RRC Glossary

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RRC GLOSSARY
RRC Glossary
-A-
A-Weighting
In the context of noise assessment, a scale that electronically assimilates the sound pressure and
mimics the human ear’s response across the range of frequencies.
Abrasive
Harsh, irritant; of a substance which wears away or grinds.
Absolute Duty
A legal duty that must be followed without regard to cost, e.g. the duty on employers to
conduct risk assessments (The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999,
Reg. 3).
Absorb
A material is drawn through another material and held throughout its bulk, e.g. water into
cotton wool. No chemical binding takes place.
Acceleration
A measure of the rate of change of velocity, measured in m/s2.
Accident
An unplanned, undesired event resulting in loss, death or injury, damage or delay.
Accountability
Being answerable to someone for something.
Active
Measures taken to prevent undesired events before they occur.
Act of Parliament
A type of statute law, written and agreed by both houses of Parliament and which has received
the Royal Assent.
Acute Effects
Effects that follow immediately, or shortly after, exposure to a high concentration of a
substance. The sufferer will normally recover once exposure to the causative agent is ended.
The term ‘acute’ can also be used to describe an injury such as a sprain or strain.
Acute Toxicity
This describes a condition where the harmful effects of a quantity of toxin absorbed into the
body are produced very quickly - within seconds, minutes or hours.
© RRC International
RRC Glossary
Administrative Controls
Controls that are based on procedures, such as safe systems of work and permits to work.
Adsorb
A process in which material is attracted by, and adheres to, the surface of a sorbent.
Advance Statement
A written statement saying how an individual would like to be treated if they were to become
too unwell to make decisions themselves.
Aggregate
Any material mixed with cement to form concrete.
Airborne Contaminant Monitoring

This covers sampling of substances in the air to determine the level of contamination. This
includes static sampling and personal sampling.
Air Monitoring
The sampling and measuring of pollutants in the workplace air.
Ambient
Of the surrounding area or environment, e.g. ambient temperature or ambient noise levels.
Amplitude
1. (Noise) The maximum displacement of pressure, which equates to the ‘loudness’ or ‘volume’
of the noise.
2. (Vibration) The distance (in metres) from the point of rest to the point of maximum
displacement in either direction.
Appraisal Scheme
A formal means of placing value on achievement or effort. Generally carried out annually, with
the results potentially being used to determine the level of pay rise or a promotion.
Approved Code of Practice (ACoP)

A document published by the HSE containing practical guidance for complying with statutory
provisions. Approved Codes of Practice have quasi-legal status – they cannot be directly
enforced but are used as evidence of compliance with a legal requirement. Duty holders do not,
therefore, have to follow the ACoP – if they have an alternative method then they are free to
adopt it, but the ACoP will be used as the exemplar of the standard to be achieved.
Aptitude
Talent, skill or ability to do something. An innate or acquired capacity.
Arc-eye
A painful eye condition caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, such as from that emitted
during electric arc welding from which the name derives. (Medical name: photokeratitis.)
RRC Glossary
Article
1. Any plant designed for use or operation (whether exclusively or not) by persons at work, or
who erect or install any article of fairground equipment and any article designed for use as a
component in any such plant or equipment.
2. The individual parts of a European Treaty, ILO Convention, UK Order in Council, etc. that
contain the specific legal requirement, e.g. Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order 2005, which requires risk assessments to be performed.
Asbestos
A family of naturally occurring minerals found in serpentinite and other types of metamorphic
rock. When inhaled into the lungs, asbestos can lead to diseases such as lung cancer (see
asbestosis) and mesothelioma. There is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos. (See
‘More’)
Asbestosis
A chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibres.
Asphyxiant
A material capable of reducing the level of oxygen in the body to dangerous levels, e.g. carbon
dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Asphyxiation
A medical term meaning the stopping of the heartbeat due to an inability to acquire oxygen
over an extended period of time. Asphyxiation may have many causes, such as choking or
following prolonged exposure to a chemical asphyxiant or gas.
Assigned Protection Factor (APF)

In relation to respiratory protective equipment, the measure of the equipment’s ability to
protect the respiratory system; the ratio of the concentration of contaminant in the working
atmosphere to the measured concentration within the face-piece when the equipment is in use.
Asthma
A condition where the airways of a person’s lungs become irritated in response to a trigger,
constricting in size and producing excess mucus, making breathing difficult.
Attitude
A person’s point of view or set of beliefs; predisposition to react in a certain way to a given
situation.
‘At Work’
The worker is carrying out the duties that are required by the employer. The worker can be
inside or outside the workplace. The term usually applies during work breaks and work-related
travel and, in some countries, would also apply to commuting.
RRC Glossary
Audiometry
The process of scientifically quantifying hearing performance in order to detect problems with
hearing, such as noise-induced hearing loss.
Auto Ignition Temperature

The lowest temperature at which a substance will ignite without the application of an external
ignition source.
RRC Glossary
-B-
Bacteria
A large group of micro-organisms of varying shape and size. Most are rendered harmless by the
body’s defences, while some are beneficial. Some, however, cause infectious diseases such as
cholera, anthrax, tuberculosis and leprosy. (Singular: ‘bacterium’.)
Baffle
A flow-directing panel inserted into vessels such as heat exchangers and chemical reactors.
Bar.Litre
The product of the pressure (bar) and the volume (litres) of a pressure system; a measure of its
stored energy.
Battering
A technique whereby excavated materials are heaped in such a way as to slope inwards without
additional artificial support.
Behavioural Control
Training/instructing workers on how to work safely.
Bellows Pump
A pump for blowing air into and onto something else.
Benchmarking
The process of comparing one’s own practices and performance measures with those of other
organisations that display excellence and whom one may wish to emulate. It can also be done
against national or industry statistics.
Binding Precedent
A decision of a higher court that a judge sitting in a lower court is obliged to follow.
Biocides
Substances that kill organic or living tissues.
Biodegradable
Generally organic material that naturally decays into its base components.
Biological Monitoring
“The measurement and assessment of workplace agents or their metabolites (substances
formed when the body converts the chemical) in exposed workers. Measurements are made
either on samples of breath, urine or blood, or any combination of these.” (Source: CoSHH
ACoP.)
RRC Glossary
Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE)

A serious explosion in which there is a sudden release of vapour owing to the failure of a
storage vessel that has been exposed to direct heating from a fire. A BLEVE can occur with both
flammable (e.g. LPG) and non-flammable (e.g. water) materials. The initial explosion may
generate a blast wave and missiles/shrapnel that can be thrown outwards for considerable
distances.
Body Mass Index (BMI)

The individual’s body weight divided by the square of his or her height.
Buddy
Usually a colleague working at the same level who gives support and helps with any practical
day-to-day issues or problems that arise.
Bursa
A small, fluid-filled sac which forms under the skin, usually over the joints and between tendons
and bones.
Bursitis
Inflammation of a bursa. Symptoms include pain and swelling in the affected body part.
RRC Glossary
-C-
Canister
Box or case to contain a substance.
Cantilever
A beam anchored at only one end, which supports a load.
Carcinogens
Substances that have the ability to cause cancer in humans. (See ‘More’)
Cardiovascular
Relating to the heart and blood circulation.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

A condition affecting the wrist, in which there is pressure on the median nerve, which supplies
feeling and movement to the hand. It is most common amongst those who perform repetitive
movements of the hand and wrist, such as when typing on a computer keyboard. Symptoms
include numbness, tingling, pain extending to the elbow, problems with fine finger movements
and loss of grip strength.
Catalyst
Any agent which, when added in very small quantities, notably affects the rate of chemical
reaction without itself being consumed or undergoing a chemical change. Most catalysts
accelerate reactions, although some retard them (negative catalysts or inhibitors).
Chemical Health Hazards

Chemical health hazards may be classified either according to their physical state (liquid, dust,
fume, mist, vapour) or the level of toxicity (toxic, carcinogenic, corrosive, irritant, dermatitic).
(See ‘More’)
Chemical Safety Data Sheet

