Any critical incident or other major event that occurs at the University of Kentucky will have potential impacts on the local economy and the overall community. The ability to successfully manage the impacts of these issues will limit the severity of the effects on the local community and the University of Kentucky.

Natural hazards refer to potential incidents which may result from acts of nature and are the most frequent threats faced by institutions of higher education. Examples: animal disease, avalanche, drought, earthquake, flood, volcanic eruption, tsunami, hurricane, landslide, tornado, pandemic, epidemic, wildfire, severe weather and winter storm.

Technological hazards result from accidents or the failures of systems and structures, such as power loss, power spikes, equipment failures, software errors, and telecommunications network outages. Examples: airplane crash, dam or levee failure, mine accident, hazardous materials release, power failure, radiological release, train derailment, and server failure.

Man-made incidents result from the intentional actions of an adversary, such as a threatened or actual attacks. Examples: biological attack, chemical attack, nuclear attack, cyber incident, explosives attack, radiological attack, sabotage, civil disturbance, acts of domestic or international terrorism, school and workplace violence.