Risk as hazard emphasises the potential adverse consequences to patient well-being. Such an approach demands immediate removal and the full disclosure of what is happening to patients. Furthermore, it suggests that those notifying patients should be as close to the patients as possible, usually the treating or transfusing physician. This risk is almost a given and most comments refer to the importance of physician notification to allay any or all fears about hazard, the physician being seen as trusted, knowledgeable and close to the patient. There is agreement on who is central in this immediate task of ensuring blood safety, the blood supplier, but different stakeholders hold the risk as hazard view for different reasons. The blood supplier itself sees a distinctive chain of responsibility and action if blood may be unsafe -from themselves to the physician to the patient.