See Material Safety Data Sheet.
Chocks
Blocks or wedges used to prevent movement.
Chronic Effect
A medical term describing an effect that usually appears some time after the workplace
exposure took place and which persists over time.
RRC Glossary
Chronic Toxicity
Describes a condition where the harmful effects of a toxic substance absorbed into the body
take a very long time to appear - months, or perhaps years, and result from absorption of small
quantities over a period of time.
Circuit Breaker
An electrical safety device that activates when excess current is detected either by a
temperature increase or an increased magnetic field.
Cirrhosis
Scarring of the liver and poor liver function – the final phase of chronic liver disease.
Civil Law
The branch of law concerned with the rights and duties of individuals and/or corporations. The
purpose of proceedings is to obtain a remedy (normally compensation for a personal injury
claim), not to punish. Civil actions are brought by the Claimant.
Client
A person or organisation that engages a contractor.
Climate
In the context of ‘Health and Safety Climate’, the psychological aspects of a safety culture –
how people feel; their attitudes and perceptions.
Coefficient of Friction
A number representing the amount of friction between two surfaces. Smooth surfaces have
lower coefficients than rough surfaces; a lower coefficient is therefore indicative of greater
‘slipperiness’. (See Friction and Frictional Force.)
Cognitive
Relating to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment and reasoning.
Confined Space
Any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other
similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable
specified risk. (See Specified Risk.)
Contract
An agreement between two or more parties, whether orally or in writing, that has the intention
of creating legal relations.
Commitment
A declared attachment to a doctrine or cause.
Common Law
The body of law based on previous judicial decisions.
RRC Glossary
Communication
“The transfer of information from one person to another with the information being
understood by both the sender and receiver.” (Koontz.)
Competence
Having sufficient training, knowledge, experience and other abilities or skills to be able to carry
out one’s work safely and without risk to health.
Condensation
A change of physical state from gas to liquid.
Confined Vapour Cloud Explosion

The ignition of a flammable vapour under conditions of confinement, such as in a process vessel
or building. The resulting pressure rise may rupture the container. Only small amounts of
flammable gas/vapour are needed. Damage caused by this type of explosion may initiate
secondary explosions.
Construction Work
Carrying out any building, civil engineering or engineering construction work. (See ‘More’)
Constructive Dismissal
A form of dismissal from employment where the employee terminates the contract of
employment by resigning due to the employer’s conduct.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

A progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. COPD can cause coughing that produces
large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms.
Consulting
The two-way exchange of information and opinion, e.g. between the employer and their
employees, so that the best course of action can be agreed.
Contractor
Person or organisation engaged to carry out work on behalf of a client but not under the
client’s direct supervision and control.
Contravention
Breach of the law or rule; usually a breach of Regulations.
Contributory Negligence
A partial defence against a civil claim. The court considers the degree to which the claimant was
responsible for his own injuries and reduces the amount of compensation accordingly. Thus if
the court decides that the claimant was 80% to blame for his injuries, his compensation
payment will be reduced by 80%.
RRC Glossary
Control Strategies
These are engineering or personal protection measures. These measures or strategies are most
often used, although substitution with a harmless or less hazardous substance is the preferred
option. (See ‘More’)
Control System
A system or device that responds to input signals and generates an output signal which causes
the equipment under control to operate in a particular manner. (PUWER 1998).
Corrosive
Describes substances that may destroy living tissues on contact. Corrosive substances include
acids and alkalis. Acids include sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and phosphoric acids.
Alkalis include sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and potassium hydroxide (caustic potash). All
corrosive chemicals can produce, under appropriate conditions, damaging corrosive vapours.
(See ‘More’)
Cowls
Covers for chimneys.
Close Call
See Near Miss.
Criminal Law
This is concerned with offences against the State - i.e. crimes such as murder, manslaughter,
robbery, etc. The more serious criminal cases are dealt with by a judge and jury in a Crown
Court; less serious offences (the overwhelming majority) are dealt with by Magistrates. The two
parties are the prosecution and the defendant. The prosecution is conducted on behalf of the
Crown. If the defendant is found guilty, he will be punished. If he is not proved guilty, he is
acquitted.
Criminal Liability
Individuals’ responsibilities as set out by law and reinforced by penalties imposed by the criminal
courts.
Critical Temperature
The temperature above which a gas cannot be liquefied regardless of the amount of pressure
applied.
Culture
The product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies and patterns
of behaviour that determine commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organisation’s
health and safety management. (Source: HSE)
Cumulative Trauma Disorder

See Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD).
RRC Glossary
-D-
Damages
In civil law, the amount of money (compensation) awarded by a court to a successful claimant. It
can be either ‘General’ or ‘Special’.
Dampers
Devices for diminishing the level of vibration or noise.
Danger
Exposure or vulnerability to harm or risk.
Dangerous Occurrence
Events which do not necessarily result in a reportable injury, but have the potential to cause
significant harm. They are listed in Schedule 2 to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and
Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.
Dangerous Parts of Machinery

The term ‘dangerous part’ has been established in health and safety law through judicial
decisions. In practice, this means that if a piece of work equipment could cause injury if it is
being used in a foreseeable way, it can be considered a dangerous part. (Source: PUWER ACoP,
para 255)
Data Sheets
See ‘Material Safety Data Sheets’.
dB(A)
See ‘A-Weighting’.
Dermatitis
A non-infectious skin condition, caused by a chemical agent that has a ‘de-fatting’ action on the
skin. It is characterised by inflammation of the skin and may involve skin reddening, irritation,
flaking, blisters, weeping and skin thickening. Treatment of the condition depends upon the
cause.
Derricks
Fixed frameworks or towers for hoisting or lifting materials.
Dilution
The process or act of reducing the concentration of a substance by adding liquid such as water
or by increasing the proportion of a non-harmful gas such as air in a toxic gas cloud.
Dilution Ventilation
Reduction in the concentration of contaminants to an acceptable level.
RRC Glossary
Directives
See European (EU) Directives.
Dismissal
In English law, dismissal from employment occurs when either (1) the employer terminates the
employee’s contract, with or without notice, or (2) the contract of employment is terminated
by the employee, who resigns because of the employer’s behaviour – this is known as
constructive dismissal.
Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

Any alphanumeric or graphic display screen, regardless of the display process involved. (Source:
ACoP to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.)
Domestic Abuse
Physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-
type relationship and that forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Dose
The amount of a substance absorbed by a worker’s body; or the amount of a physical agent
(such as noise, radiation or heat) to which the worker is exposed. The dose will depend on how
much of the substance (or other agent) the worker is exposed to and how long he or she is
exposed.
Dose/Response Relationships
Describes the change in effect on a test subject caused by differing levels of exposure to a
substance over a certain amount of time.
Dosimeter
A measuring device used to assess an individual’s exposure to a hazard in the environment over
a period of time, e.g. a noise dosimeter or a radiation dosimeter.
Double-Barrelled Action
A term referring to a civil action in which the claim is brought simultaneously on two
independent fronts. The claimant will typically sue in both negligence (breach of the common
law duty of care resulting in loss) and Breach of Statutory Duty (breach of an employer’s
statutory duty of care). In effect, this enables the claimant to make two separate and
independent arguments, only one of which needs to succeed for damages to be awarded.
Duckboards
Planking to walk over a trench or ditch.
Duty of Care
In English Common Law, this is the duty owed by one party to another, the nature of which is to
take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to prevent injury, damage or loss. (See
‘More’)
RRC Glossary
-E-
Ear Protection
Personal protective equipment - hearing protection against excess workplace noise; ear
defenders, usually earplugs (internal) or ear muffs (external).
Egress
Way out.
EH40
An HSE guidance note in which are detailed the allowable exposure limits for airborne
contaminants.
Electrolyte
A liquid that contains charged particles called ions that enable it to conduct electricity.
Elimination
Removing a specific workplace safety hazard.
EMAS
1. Acronym for ‘Employment Medical Advisory Service’.
2. Acronym for ‘Eco-Management and Audit Scheme’, a voluntary initiative that helps
businesses to make savings by taking a positive approach to managing their impact on the
environment and by following a set of harmonised principles, established throughout the EU.
(See ‘More’)
Employee
A person who works under a contract of employment. The contract may be express or implied
and, if express, may be verbal or in writing. (Source: s53 HSWA.)
Employer
A person, business, firm, etc. that employs workers.
Enforcement
Order forcing someone to do or not do something.
Enforcement Agencies
Health and safety law is enforced by inspectors appointed under Section 20 of HSWA and
authorised by written warrant from the enforcing authority. (See ‘More’)
(See also Improvement Notices and Prohibition Notices.)
RRC Glossary
Environment
Everything that is not human or animal, i.e. air, land, water (global environment); lighting, noise,
heat (workplace).
Epidemiology
The study of patterns of ill-health in populations.
Ergonomics
The study of the relationship between the worker, the work that they are doing and the
environment in which they are doing it, with the objective of improving their comfort, safety
and productivity.
European (EU) Directives

