, →ISBN, page 201:

Forms

Antonyms

occupational health and safety · occupational safety and health

Translations (14)

pt ossos do ofício (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · it rischio del mestiere (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · es gajes del oficio (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · de Berufsrisiko (substantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being) · fr aléas du métier (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · gl risco laboral (substantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being) · es riesgo laboral (substantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being) · id bahaya pekerjaan (substantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being) · ka პროფესიული რისკი (substantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being) · de Berufsrisiko (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · es percances del oficio (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · fr risques du métier (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · es gajes del empleo (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment) · he סיכון מקצועי (an unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment)