Hazard prevention refers to the prevention of risks. The first and most effective stage of hazard prevention and emergency management is the elimination of hazards. If this is too timely or impractical, comes the more costly stage in emergency management: disaster mitigation.

Every accident as a result of a hazard is preventable by breaking the accident chain before the last link. Breaking the chain is known as intervention, which is reactive, whereas reducing the potential for an accident chain at all is mitigation, which is proactive. An example of a reactive step is the creation of a collapse zone at a structure fire. An example of a proactive step is wearing personal protective equipment at a fire call.

The accident chain:

The United States Congress passed the William Stieger Act in 1970 with the signature of Richard Nixon. This established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA enforces safety-related regulations, known as Codes of Federal Regulation (CFRs) in the workplace.