Directives are legal instruments from the EU, which are binding on all member states as to the
objectives to be achieved. The method for achieving the objectives set out in the Directive is
left to individual Member States to decide, thus giving Member States a certain amount of
flexibility in deciding the form and content of the implementing law.
European (EU) Regulations

Regulations are legal instruments from the EU, which apply directly to Member States. There is
no need for Member States to write laws to implement the Regulations, since the Regulations
apply directly.
European (EU) Treaties

A Treaty is a formally concluded and ratified agreement between Member States. Treaties are
primary EU legislation and are not subject to challenge.
Evaluation
The decision-making process whereby one decides, on the basis of estimates of risk, as to
whether or not a risk is acceptable.
Ex Officio
A member of a board, committee or similar body, who is a member of that body by virtue of
holding another office.
Explosion
A sudden and violent release of energy, causing a pressure blast wave. Usually it is the result, not
the cause, of a sudden release of gas under high pressure, but the presence of gas is not
necessary for an explosion.
RRC Glossary
-F-
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
An analytical hazard identification technique, best employed at the design and development
stages of a new process, but could also be used to systematically examine a process already in
operation or as a source of background information when investigating an accident. It can be
used for a wide range of engineering situations. (See ‘More’)
Fault Tree Analysis

A top-down, or deductive, assessment technique, presented in the form of a diagram using logic
gates to describe the relationship between a ‘top event’ and its root causes. Fault trees can be
used proactively as part of a detailed risk analysis, or reactively as an accident investigation tool.
They can also be quantified such that it becomes possible to work out the probability of
occurrence of a particular event.
Fermentation
Slow decomposition of organic substances (i.e. vegetable matter) due to action of micro-
organisms or enzymes.
Fibrillation
A term used to describe the rapid, irregular and unsynchronised contraction of muscle fibres.
Often used in connection with heart failure (see Ventricular Fibrillation).
Fire
A combustion reaction in which fuel is converted to combustion products (smoke, fumes,
gases) in the presence of oxygen. It is a rapid, self-sustaining gas phase oxidation process that
produces heat and light. When combustion takes place in solids or liquids, it is the vapours given
off which ignite rather than the solid or liquid itself.
Fire Alarm Systems

A system, known to all in the organisation, that is used to raise the alarm in the event of a fire or
other similar emergency. (See ‘More’)
Fire Authority
A supervisory body that ensures that a local Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) performs efficiently
and in the best interest of the public and community it serves. (See ‘More’)
Fire Classification
Fires are normally classified into categories according to the fuel type and means of extinction.
(See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
Fire Detection
Fire can be detected in one of three main ways:
• By sensing heat - actual temperature or the rate of temperature rise.

• By detecting the presence of smoke.
• By detecting the presence of flame.
Fire Extinction
The process of putting a fire out. It can be achieved by one or more of the following:
• Starvation - a reduction in the concentration of the fuel.

• Smothering - a reduction in the concentration of oxygen.
• Cooling - a reduction in the rate of energy input into the fire.
Fire Extinguishers
Appliances containing an extinguishing medium and designed to be carried and operated by
hand.
Fire Instructions
A notice informing people of the action they should take on either hearing a fire alarm or
discovering a fire.
Fire Point
The lowest temperature at which the heat from combustion of a burning vapour is capable of
producing sufficient vapour to sustain combustion.
Fire Resistance
The ability of structural elements of buildings, such as a plastered nine-inch brick wall or a cavity
partition wall, to withstand fire. (See ‘More’)
Fire Safety Log Book

A record incorporating fire safety procedures, legal requirements, approved codes, guidance
and management systems for fire prevention maintained by an organisation.
Fire Spread Control

Fire spread control in buildings implies preventing the formation of a mixture of combustible
materials and air within the flammable limits. (See ‘More’)
Fire Tetrahedron
A development of the ‘fire triangle’, described as a triangular-based pyramid having four sides
representing:
• Oxygen, or air.
• A fuel or combustible substance.
• A source of energy.
• The chemical chain reaction by which the fire is sustained.
RRC Glossary
The removal of one of the above four elements should result in a combustion reaction stopping
or failing to take place.
Fire Ventilation
A technique designed to prevent and control fire spread in a building by directing products of
combustion through the use of purpose-designed ventilators. (See ‘More’)
First Aid
Defined in the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 as follows:
(a) In cases where a person will need help from a medical practitioner or nurse, treatment for
the purpose of preserving life and minimising the consequences of injury and illness until
such help is obtained, and
(b) Treatment of minor injuries which would otherwise receive no treatment or which do not
need treatment by a medical practitioner or nurse.
Fit Note
A medical statement that doctors in the UK issue to patients, which replaced the ‘sick note’
scheme in April 2010. (See ‘More’)
Fixed Fire-fighting Equipment

Various forms of permanent installation in buildings provided for fighting fires, for example
hose reels and sprinkler systems.
Flame Detectors
The flame of a fire emits not only visible light but also ultra-violet and infrared radiation. Flame
detectors operate on the basis of detecting either of these forms of radiation.
Flammable
This describes a property of any substance that will catch fire and burn under normal workplace
conditions.
Flammable Gas Detectors

These operate at the pre-fire condition, measuring the concentration of flammable gas in the
atmosphere, actuating an alarm when the concentration reaches a predetermined fraction of
the lower explosive limit. (See ‘More’)
Flammable Limits
See Limits of Flammability.
Flash Point
The flash point is the minimum liquid temperature at which sufficient vapour is given off a liquid
to form a mixture with air capable of ignition but not to continue burning under prescribed test
conditions.
RRC Glossary
Flashover
The condition when, at a certain point in a fire, all the carbon-containing material suddenly and
spontaneously ignites.
Flexion
Bending action; e.g. the elbow is ‘flexed’ when the hand is brought closer to the shoulder.
Formal Caution
A statement by an inspector that is accepted in writing by the duty holder, that the duty holder
has committed an offence for which there is a realistic prospect of conviction. (See ‘More’)
Framework Directive
In 1989 the EU Council adopted Directive 89/391, which became known as ‘The Framework
Directive’, and which introduced structured measures to encourage improvement in the safety
and health of employees at work. Most health and safety legislation created subsequently by the
EU is based upon it. (See ‘More’)
Free-Flowing Solid
In the context of confined spaces, this is any substance consisting of solid particles and which is
of, or is capable of being in, a flowing or running consistency and includes flour, grain, sugar,
sand or other similar materials.
Frequency
The number of sound pressure waves generated per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). The
frequency of a sound wave relates directly to its pitch.
Friction
The resistance an object encounters in moving over another.
Frictional Force
The force needed to push an object over a given surface. Pushing an item over a smooth surface
will require less force than pushing the same item over a rough surface.
Fumes
Solid particles that usually form an oxide on contact with air. They are created by industrial
processes that involve the heating and melting of metals, such as welding, smelting, lead burning
and arc air gouging, and can arise as a product of combustion, e.g. lead poisoning is associated
with the inhalation of lead fume.
Fumigation
A method of pest control that involves filling an area with pesticide gasses, which poison
vermin, insects, etc.
Fuse
An electrical safety device that is designed to protect electrical equipment from overheating.
(See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
Fusion Heat Detector

