Chap 1 Key Terms

Question 1

accident

Answer 1

Discredited term for unplanned undesirable events that could result in unintentional injuries or property damage that are attributed to fate or bad luck, (see incident)

Question 2

accident pyramid

Answer 2

An illustration of Herbert Heinrich’s principles of accident prevention, first presented in an example comprising untold thousands of unsafe acts or conditions at the base of the pyramid, which led to 300 close calls, 29 minor injuries and, ultimately, 1 major injury or fatality at the top.

Question 3

ANZI Z133

Answer 3

American National Standard for Arboricultural Operations - Safety Requirements, the industry-developed, national consensus safety standard of practice for tree care in the United States.

Question 4

back feed

Answer 4

Electrical flow in an unintended direction through a process whereby de-energized lines become energized from an external source, such as a home generator.

Question 5

behavior-based principles

Answer 5

A theory of industrial incident prevention pioneered by Herbert Heinrich that considers the overwhelming majority of incidents to be caused by unsafe acts.

Question 6

close calls

Answer 6

A situation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided.

Question 7

direct contact

Answer 7

Electrical contact that occurs when someone touches an energized fixture.

Question 8

electric shock

Answer 8

A physiological reaction to the passage of electrical current through the human body.

Question 9

electrocution

Answer 9

Death from electrical shock.

Question 10

equipment failure

Answer 10

A cessation of normal operation.

Question 11

high-reliability organization

Answer 11

Group that takes a systems approach to safety, recognizing that humans are imperfect and that errors have to be considered in the context of the system in which they occurred.

Question 12

human error

Answer 12

a person’s mistake rather than on the failure of a machine

Question 13

incident

Answer 13

Unplanned, undesirable event that could result in unintentional Injuries or property damage.

Question 14

indirect contact

Answer 14

Touching a conductive object in contact with an energized fixture.

Question 15

lagging indicators

Answer 15

Serious injury or fatalities.

Question 16

leading indicators

Answer 16

Unsafe acts and close calls at the bottom of the accident pyramid.

Question 17

maliciousness

Answer 17

The condition of being malicious; malevolence or malice.

Question 18

minimum approach distance

Answer 18

Established by ANSI Z133, the distance from energized conductors inside of which qualified line-clearance arborists, incidental line-clearance arborists, or persons other than qualified line-clearance arborists may not work. Distance increases with increasing voltage and varies with training of personnel

Question 19

multiple causation theory

Answer 19

Refinement of the behavioral-based safety theory that considers workplace injuries to be caused by a number (rather than the number) of contributing factors and causes which randomly interact.

Question 20

Occupation Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

Answer 20

In the United States, the legislative act dealing with health and safety in the workplace. In Canada, the federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions each have their own legislation. In Australia, there is a work health and safety act in each each state.

Question 21

Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Answer 21

In the United States, the federal agency responsible for establishing and enforcing safety work rules. Individual states may also have OSHA agencies. In Canada, the responsible agency is the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Question 22

safety committee

Answer 22

Group of employees responsible for developing safe work practices.

Question 23

step potential

Answer 23

Voltage differential that develops when a person near a ground fault with 2 parts of their body (2 feet, a hand and a foot or another body part) straddles that voltage differential. It can result in electric shock or electrocution.

Question 24

touch potential

Answer 24

Voltage differential between 2 objects someone simultaneously contacts.

Question 25

unsafe acts

Answer 25

Work practices such as willful rule violations and maliciousness, as well as human error, which could lead to injury or a fatality.

Question 26

unsafe working conditions

Answer 26

Working circumstances, such as equipment failure, that could lead to injury or fatality.

Question 27

willful rule violation

Answer 27

a violation of workplace rules and policies that occurs either deliberately or as a result of neglect