Meanings
plural occupational hazards
- 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 - broadlyfigurativelyAn unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment.
"Student crushes are an occupational hazard. Ask any teacher."
2010, Lisa Gardner, The Neighbor, →ISBN, page 2374 more examples
The attentions of passionate spinsters were an occupational hazard for all members of the clergy.
1988, Susan Howatch, Glittering Images, →ISBN, page 10Today 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"Sorry. Asking uncomfortable questions at the most inopportune time is an occupational hazard."
2009, Jon Talton, Concrete Desert, →ISBN, page 201Normally 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
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
French aléas du métier, risques du métier
- aléas du métieran unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
- risques du métieran unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
German Berufsrisiko, Berufsrisiko
- Berufsrisikosubstantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being
- Berufsrisikoan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
Hebrew סיכון מקצועי
- סיכון מקצועיan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
Indonesian bahaya pekerjaan
- bahaya pekerjaansubstantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being
Italian rischio del mestiere
- rischio del mestierean unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
Portuguese ossos do ofício
- ossos do ofícioan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
Spanish riesgo laboral, gajes del oficio
- riesgo laboralsubstantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being
- gajes del oficioan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
- gajes del empleoan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
- percances del oficioan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
Swedish fara som kommer med jobbet, fara som kommer med jobbet
- fara som kommer med jobbetsubstantial risk to a worker's physical or mental well-being
- fara som kommer med jobbetan unpleasant, inconvenient, or unusual circumstance which occurs or is likely to occur during the course of one's employment
Cite this entry
occupational hazard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/occupational%20hazard
“occupational hazard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/occupational%20hazard. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “occupational hazard,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/occupational%20hazard.
Source: occupational hazard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.