In its simplest form, it consists of an electrical circuit incorporating a switch held in either the
open or closed position by a piece of low-melting alloy. In the heat of the fire this alloy melts,
the switch is released and the circuit conditions change, allowing an extinguishing medium to be
released.
RRC Glossary
-G-
Gantry
Used in the context of cranes, this refers to a hoist mounted on a trolley that moves
horizontally on a rail or pair of rails. An example of a gantry crane is an overhead travelling
crane. Gantry cranes are also used in shipyards and container ports, with some having very high
lifting capacities.
Gap Analysis
A technique in which the current situation is defined and compared with the desired or ‘target’
situation. Differences, or ‘gaps’ can then be identified and acted upon in order to bring the
current situation closer to the desired situation.
Gauge Pressure
Pressure relative to atmospheric pressure.
General Damages
These arise as a result of the accident and include awards for pain, suffering, loss of amenity and
future loss of earnings.
Goal
In the context of organisational management, an object of effort or ambition.
Goal-Setting Legislation/Approach
Legislative requirements (e.g. in Acts, Regulations or Orders) that specify broad objectives to be
achieved but leave it to the duty holder to decide the best way to achieve the goal. This is the
approach used in much modern health and safety law and is the opposite of the older
‘prescriptive’ style.
Green Paper
In the UK Parliamentary system, a statement of government intent. Its objective is to seek
opinion and feedback on proposals, rather than to announce firm policy (see White Paper).
Groundwater
Water located below the surface in soil and rock fractures. Groundwater is sourced from rain,
snow, etc, which soaks into the ground, eventually saturating the sub-surface material. The top
of this area of saturation is known as the ‘water table’.
Guardrails
Protective railings, e.g. around the working platform of a scaffold.
Guidance Notes
One of four forms of information on health and safety. (See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
-H-
Hand-Arm Vibration
“Mechanical vibration which is transmitted into the hands and arms during a work activity.”
(Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005).
Harmful
Produces serious acute or chronic ill-health or death at larger doses than would be the case for
a toxic substance.
Hazard
Something with the potential to cause harm.
Hazard Data Sheet
See Material Safety Data Sheet.
Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP)

A structured discovery technique for identifying hazards resulting from potential malfunctions
in a process. This technique is normally conducted at the plant design stage and is carried out by
a multi-disciplinary team. (See ‘More’)
Hazardous Substances
See Substance Hazardous to Health.
Health
“A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity”. (Source: The World Health Organisation, 1948).
Health and Safety Climate

See Climate.
Health and Safety Culture

See Culture.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The UK Health and Safety Regulatory Authority, responsible for the enforcement of health and
safety law in higher-risk workplaces such as factories, construction sites, nuclear installations,
etc. (See ‘More’)
Health and Safety Policy

A critical document that underpins the entire safety management system. (See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
Health Champion
An individual who works within an organisation to promote health and well-being in the
workplace and leads the way in developing a healthier workplace.
Health Needs Assessment (HNA)

“A systematic method of reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed
priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities.” (Source:
Health Development Agency, 2005.)
Health Promotion
“The process of enabling people to increase control over, and improve, their health.” (Source:
Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, WHO, Geneva, 1986.)
Health Record
Defined in the Access to Medical Records Act 1998 (AMRA) as being any record which consists
of information relating to the physical or mental health or condition of an individual, and has
been made by, or on behalf of, a health professional in connection with the care of that
individual.
Health Surveillance
An assessment of a worker’s medical fitness that focuses on one specific aspect of health in
relation to a particular hazard or hazard group. The intention of health surveillance is to
determine a worker’s state of health with regards to the hazard and then to track that aspect of
their health forward in time through repeat assessments.
Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver, caused by viruses, toxic substances, or immunological abnormalities.
Holistic
Trying to understand all the interactions between the separate components as they work
together as a whole.
Holistic Approach
A systems analysis approach that requires the analyst to look at the behaviour of the total
system rather than isolated workings of individual components.
Housekeeping
A set of simple procedures that help in reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls on the level as
well as reducing the risk of fire in a workplace. (See ‘More’)
HSE Guidance Notes

See Guidance Notes.
HSG65
Guidance booklet entitled ‘Successful Health and Safety Management’, published by HSE Books
(ISBN 0 7176 1276 7), which defines five steps to achieve good safety management. (See
‘More’)
RRC Glossary
Human Capital
The set of skills which an employee acquires on the job, through training and experience, and
which increases that employee’s value in the marketplace.
Human Error
Unintentional action or decision which deflects from an accepted standard and leads to an
undesirable outcome.
Humidifiers
Devices for maintaining or increasing level of humidity in the atmosphere.
Hydraulic
Conveying water or worked by water or other liquid in pipes.
Hypoglycaemia
Low blood sugar levels – too low to provide enough energy for the body’s activities.
Hypothermia
A condition in which the body’s core temperature is caused to drop to a level below which
normal metabolic function begins to slow then cease. Caused by exposure to cold
environments, where the heat being lost by the body is not being balanced by heat gain.
Symptoms range from shivering through to mood changes, disorientation, confusion and
increased fatigue, ultimately resulting in death if the body’s core temperature cannot be raised
in time.
RRC Glossary
-I-
Incidence
With reference to the analysis of accident and ill-health data, this reflects the number of new
cases of a particular event in a population over a given time (e.g. a year).
Impedance
A term used in electrical and electronic engineering to describe a form of opposition that a
circuit gives to the flow of current through it. Impedance is not the same as ‘resistance’, since it
accounts for phase differences in alternating current circuits and therefore has both magnitude
and phase, whereas resistance has magnitude only.
Improvement Notice
A formal notice, issued under s21 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, in situations
where an enforcing authority inspector is of the opinion that a person is contravening one or
more of the relevant statutory provisions, or has contravened one or more of those provisions
in circumstances that make it likely that the contravention will continue to be repeated. The
notice requires the contravention to be remedied within a specific time frame, which is at the
inspector’s discretion. Appeals may be lodged with the Employment Tribunal within 21 days of
receipt of the notice.
Incubation
Medical term (often used in the context of ‘incubation period’), meaning the period between
infection and appearance of symptoms.
Incentive
An inducement that provides a source of motivation for someone to do something, usually in
the form of some sort of reward for achieving a particular goal or milestone.
Induction Training
Training given to new employees to help them become familiar with their new working
environment, any safety and welfare issues, and how their work relates to the organisation.
Informing
Providing information in a form that people can understand and then checking that the
information has been understood. The information flow is one-way.
Ingress
To go into or enter. The opposite of egress.
Innocuous
Having no adverse effect; harmless.
RRC Glossary
Inspectors (Powers of)

Enforcement of health and safety legislation is undertaken by inspectors appointed under
Section 20 of HSWA and authorised by written warrant from the enforcing authority. (See
‘More’)
In Tandem
Together at the same time.
Intoxication
State of being drunk or highly excited.
Intumescent Strip
Used as a passive fire protection device, often around door frames. It swells when heated, thus
providing a seal against ingress of smoke.
Investing in Human Capital
This refers to the training and development of employees and ensuring that they feel valued as
members of the team.
Ion
An atom having one or more additional electrons or one or more less electrons in orbit around
the nucleus. Addition of electrons creates a ‘negative ion’; subtraction of electrons creates a
‘positive ion’.
Ionisation
The process whereby one or more electrons is removed from, or added to, the orbit around the
nucleus of an atom, leaving a net positive or negative charge. The resulting atom is known as an
ion.
Ionising Radiation
Energy emitted by the radioactive decay of radioactive substances and by X-rays. Its energy is
sufficient to ionise the atoms in living tissue and cause biological harm (see ionisation).
Workplace exposure may arise in nuclear power generation, university and medical use, certain
types of food processing and industrial materials testing procedures.
Irritant
Describes substances that can cause tissues to become inflamed if contact is prolonged or
repeated.
ISO 14001
An international standard which sets out principles and steps to implement an effective
Environmental Management System (EMS). (See ‘More’)
See also EMAS (2).
RRC Glossary
ISO 9000
A series of documents describing how quality can be controlled by means of a comprehensive
quality system covering all functions within an organisation. Setting up and documenting such
an effective quality system demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to quality and its
competence to meet its customers’ requirements.
Isolation
An engineering control in which a hazardous job or process is either moved to, or enclosed in, a
place where few people will be exposed to the hazard; alternatively, a worker is moved to a safe
place away from the hazardous job or process where there is no exposure.
Isotopes
Chemical elements that have identical atomic numbers but different mass numbers.
RRC Glossary
-J-
Jaundice
A disease causing yellowing of eyes, skin, etc. due to excessive bile being produced by the liver.
Jib
The central pole or beam (i.e. boom) of a crane or derrick.
Job Rotation
Where people are moved from job to job to ensure that they are not harmed by repeating the
same movements, or not affected by prolonged exposure to adverse environmental conditions
such as excessive heat or cold.
Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

A technique commonly used to develop a safe system of work. (See ‘More’)
A JSA has six steps, as follows:
• Select the task to be analysed.

