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safetyzone - appendices glossary
Health and safety, like most other areas of life, is full of acronyms and technical terms. This section provides a brief explanation of those terms and acronyms, which will hopefully remove some of the mysticism.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Accident - 'Any unplanned event that results in injury or ill-health to people, or damages equipment, property or materials but where there was a risk of harm'.
Appointed Person - A person who has been nominated to take charge in the event of an accident or illness (and support designated first aiders if present) and has been trained in basic lifesaving first aid techniques.
Approved Code of Practice - A code of practice, associated with specific regulations, that has been approved by the Health & Safety Commission.
BOHS - British Occupational Hygiene Society
BSI - British Standards Institute
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - A chronic disorder of the hand and wrist possibly resulting from repetitive work involving repeated wrist flexion or extension.
Code of Practice - Rules established by regulatory bodies or trade associations, which are intended as a guide to acceptable behaviour. As such they do not have the force of law behind them.
Competent Person A person who has the appropriate training, skills, knowledge and personal qualities to undertake specific health and safety duties without risk to their own safety or that of others.
CBI - Confederation of British Industry.
CDM - Construction (Design & Management) Regulations.
CE - CE Mark is a visible declaration by the manufacturer (or his representative, importer, etc.) that the equipment which is marked complies with all the requirements of all the applicable European Union (EU) directives.
COMAH Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations.
COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.
DB - Decibel. A unit used to convey the intensity of sound. This logarithmic measurement unit describes a sound's relative loudness, though it can also be used to describe the relative difference between two power levels. A decibel is one tenth of a Bel. In sound, decibels generally measure a scale from 0 (the threshold of hearing) to 120-140 dB (the threshold of pain). A 3dB difference equates to a doubling of power. A 10dB difference is required to double the subjective volume
DSE - Display Screen Equipment.
Employment Medical Advisory Service - Part of the Health and Safety Executive, offering advice on work related health issues and on people with health problems returning to work.
Ergonomics - Ergonomics is concerned with the understanding of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system.
EA - Environmental Agency. A UK government agency concerned mainly with rivers, flooding, and pollution.
EHO - Environmental Health Officer.
Flammable Gas - Gas that when mixed with air forms a flammable mixture at ambient temperature and pressure.
Flammable Liquid - Liquid with a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C)
Flash Point The lowest temperature at which a flame will propagate through the vapour of a combustible material.
Hazard - Potential for harm to occur.
HDS - Hazard Data Sheet. A detailed description of the hazardous material within a substance.
H&S - Health & Safety.
HSC - Health & Safety Commission. Organisation who conduct and sponsor research; promote training; provide an information and advisory service; and submit proposals for new or revised regulations and approved codes of practice
HSE - Health & Safety Executive. An enforcing authority whose job is to help the Health and Safety Commission ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled.
HASWA - Health & Safety at Work Act.
Health And Safety Executive - Organisation responsible for proposing safety regulations throughout the UK. It is responsible for enforcing, statute, regulations, approved codes of practice and guidance.
Improvement Notice - A statutory notice that is issued by an authorising body on discovery of a breach of statute. It states that an offence has been committed, what action needs to be taken, the reason for the action and the time deadline by which it must be taken.
IOSH - Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Lux - The measurement for light. The amount of visible light per square meter incident on a surface. 1 lux = 1 lumen/square meter = 0.093 foot-candles.
LOLER - Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations.
MEL - Maximum Exposure Limit.
Manual Handling Operations - Tasks that require a person to lift, lower, push, pull, move, carry, hold or restrain an object.
NEBOSH - National Examination Board of Occupational Safety and Health.
Permit to Work - Formally delivered criteria for control/risk reduction when undertaking pre-planned work that is hazardous, either because of its location or the nature of the activity.
Planning Supervisor - Responsible under Construction (Design and Management) Regulations for coordinating the health and safety aspects of the design, preparation of a health and safety plan at the pre-tender stage and preparation of the health and safety file.
Prohibition Notice - A statutory notice that is issued on discovery of a breach of statute that presents a risk of serious personal accident. The effect of the Prohibition Notice is to stop the activity from starting or to cause it to cease if it has already started.
PAT - Portable Appliance Test.
PPE - Personal Protective Equipment.
PUWER - Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
Residual Current Device - An electrical safety device that constantly monitors the electric current flowing through a circuit. If it senses a loss of current where electricity is being diverted to earth (as might happen if a person touches a live conductor), it rapidly shuts down the power.
Risk - The likelihood of injury or harm resulting from a hazard.
Risk Assessment - A process that involves the identification of hazards and the measurement of risk to determine priorities and to enablecontrol measures to be implemented to control those risks.
RCD - Residual Current Device.
RIDDOR - Reporting of Injuries, Disease & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
RoSPA - Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
RSI - Repetitive Strain Injury.
Safety Committee - A committee that promotes health and safety in the workplace, with members representing employees and management from all sections of an organisation.
Stress - An emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health.
Toxic - Substances that cause irritation of are otherwise harmful to health, such as carcinogens and poisons.
Ventilation - Movement of air, usually associated with the introduction of fresh air.
VDU - Visual Display Unit.
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