Jargon Buster Flashcards
Competent person
Each person has sufficient training, knowledge, experience and other abilities or skills to be able to carry out their work safely and without risk to health.
Civil Law
The branch of law concerned with compensating individuals for the wrongs done to them.
The Emplo yer
The employer in this context is normally an
organisation, and is sometimes referred to as the
“corporate body
AT WORK
This means when the worker is in the workplace, or
outside the workplace but carrying out the duties of
their employer. It usually applies during work breaks
and work-related travel, and in some countries
would also apply to commuting (travel to and from
work at the start and finish of a work period).
CONTRACTOR AND CLIENT
Contractor - a person or organisation engaged to
undertake certain work on behalf of a client but not
under the client’s direct supervision and control.
Client - a person or organisation who engages a
contractor.
Morale
The level of commitment, energy and enthusiasm
that a workforce has for the work being done.
Ergonomics
The study of the relationship between
the worker, the work that they are doing, and the
environment in which they are doing it.
Motivation
A person’s drive towards a goal. The thing that is
making them do what they do.
CONSULTING AND INFORMING
Consulting - the two-way exchange of information
and opinion between the employer and workers
so that the best course of action can be agreed
upon. This implies that the employer listens to
the concerns of his workers and changes his
plans as necessary. True consultation therefore
provides an opportunity for workers to feed back
to management on their feelings and opinions on
health and safety matters.
Informing - providing information to workers in a
form that they can understand and then checking
that the information has been understood. The
information flow is one-way and the employer does
not have to take any notice of feedback.
GAP ANALYSIS
A technique in which the current situation is
compared with the desired or “target” situation.
HAZARD
Something with the potential to cause harm.
RISK
The likelihood that a hazard will cause harm in
combination with the severity of injury, damage or
loss that might foreseeably occur.
RISK ASSESSMENT
A formalised process of identifying hazards,
assessing the risk that they generate and then either
eliminating or controlling the risk.
PPE
Equipment or clothing that is worn or held by a
worker that protects them from one or more risks to
their safety or health.
Work related violence
Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened
or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.
Work at Heigth
Work where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause
personal injury.
(Note that work at height can be subject to legal
definition and the definition given here is useful for
best practice. Note also that the definition does not
mention ground level, so it is possible to work at
height whilst underground or at ground level, e.g. at
the side of a sheer drop.
BANKSMAN
A person who gives directions to a driver or
operator who for some reason cannot fully see what
they are in control of. A banksman might direct
an excavator operator digging a trench, a crane
operator during a lifting operation or a vehicle driver
during a reversing operation, for example.
Note that the specific hazards and controls relevant
to forklift trucks are described in Elements 2 and 3
of this unit.
ROLL BAR OR ROLL CAGE
Part of the structure of the vehicle that prevents the
driver from being crushed should the vehicle roll
over onto its side or top. It is also known as a rollover
protective structure (ROP S).
ERGONOMICS
The study of the relationship between the worker,
the work that they are doing, and the environment
in which they are doing i
MANUAL HANDLING
The lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling of a load by
bodily force.
SLINGER
The competent person responsible for preparing
and slinging a load in readiness for a crane lift,
and for attaching or detaching load slings from the
crane hook
LIVE AND DEAD
When a system is connected to an electrical power
source it is described as “live” (in some countries the
expression “hot” is used instead). Once it has been
disconnected from its power source it might be
described as “dead”.
FLAMMABLE
Easily ignited by a heat source at normal ambient
temperatures. The words “combustible” and
“inflammable” mean the same thing.
Note that the phrases “highly flammable liquid”
and “extremely flammable liquid” have technical
definitions that indicate these liquids can be ignited
at low ambient temperatures.
INTUMESCENT STRIP
A strip built into the edge of a fire door that expands
when it gets hot, sealing the gap between the door
and the door frame.
COLD SMOKE SEAL
A plastic or foam strip that seals the gap between
the door and frame at all times.
FIRE MAIN
A water supply pipe installed specifically for firefighting
purposes.
DERMATITIS
A non-infectious skin condition where the skin
becomes dry, flaky, cracked and painful. Usually
reversible with treatment.
ASTHMA
A condition where the airways of a person’s
lungs become irritated in response to a trigger,
constricting in size and producing
Time-weighted average
Average exposure to a contaminant over a specified
period of time (usually a nominal eight hours).
grab (or Spot ) sampling
A snap-shot of concentration at one moment in
time.
long-term sampling
An indication of the average concentration of the
substance in air over a long sampling period
(e.g. over eight hours).
OCCUPATIONAL exposure
limits (Oels )
Maximum concentrations of airborne contaminants,
normally measured across a particular reference
period of time, to which employees may be exposed
by inhalation.
Respiratory protectiove Equipment
Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is any
type of personal protective equipment specifically
designed to protect the respiratory system, e.g. selfcontained
breathing apparatus.
Carcinogen
A substance that can induce the growth of malignant
tumours (cancer tumours capable of causing serious
ill-health or death).
Mutagen
A substance that can cause changes (mutations)
in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell, leading to
heritable genetic defects.
Asthmagen
A substance that is related to the development of
asthma symptoms.
zoonotic disease (or zoonoses)
A disease which can be passed from animals to
humans (e.g. rabies).
Waste
Something that is discarded, or is going to be
discarded
bund
A wall built around a tank or vessel which is designed
to contain the contents of the tank if it ruptures. The
bund wall and base must be impervious to water and
should not have any penetrations through it. Bunds
can also be portable, pallet sized trays to contain
drum spillages or spills from offloading or decanting
(sometimes called “drip trays”).
double-skinned vessel
An alternative to bunding a tank may have an inner
and an outer wall. In the event that one is ruptured
the other will contain the contents.
engineering control
A risk control measure which is implemented
through the introduction of a ‘technical’ or
‘engineered’ solution, e.g. guards, barriers, acoustic
booths, extraction systems, etc.
AUDIOMETRY
A medical test that quantifies the sensitivity of a
person’s hearing across a range of frequencies (low
pitch to high pitch).
It normally involves the worker sitting in a soundproof
booth with headphones on listening for faint
beeps and indicating when the beeps can be heard.
The results can show whether a person’s hearing is
being affected by exposure to loud noise and, if so,
to what extent.
ionising radiation
Radiation that causes ionisation in the material that
absorbs it.
non-ionising radiation
Radiation that does not cause ionisation in the
material that absorbs it.
stress
The adverse reaction that people have to excessive
pressure or other demands placed on them