• Record each step of the task.
• Examine each step to identify hazards.
• Develop the safe system of work.
• Implement the safe system of work.
• Monitor the application and effectiveness of the safe system of work.
Judicial Precedent
Principles and doctrines based on previous decisions made by judges. Alternatively, ‘a decision
of a court to which authority is attached’.
RRC Glossary
-K-
There are no entries under K.
RRC Glossary
-L-
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER)
An artificially-produced light emitted in such a way as the light waves are all of one wavelength
and are all in phase, producing a very coherent and usually non-divergent beam.
Legionnaire’s Disease
A potentially fatal lung infection (pneumonia) that is caused by the Legionella Pneumophila
bacteria. It is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person. Initial
symptoms include a high fever and muscle pain. Once the bacteria begin to infect the lungs,
sufferers may also develop a persistent cough. (See ‘More’)
Lenticular
Shaped like a lens or lentil seed.
Leptospirosis
A bacterial infection transmitted by rats, mice, dogs; causes a fever in humans, sometimes
jaundice or meningitis. Also known as Weil’s disease.
Levy
Charge.
Limits of Flammability
The extremes of fuel (vapour or gas) to air ratios between which the mixture is combustible.
Between the Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) and the Upper Flammable Limit (UFL) lies the
explosive or flammable range. The LFL and UFL are sometimes referred to as the Lower
Explosive Limit (LEL) and the Upper Explosive Limit (UEL), respectively.
Litigant
The term used to describe the parties to legal proceedings. Litigants are those who contest the
case (claimants and defendants). They may represent themselves (‘litigants in person’) or may
be represented by a professional advocate.
Litigation
The process of taking legal action.
Local Exhaust Ventilation

A mechanical suction-based air extraction system designed to remove pollutants from the
workplace air.
Long-term Exposure Limits

Long-term exposure limits are designed to reduce the accumulation of harmful substances in
the body, or conditions which would enhance a disease risk with continuing contact.
RRC Glossary
Lower Explosive Limit

Lumbar
An adjective relating to the abdominal section of the back between the diaphragm and the
pelvis. The human spine has five lumbar vertebrae.
RRC Glossary
-M-
Machinery
Machinery can be defined as:
• An assembly, fitted with or intended to be fitted with a drive system other than directly
applied human or animal effort, consisting of linked parts or components, at least one of
which moves, and which are joined together for a specific application.
• An assembly as referred to in sub-paragraph (i), missing only the components to connect it
on site or to a source of energy and motion.
• An assembly as referred to in sub-paragraph (i) or (ii), ready to be installed and able to
function as it stands only if mounted on a means of transport, or installed in a building or
structure.
• Assemblies of machinery as referred to in sub-paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) or partly
completed machinery, which, in order to achieve the same end, are arranged and
controlled so that they function as an integral whole.
• An assembly of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves and which are
joined together, intended for lifting loads and whose only power source is directly applied
human effort.
Machinery Guarding Principles

All guards must be suitable for their purpose and a protection device or interlocking system
must be designed so that it will operate only as intended. If the overall risk is high then there
should be adequate provision to counteract the effects of failure. Guards and protection
devices must be of good construction and be capable of doing the job they are intended to do.
Once constructed and installed, the law requires them to be maintained in efficient working
order and in good repair.
Machinery Hazards
Machines that present hazards in general workplaces. (See ‘More’)
Manage
To organise, regulate and be in charge (e.g. of a business).
Mandatory
Compulsory (e.g. by law or because of a local rule); where there is no choice.
Manual Handling
The lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling of a load using bodily force.
RRC Glossary
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Also known as a ‘hazard data sheet’ or ‘chemical safety data sheet’, it is a detailed information
sheet on chemicals, substances or preparations which has been written and made available by
the manufacturer of the chemical, or by an organisation such as the International Programme
on Chemical Safety. (See ‘More’)
Maximum Explosion Pressure

The maximum pressure occurring in a closed vessel during the explosion of an explosive
atmosphere. It is determined under specified test conditions with different atmospheres (dust,
gas, etc.) having different explosion pressure values.
Means of Escape
A means of escape in case of fire is a continuous route by way of a space, room, corridor,
staircase, doorway or other means of passage, along or through which persons can travel from
wherever they are in a building to the safety of the open air at ground level by their own
unaided efforts. (See ‘More’)
Meniscal Lesion/Tear
Rupture of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips (called ‘menisci’) in the knee. Symptoms
include pain and/or swelling of the knee joint.
Mental Health Condition

“This term describes all mental disorders or illnesses that meet generally accepted criteria for
clinical diagnosis, treatment or interventions. They include common conditions, such as
depression and anxiety, as well far less common conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar
disorder.” (Source: Working our way to better mental health: a framework for action,
DWP/DH, December 2009 (http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/
document/cm77/7756/7756.pdf).)
Metabolites
Products of chemical changes in living organisms.
Microswitch
A miniature electrical switch with many uses such as part of a machine’s interlock mechanism.
Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE)

The MIE of a dust cloud is the lowest energy of a high-voltage capacitor discharge required to
ignite the most readily ignitable dust/air mixture at atmospheric pressure and room
temperature. The dust concentration and the ignition delay are systematically varied until a
minimum value of the ignition energy is found. The tested energy levels are 1000, 300, 100, 30,
10, 3 and 1mJ.
Miscommunication
The phenomenon whereby a message is improperly conveyed, causing it to be misunderstood
or not received.
RRC Glossary
Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs)

A mobile machine that is intended to move persons to working positions where they can carry
out work from the mobile working platform. Consists as a minimum of a work platform with
controls, an extending structure and a chassis.
Mobile Work Equipment

Any work equipment which carries out work while it is travelling or which travels between
different locations where it is used to carry out work. Examples include Mobile Elevating Work
Platforms (MEWPs) and mobile cranes.
Monitoring Hazardous Substances

HSE Guidance Note HSG 173, ‘Monitoring Strategies for Toxic Substances’, gives advice on the
principles of monitoring of hazardous substances. The basic philosophy is “Do not measure
unless you know what you are measuring and what it is you will do with the results”. First
identify the substances, the process and the workers, and then devise a monitoring strategy.
(See ‘More’)
Morale
The level of commitment, energy and enthusiasm that a workforce has for the work being
done.
Motivate
Getting people to do, willingly and well, that which needs to be done.
Motivation
A person’s drive towards a goal; the thing that is making them do what they do.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a group of painful disorders of muscles, tendons
and nerves. The main types of MSDs are:
• Back pain.
• Neck and shoulder pain.
• Upper limb disorders, e.g. tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Lower limb disorders, e.g. bursitis.
Mutagens
Substances that can cause heritable birth defects. Mutagens (mutagenic substances) cause
changes (mutations) in a cell’s DNA, the resulting changes being passed down to future
generations.
RRC Glossary
-N-
Near Hit
See Near Miss.
Near Miss
An unplanned, uncontrolled incident that could have resulted in loss but did not.
Negligence
In English law, a tort (civil wrong). Negligence is a breach of a legal duty to take reasonable care,
which results in damage to the claimant.
Neighbour
Such person who may be closely and directly affected by the acts or omissions in question (see
Neighbour Principle).
Neighbour Principle
A phrase derived from the speech of Atkin LJ in Donoghue v Stevenson, 1932 and used as a test
in cases of negligence. This principle requires parties to take reasonable care to avoid those acts
or omissions that they might reasonably foresee would be liable to injure their neighbour.
Neuropathy
A long-term complication (e.g. of diabetes or exposure to vibrating hand tools) that affects the
nerves that carry messages from skin, bones and muscles to the brain, often occurring in nerves
in the feet and legs.
Neurotic
A term used to describe severe forms of anxiety or depression.
Noise
Unwanted or excessive sound. When a source of sound becomes irritating, it is classed as noise.
Over a certain limit, noise can cause physical damage; it can lead to ill-health or contribute to an
accident. (See ‘More’)
Noise Exposure
The damaging effects of noise are related to the total amount of energy or “dose” which the
ear receives. The dose/energy depends on two factors: the level of noise and the duration of
exposure. (See ‘More’)
Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

