Hazard Vulnerability/Risk Assessment
Topic Collection
June 16, 2025

Hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) and risk assessment are systematic approaches to identifying hazards or risks that are most likely to have an impact on a healthcare facility and the surrounding community. Conducting a risk assessment / HVA is also a requirement in the CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule.  The Joint Commission Emergency Management and NFPA (Healthcare 99-101, Chapter 12, Emergency Management) also require an HVA. Multiple tools and resources are available to help healthcare organizations and public health departments prioritize their planning efforts based on these identified hazards.  

Ideally, an HVA should be conducted with input from experts from outside the institution/agency to ensure the incorporation of additional context for the risk assessment. For example, jurisdictional emergency management, NOAA, and state agencies may have quantitative and qualitative probability and impact data based on risk assessments and actual events that can contribute to the facility/coalition HVA. This data may prompt additional discussions and provide valuable input and resources for consideration in addition to contributing to the HVA. 

Each resource in this Topic Collection is placed into one or more of the following categories (click on the category name to be taken directly to that set of resources). Resources marked with an asterisk (*) appear in more than one category.