Glossary Flashcards
Accident investigation
A fact finding procedure to identify the pertinent factors that allow accidents to occur, with the aim of preventing similar future accidents
Accident
An undesired event causing harm to people, property or the environment, possibly causing additional losses by interrupting the conduct of business
Administrative controls
Supervisory and management practices that promote safe work behaviors to eliminate or limit exposure to hazards
Air-purifying respirator
A type of personal protective equipment (PPE) that uses filters or adsorbents to remove toxic materials from inhaled air
Area sample
A sample most commonly collected when doing environmental monitoring to detect where contaminants are most likely to be generated, creating a “map” of levels present
Assigned protection factor
The minimum anticipated protection provided by a properly functioning respirator or class of respirators to a given percentage of properly fitted and trained users
Atmosphere-supply respirator
A type of PPE that uses bottled or compressed air via an airline or a tank worn by the worker to protect against inhalation of toxic or oxygen-deficient atmospheres
Atmospheric monitoring
The testing or air over time to detect the presence and measure the concentration of airborne contaminants to which a worker is being exposed
Benchmarking
Using a point of reference as a means to measure and compare performance, services and products
Budgeting
The process by which programs and activities are quantified into monetary terms for the purpose of planning and managing resources for a given time period
Case management
A process of coordinating an individual client’s total health care services to achieve optimal, quality care delivered in a cost-effective manner
Common law
The legal precedents that have been established as a result of decisions handed down in past cases within a given jurisdiction
Confidentiality
The implicit promise that information divulged to another will be respected and not released or repeated
Confined space
An area not designed for human occupancy, with limited entry and egress and often with inadequate ventilation, this presenting a potential hazard to a worker inside it.
Consensus standard
A standard accepted among professionals and professional organizations and regarded as a guideline, representative of general opinion; it is, however, not legally enforceable unless quoted in a regulation of a legislative body
Containment
The practice of enclosing a hazardous unit or container inside another container in event of a leak or release of a contaminant or toxin
Contingent workers
A category of workers also known as floaters, regular part time, formal intermittents, limited duration hires, informal intermittents, casuals, contract labor services, independent contractors, leased workers or temporary help workers
Dilution ventilation
The circulation of fresh air into the work site to dilute to an acceptable exposure level a contaminant that is emitted into work site air
Direct reading instrument
An instrument that provides immediate data on the contents of the surrounding atmosphere
Documentation
The written communication of information that is the basis of the legal occupational health record
Engineering controls
Devices or methods that stop hazards at their source or in the pathway of transmission before they reach the worker; engineering controls do not depend on the worker to control their effectiveness
Environmental health
Promoting health and quality of life by preventing or controlling those disease or deaths that result from interactions between people and their environment
Epidemiology
The study of the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems
Epi
Upon
Demos
People
Logos
Science
Ergonomics
The study of the interaction between humans and their work, ergonomics is concerned with the design of the worksite, equipment, physical environment and organization of work in order to fit them to the worker
Exposure monitoring
Often done by or with the aid of an industrial hygienist, it is the quantitative assessment of work site exposures to hazards that are recognized, suspected or reasonably predictable, based on other preliminary hazard identification methods
Federal Reserve discount rate
The rate at which the Federal Reserve Bank lends funds to its member banks
Focused inspections
Periodic inspections of a workplace that target specific processes, equipment or work areas; investigate an accident; evaluate a reported health or safety hazard; or investigate complaints about such things as a strange odor or loud noise
Grab sample
An air sample collected over a short period, which may range from a few seconds to less than 2 minutes
Gross national product
- GNP
- the total final value of domestic goods and services produced in a national economy over a particular period, usually one year
Hazard analysis
Procedures used to assess workplace contaminants and associated worker exposures relating to probability to occurrence, severity of consequences, and vulnerability of workers using planned strategies and foresight to ensure the most productive and thorough evaluation of contaminants in the workplace are performed
Hazardous energy control
A device or method that prevents contact between the worker and sources of hazardous energy
Hazardous energy source
Sources, such as electrical energy, chemical reactivity, thermal extremes,mechanical energy and physical energy, that may be harmful to work with
Hazards
Work-site conditions at present the potential for harm or damage to people, property or the environment. Hazards are classified as physical, chemical, biological, psychological or mechanical
Health promotion
A process that supports positive lifestyle changes through corporate policies, individual efforts to lower risk of disease and injury, and the creation of an environment that provides a sense of balance among work, family, personal, health and social concerns
Incidence rate
An epidemiologic term that describes the occurrence of new disease or injury per unit of time among persons at risk
Incident historical review
The compilation and analysis of accidents and near misses that have occurred over a selected period of time
Industrial hygiene
The anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which can cause injury, sickness, impaired health and well being or significant discomfort among workers or among citizens
Informatics nurse