A condition which results from a failure of the hair cells in the cochlea to respond fully to sound
intensities having frequencies within the human speech range. The person does not necessarily
lose the ability to hear sound, but is not able to distinguish the spoken word clearly, even if it is
presented with a raised voice.
RRC Glossary
Non-degradable
That which cannot be broken down.
Non-ferrous
A term used to describe metal that does not contain iron, e.g. lead, copper, etc.
Non-ionising Radiation
Radiant energy that does not cause ionisation in matter. It consists only of electromagnetic
radiation with wavelengths greater than 100nM, e.g. microwaves, radio waves, ultraviolet, infra
red.
Norms
A system of social rules and ‘laws’ that govern societal behaviours. Although not the same as
formal laws, norms still operate so as to promote social control. (See ‘More’)
Noxious
A substance that is physically harmful or destructive to living beings, e.g. noxious waste.
Nutrients
Substances that are needed by living organisms to enable them to live and grow.
RRC Glossary
-O-
Obiter Dicta
(In relation to common law judicial decisions.) Literally ‘comments by the way’. Comments
made by the judge that are not intended to create a binding precedent but may aid
understanding of the legal issues and may be viewed as having some persuasive authority.
Occupational Health
“The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-
being of workers in all occupations by preventing departures from health, controlling risks and
the adaption of work to people and people to their jobs”. (Source: International Labour
Organisation, ILO/WHO 1950.)
Occupational Health Monitoring

Routine medical tests or examinations carried out to check individual workers for exposure to
certain workplace agents; often required by legislation dealing with specific agents, e.g. lead.
(See Biological Monitoring.)
Occupational Health Risks

The risk of developing ill-health conditions (e.g. musculoskeletal disorders and respiratory
problems) following exposure to a hazardous agent or due to the way in which the task is
carried out.
Occupational Health Services

These involve the services of occupational health doctors, nurses and technicians as well as
specialists in particular fields such as audiometricians. There may also be involvement from the
Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS) in the form of EMAS medical advisers or
appointed doctors. (See ‘More’)
Occupier
A person (or persons) who has sufficient degree of control over premises that he ought to
realise that any failure on his part to exercise care may result in injury to a lawful visitor. (Wheat
v Lacon, 1966).
Oedema
A medical term for the build-up of fluid in the body’s tissues. Oedema can affect any part of the
body such as feet and ankles (peripheral oedema), the brain (cerebral oedema) or the lungs
(pulmonary oedema).
OHSAS 18001
An international standard created by a number of the world’s leading national standards bodies,
certification bodies, and specialist consultancies. A main driver for this was to try to remove
confusion in the workplace from the proliferation of certifiable Occupational Health and Safety
RRC Glossary
specifications. The standard replaced a number of older documents used in the creation
process. (See ‘More’)
Opacity
Quality of something that is opaque or dense.
Operatives
Those directly involved in an activity.
Organisational Conflict
Any perceived clash of interests between individuals, groups or levels of authority in an
organisation.
Over 7-Day Injury
An injury that is not ‘major’ but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to
do the full range of their normal duties for more than seven days. (See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
-P-
Pandemic
An epidemic (outbreak) of an infectious disease infecting a large number of people and
occurring over a wide geographical area.
Particulate
In the form of, or relating to, particles or small matter.
Pathogen
A biological agent capable of causing disease.
Peer
A person of equal level or rank in terms of age or social or educational background.
Peer Group
Group of individuals of similar age, social or educational background.
Perception
The recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory.
Permit-to-Work
A formal, documented safety procedure, forming part of a safe system of work, which ensures
that all necessary actions are taken before, during and after particularly high-risk work.
Permanent Threshold Shift

A condition where there is a permanent reduction in hearing acuity with the most pronounced
reduction occurring at 4KHz. The reduction is irreversible, with no recovery of hearing acuity
with time away from exposure.
Personal Protective Equipment

“All equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended
to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his
health or safety, and any addition or accessory designed to meet that objective.”(PPE at Work
Regulations 1992) e.g. safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety
footwear and safety harnesses.
Personal Sampling
This assesses individual exposure to airborne contaminants in relation to the set occupational
exposure limits. Sampling concentrates on individuals and their specific work locations to
determine personal levels of exposure to the contaminants present in the working
environment.
RRC Glossary
Persuasive Precedent
Decisions that are not binding on a court but to which a judge may decide to attach some
weight, e.g. decisions of superior courts in Commonwealth countries that are treated with some
respect by UK Courts.
Plant and Equipment

A term used to describe mobile and fixed work equipment.
Pneumoconiosis
A group of lung diseases caused by the inhalation - and retention in the lungs - of dusts. The
most commonly-occurring types of pneumoconiosis (apart from asbestosis) are coal worker’s
pneumoconiosis, arising from the inhalation of coal dust, and silicosis, arising from the
inhalation of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS).
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A mental health condition that may develop following involvement in, or witnessing, a
traumatic event or events.
Power Take-Off Device

A device that conveys power from mobile work equipment to any work equipment connected
to it, e.g. from a tractor gearbox to power a baling machine being towed behind the tractor.
Powers of Inspectors
See Inspectors – Powers of.
Practicable
A level of legal duty that is lower than an ‘absolute’ duty but which still must be met without
regard to cost provided it is technically feasible to do so, e.g. the duty to guard dangerous parts
of machinery, found in Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
1998.
Presbycusis
A reduction in hearing acuity that occurs naturally with age.
Prescriptive Legislation
Legislation that details specifically what must be done. Nowadays, this is a less popular approach
as it is deemed to place too many constraints on duty holders and lacks flexibility.
Presenteeism
The phenomenon of employees going to work when they are ill.
Pressure System
A means of storing and transporting energy for use in the workplace.
Prevalence
In the context of analysis of ill-health data, the total number of cases of a disease in a particular
population as a proportion of the total population.
RRC Glossary
Primary Care
Health services provided to a patient on first contact with the health care system, such as GP
surgeries, dental practices, pharmacies, etc.
Proactive
Forward-looking; a term often used in connection with monitoring and performance
measurement and increasingly referred to simply as active.
Procedural Control
A general term for a group of control measures such as safe systems of work and permits to
work, which are procedurally-based.
Process Approach
Individual activities and their related resources are managed as a process (each with their inputs
and outputs); e.g. an organisation can be viewed as a system comprising a network of
interrelated processes, where outputs of one process can be inputs for others.
Progressive
Gets worse over time.
Prohibition Notices
A formal notice issued under s22 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in cases where an
enforcing authority inspector is of the opinion that the activities involve, or may involve, the risk
of serious personal injury. (See ‘More’)
Prolapse
To fall down or become out of place, e.g. a ‘prolapsed disc’ is used to describe a herniated
intervertebral disc in the spine.
Prophylactic
Medication or treatment used to prevent disease.
Psychology
A study of the human personality.
Pursuance
The act of carrying out something or putting it into effect.
Putrefaction
The decomposition of organic matter.
RRC Glossary
-Q-
Qualitative Risk Assessment
The comprehensive identification and description of hazards, from a specified activity to people
or the environment. (See ‘More’)
Qualified Majority Voting (QMV)

A system of voting used in the European Union as part of the process of making new legislation.
(See ‘More’)
Quantifiable
Capable of being measured.
Quantitative Risk Assessment