A nurse who “is involved in activities that focus on the methods and technologies of information handling in nursing. Informatics nursing practice include the development, support and evaluation of applications, tools, processes and structures that help nurses to manage data in direct care of patients/clients”
Informed consent
A decision made with a complete understanding of a treatment or action, including risks, benefits and alternative treatments; informed consent must be obtained without coercion or deception
Integrated disability management
A comprehensive approach to integrating all disability benefits, programs, and services to help control the employer’s disability costs and to return the employee to work as soon as possible and maximize the employee’s functional capacity
Integrated or long term sample
A sample that consists of a known volume of air drawn through an appropriate medium for a sampling period of less than 1 hour to a full 8 hours, reflecting the length of time of a worker’s overall exposure
Information management systems
A means to collect, access and apply large amounts of information from many sources to effectively manage all aspects of the occupational health unit
Isolation
Interposition of a barrier between a hazard and those who might be affected by that hazard
Job hazard analysis
The process of carefully studying and recording each step of a job to identify safety and health job hazards and to determine the best way to perform the job to reduce or eliminate those hazards
Aka job safety analysis
Local exhaust
Removal of contaminated air for the point of origin, away from the worker’s breathing zone, through a scrubber or cleaning system to the outside atmosphere
Machine safeguard
Eliminating hazards of pinch-, nip- or shear- points at which it is possible to be caught between the moving parts of a machine or between the materials a d the moving parts of a machine
Malpractice
A type of negligence that involves professional misconduct or unreasonable lack of skill
Managed care
Any form of health plan that initiates selective contracting between providers, employers and insurers to channel employees/patients to a specified set of cost-effective providers (a provider network); these providers have procedures in place to ensure that only medically necessary and appropriate use of health care services occurs
Multiple chemical sensitivity
A condition that has been described as a chemically-induced immune system dysfunction, a low grade yeast infection, a psychologic response to low-level chemical exposures, antioxidant vitamin deficiencies and various other causes
Negligence
The failure to perform one’s duties according to acceptable standards
Net national product
The gross national product less capital consumption allowance (allocated costs for depreciation of capital equipment)
Noise exposure assessment
Measurement of sound-pressure levels, expressed in terms of decibels (dBA)
Occupational and environmental health nursing
The speciality practice that “provides for and delivers health and safety programs and services to workers, worker populations and community groups. The practice focuses on promotion and restoration of health, prevention of illness and injury and protection from work related environmental hazards”
Occupational health surveillance
The “process of monitoring the health status of worker populations to gather data on the effects of workplace exposures and using data to prevent injury and illness”
Occupational illness
Any abnormal condition or disorder, other than one resulting from an occupational injury, caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with employment
Occupational injury
Any injury, such as a cut, fracture, sprain or amputation, that results from a single incident in the work environment
Permissible exposure limits
Standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that refer to 8-hour, time-weighted averages of airborne exposure to a hazard over five working days per week
Personal protective equipment
Devices, such as respirators, gloves or special clothing and shoes, that are worn by workers to protect against hazards in the workplace
Prevalence rate
An epidemiologic term that describes the proportion of the population that has a particular condition at a given time or during a period of time
Primary care
The provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and participating in the context of family and community
Primary prevention
Health promotion and health protection measures that prevent the occurrence of disease
Privatization
A system in which government services are sold or transferred to private businesses an corporations
Process safety review
A careful evaluation of what could go wrong and what safeguards must be implemented to prevent hazardous chemical releases, explosions or other process accidents
Quantity reduction
Reducing the amount of hazardous substances on hand by storing only those amounts that will actually be needed and consumed in a reasonable time, rather than storing argue amounts of material over long periods of time. Reducing the amount stored reduces the potential hazard in the event of a leak, spill or release
Risk
The possibility of injury or illness occurring
Screening
Testing people who are as yet a symptomatic for the purpose of classifying them with respect to their likelihood of having a particular disease
Secondary prevention
Early detection and treatment of disease so that its progression is slowed or its complications limited; screening is a secondary prevention measure
Self-contained breathing apparatus
Respirable air carried in a tank on the back of the user
Sentinel health event- occupational
A preventable disease, disability or untimely death that is occupationally related and whose occurrence may: (1) provide the impetus for epidemiologic or industrial hygiene studies; or (2) serve as a warning signal that materials substitution, engineering control, personal protection or health care may be required
Site survey/ walk-through
A worksite inspection not related to any particular incident, area or piece of equipment
Standard industrial classification (SIC)
Reference to a four digit number used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to classify industries according to type
Standards of care
Actions that the average, reasonable and prudent health car provider would perform in similar circumstances, also known as “reasonable and customary care”
Standards of nursing practice
Standards developed by professional nursing associations to guide practice and provide practitioners with a framework for evaluating practice
Tertiary prevention
The prevention of disability; includes rehabilitative efforts