The application of a methodology to produce a numerical representation of the frequency and
extent of a specified level of exposure or harm, to specified people or the environment, from a
specified activity. This will facilitate comparison of the results with specified criteria. Tends to be
more objective than a qualitative assessment.
Quantum
Amount. Can be used in the context of a claim for compensation, where the amount of the
claim is referred to as the ‘quantum’.
Quick Hitch
A latching device fitted to an excavator, which enables attachments to be connected to the arm
of the plant and interchanged quickly, e.g. an excavator operator may change the bucket on his
excavator up to 30 times per day.
RRC Glossary
-R-
Ratio Decided
In relation to common law judicial decisions, literally ‘the reason for the decision’. A statement
of the law based on an examination of the facts and the legal issues surrounding them. This is
the most important part of a judgment, which contains the precedent.
Reactive Monitoring
A technique that is employed after an incident or following recognition of some loss making
event, in which an attempt is made to learn the lessons in order to prevent further loss in the
future, e.g. an accident investigation.
Reagent
In chemistry, substance that reacts in a certain way to other substances and that can be used in
tests.
Reasonably Practicable
A level of legal duty. A narrower term than ‘physically possible’ and implies that a computation
must be made in which the quantum of risk is placed on one side of the scale and the sacrifice
involved in carrying out the measures necessary for averting the risk is placed on the other side.
If it can be shown that there is a gross disproportion between the above factors, the risk being
insignificant to the sacrifice, then a defendant discharges the onus upon themselves. (Edwards v
National Coal Board, 1949.)
Receptor
Equipment or structure adapted to receive substances (e.g. a receptor hood on an LEV system).
Reductionist Approach
A systems analysis approach wherein the system is divided into its components for individual
analysis to identify system or subsystem failures, e.g. as in a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
(FMEA).
Relative Density
The density of a substance under consideration, divided by the density of some standard
substance under the same conditions of temperature and pressure.
Relative Humidity
The ratio of the mass of water in a given volume of air at a given temperature divided by the
mass of water required to saturate that volume of air at the same temperature.
Relevant Doctor
In the context of medical surveillance, a relevant doctor is either a medical inspector of the
HSE’s Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS), or a doctor appointed by the HSE.
RRC Glossary
Relevant Persons
Any person who is, or may be, lawfully on the premises, and anyone in the immediate vicinity
who is at risk from a fire on the premises. This does not include fire fighters when carrying out
fire-fighting or other emergency duties. (Term as used in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order 2005.)
Renal
Relating to the kidney.
Reportable Diseases
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)
(SI 1995 No. 2023) require certain occupational diseases to be reported to the enforcing
authority in order that workplace ill-health can be monitored. (See ‘More’)
Reprotoxic
Any substance that may affect male or female fertility or harm a foetus.
Residual Current Device

An electrical safety device that continually measures current flowing in the live and neutral lines
of an electrical circuit and which will trip if there is any difference between the two, which is
interpreted as a short circuit to earth.
Residual risk
Risk that remains once controls have been put in place.
Responsible Person
In a workplace, this is the employer if the workplace is to any extent under his control, and any
other person who may have control of any part of the premises, e.g. the occupier or owner. In
all other premises the person or people in control of the premises will be responsible. If there is
more than one responsible person in any type of premises, all must take reasonable steps to
work with each other. (Term as used in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.)
Rest Period
Any period which is not working time, other than a rest break or leave to which the worker is
entitled (Working Time Regulations 1998).
Reverberate
To be repeated several times as a succession of echoes.
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(s)
A formalised process involving a careful examination of what, in the workplace, could cause
harm to people, so that a decision can be taken as to whether one has taken enough
precautions or should do more to prevent harm.
RRC Glossary
Risk Estimation
The process of determining the magnitude of the risk. This may be a relatively crude estimation,
e.g. ‘high, medium or low’ (as in a qualitative assessment), or it could be a more accurate
estimate based on data.
Risk Management
A field of activity in which one seeks to eliminate, reduce and generally control pure risks and to
enhance the benefits and avoid detriment from speculative risks. (After Waring & Glendon,
1998.)
Risk Reduction
Risk is not avoided or eliminated entirely, but attempts are made to reduce the frequency
and/or severity of a potential loss by use of typical safety control techniques such as
engineering solutions to control risk at source, procedures and behavioural measures such as
training.
Robens Report
Lord Robens chaired a committee to address health and safety issues at work and the idea of
self-regulation in the workplace and this report led to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act
1974. (See ‘More’)
Routes of Entry into the Body

Substances may be absorbed into the body via any one of the following routes:
• By absorption through intact skin, or through the conjunctiva of the eye.

• Via a break in the skin e.g. through an open wound.
• By injection of a substance through intact skin, e.g. a biological agent on a ‘sharp’.
• By ingesting the substance.
• By inhalation – the most common route of entry.
Aspiration is a route of entry for solids or liquids directly into the lungs.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

See Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD).
Rupture
To break open or burst. In occupational health, for example, may be used in connection with a
‘ruptured tendon’.
RRC Glossary
-S-
Sacro-Iliac
Refers to a joint in the pelvis, positioned between the sacrum and the ileum of the pelvis, hence
the name. The sacrum is a structure that supports the spine, whilst the two ileum bones (one on
each side of the pelvis) support the sacrum. There are, therefore, two ‘sacro-iliac’ joints.
Safe Person
A person who receives enough information, instruction and training to carry out procedures or
work safely.
Safe Place
An area where danger to people at work is reduced. When applying the general hierarchy of
controls, the principle is to try and establish a ‘safe place’ before trying to ensure a ‘safe person’,
the idea being to give priority to collective protective measures instead of relying on individuals
to behave safely.
Safe System of Work

A formal procedure that results from the systematic examination of a task. It defines safe
methods to ensure that hazards are eliminated or risks minimised. (See ‘More’)
Safety
A state or condition of being safe, where hazards have been controlled to achieve an acceptable
level of risk.
Safety Audit
A systematic, critical examination of every area of a company’s safety management system, with
the objective of minimising loss.
Safety Inspection
A monitoring technique in which a particular working area or department is subjected to a
physical examination in order to identify unsafe acts and unsafe conditions.
Safety Representatives
Representatives chosen from among employees, usually with at least two years’ experience with
their employer or in similar employment, whose main function it is to represent employees in
consultations with the employer. (See ‘More’)
Safety Sampling
An organised system of regular but random sampling in order to obtain a measure of safety
attitudes and possible sources of accidents by recording hazard situations observed during
inspections made along a predetermined route in a factory or site.
RRC Glossary
Safety Survey
A detailed examination of a particular safety aspect shown to be suspect by other techniques,
the findings of which are presented in a formal report and action plan.
Safety Tour
This follows a predetermined route in a factory or site to ensure that standards of housekeeping
are acceptable and that fire exits are not obstructed. This is not as thorough as a safety
sampling.
Sampling
A statistical method of obtaining representative information from a group taken from a parent
population, e.g. questioning 20 employees from a workforce of 100.
Scuppers
Drainage holes, typically found at deck level on ships, but may also be built into buildings in
order to assist drainage.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

A type of depression that has a seasonal pattern, most commonly occurring in the winter
months.
Sediment
A deposit that settles at the bottom of a container of liquid.
Segregation
The act of setting things apart, e.g. the segregation of pedestrians and moving vehicles in an
effort to reduce the risk of being struck.
Self-Employed
An individual who works for gain or reward otherwise than under a contract of employment
whether or not he himself employs others. (S53, HSWA 1974)
Sensitiser
A substance that can cause an allergic response following either a single acute overexposure or
repeated chronic overexposures.
Shearing
In the context of mechanical hazards, where two surfaces move across each other in same plane
so as to create a cutting motion.
Shear Stress
A component of stress coplanar with a material cross section.
Sheeting
In the context of transport, this is a protective covering applied over the top of materials to
protect them (and the people and environment around them) during transit.
RRC Glossary
Shoring
Artificial support for the side walls of an excavation to guard from collapse.
Short-term Exposure Limits

The maximum concentration of a substance or other physical agent that must not be exceeded
over a continuous 15-minute exposure period. Such exposure limits are required by law in many
countries.
Signatory
A person who signs.
Significant Risk
One which could foreseeably result in a major injury or worse arising from:
• incorrect installation or re-installation,

• deterioration, or
• as a result of exception circumstances which could affect the safe operation of the work
equipment.
(As described in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998)
Sludge
Soft mud or slimy substance such as sewage or other similar deposits.
Smelting
To melt in order to separate metal from mineral.
Sociology
A study of the history and nature of human society.
Solubility
The ability of a substance to dissolve.
Sorbent
A solid or liquid material that is capable of absorbing or adsorbing a gas or vapour sample, e.g.
activated charcoal.
Special Damages
These must be expressly pleaded and proven. They are the component of the overall damages
award that covers expenses incurred due to the accident (prescription costs, medical treatment,
transport costs, etc.) and loss of earnings from the date of the accident to the date of trial.
Specified Risk
In connection with confined spaces and as referred to in the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997,
a ‘specified risk’ is one where there is:
• a serious risk of injury to any person at work arising from fire or explosion,
RRC Glossary
• the risk of loss of consciousness of any person at work arising from an increase in body
temperature,
• the risk of loss of consciousness or asphyxiation of any person at work arising from gas,
fume, vapour or lack of oxygen,
• the risk of drowning of any person at work arising from an increase in the level of a liquid,
or
• the risk of asphyxiation of any person at work arising from a free flowing solid or the
inability to reach a respirable environment due to entrapment by a free flowing solid.
See also Free-Flowing Solid.
Sputum
Mucus coughed up from the lower airways.
Static Sampling
This aims to assess the effectiveness of engineering controls of plant emissions into the working
environment by identifying likely sources of contamination from machines or processes. The
sampling equipment is placed at fixed positions, which are selected to provide the most useful
information regarding the principal contaminants emitted into the workroom air.
Statute Law
Written law produced through the Parliamentary process. (See ‘More’)
Steering Group
Group of high-level personnel or managers who meet infrequently to discuss general strategy
for others to then implement.
Stoichiometric Mixture Point

A point between the Lower and Upper Flammable Limits, where the ratio of fuel to air gives the
most efficient combustion.
Stigmatisation
Setting people apart, denouncing them, branding them as different in a condemnatory way.
Strain
The fractional distortion due to stress. A ratio of the amount of distortion divided by the
original length of the sample.
Stress
1. In relation to mechanical engineering, the force applied per unit area, measured in NM-2.
2. Work-related stress – the adverse reaction that people have to excessive pressure or other
types of demand placed upon them.
Strict Liability
Offences of strict liability are those where it is only necessary to prove that the defendant
actually committed the wrongful act, not that he or she intended to do so. (See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
Stroboscopic Effect
The phenomenon where oscillations in light levels synchronise with a multiple of the frequency
of a rotating machine part, causing that part to appear to be stationary.
Struts
Structural components (e.g. in buildings, bridges, etc.), designed to resist longitudinal
compression.
Substance
Any natural or artificial material (including micro-organisms) intended for use (whether
exclusively or not) by persons at work.
Substance Hazardous to Health

CoSHH defines a substance as hazardous to health if:
• It is dangerous for supply within the meaning of the CHIP Regulations and is either very
toxic, toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant.
• It has an approved Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL).
• It is a biological agent.
• It is a dust of any kind at a substantial concentration in air.
• It does not fall into the above categories but creates a similar risk to health.
Substitution
Replacing a hazard with another item or material, etc. which presents lower risk.
Summary Offence
A relatively minor criminal offence, triable only in the Magistrates Court.
Suspension
In chemistry, a mixture of dense fluid and particles that do not settle.
Swarf
Waste material arising from metalworking operations.
System
A regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a united whole.
RRC Glossary
-T-
Target Organs
Refers to the organs in the body that a particular toxic chemical agent will always affect. The
main target organs are the lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, bones, brain and nerves. Different
substances affect different organs, and may also affect more than one target.
Technical Control
Mechanical or engineering device to control or prevent harm to operatives/workers.
Temporary Threshold Shift

A condition that occurs after exposure to high noise levels where hearing acuity returns to
normal after a period of time.
Tenosynovitis
An inflammation of the synovial sheath that surrounds a tendon.
Tetanus
An acute infectious disease (also known as ‘lockjaw’) caused by infection of a wound with a
bacterium that produces a nerve toxin. Symptoms include muscle stiffness, spasms, fever and
convulsions.
Thermal Comfort
“That condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.” (Source:
BS EN ISO 7730)
Tinnitus
A condition that may occur after exposure to excessive noise levels and is characterised by
ringing in the ears.
Time-weighted Average
The average exposure levels, typically over an eight-hour working shift. (See ‘More’)
Tort
A civil wrong (in English law). Examples include trespass, negligence, nuisance and defamation.
Tortfeasor
One who commits a tort; a wrongdoer.
Toxaemia
A condition characterised by bacterial toxins in the blood.
Toxic
This produces serious acute or chronic ill-health or death at small doses. See Very Toxic.
RRC Glossary
Toxic to Reproduction
A substance that is capable of causing sterility, miscarriage or non-heritable birth defects (a
teratogenic effect).
Toxicity
The term used to quantify the effects of a toxic agent (see Acute Toxicity and Chronic
Toxicity).
Toxicology
The study of the nature and effects of toxic substances, their detection and treatment.
Training Cycle
The process that determines the need for training, designs and delivers the training and
evaluates its effectiveness.
Training Gap
Where future standards for knowledge and skills are compared to existing standards to
determine level of training needed.
Trespasser
In connection with trespass to land, an individual who is not invited onto a person’s land.
RRC Glossary
-U-
Ulceration
The formation or development of an ulcer.
Ultra Vires
Literally means “beyond the powers” and is usually applied in a legal context to denote actions
by an organisation or person that exceed their powers, thus making such actions unlawful.
Unconfined Vapour Cloud Explosion

The flammable vapour cloud is not confined; it requires the rapid release of large amounts
(typically at least 5 tonnes) of flammable gas/vapour together with some moderate mixing with
air. Ignition must then occur before the vapour/air mixture has time to dilute below the Lower
Explosive Limit.
Unsafe Acts
Hazardous work practices.
Unsafe Conditions
Hazardous workplace conditions that may lead to harm or danger.
Upper Explosive Limit

RRC Glossary
-V-
Vapour Density
The density of a gas expressed as the mass of a given volume of that gas divided by the mass of
an equal volume of a reference gas such as air or hydrogen.
Vascular
Related to blood vessels.
Ventricular Fibrilation
An abnormal heart rhythm, a type of cardiac arrest, which prevents the pumping of blood in the
lower chambers of the heart. The patient is unconscious and will die unless emergency
intervention (defibrillation) is undertaken.
Very Toxic
This produces serious acute or chronic ill-health, or death at very small doses.
Vicarious Liability
A doctrine of English law wherein one party may be held liable for the wrongful acts of another,
e.g. an employer may be held vicariously liable for the negligent actions of an employee,
provided that, at the time of the alleged negligent act, the employee was acting in the course of
his employment.
Violation
A deliberate deviation from a rule, instruction or procedure.
Virus
An organism that can multiply in living cells and cause infection or disease.
Viscous
Of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky.
Visitor
A third party who visits premises either lawfully or unlawfully. Lawful visitors may enter with
express permission (e.g. by personal invitation) or implied permission (e.g. a customer entering
a shop), or without invitation but with consent or under statutory authority (e.g. an enforcing
authority inspector). Unlawful visitors are those who enter as trespassers.
Visor
A movable part of a helmet protecting the face, especially the eyes; mask.
Vocational Rehabilitation
A process to overcome the obstacles and barriers an individual faces when returning to,
remaining in or accessing work following injury, illness or impairment. It includes procedures to
RRC Glossary
support the individual, employer or others and those required for gaining access to other
services.
Volatile
This describes a liquid which evaporates or turns into a vapour easily under normal workplace
conditions. Where such a liquid is being used there is always a risk that its concentration in the
air may build up rapidly, perhaps giving rise to a fire risk if the vapour is flammable or a health
risk if it is toxic or narcotic.
Volatility
A measure of the tendency of a substance to vaporise.
RRC Glossary
-W-
Weil’s Disease
See Leptospirosis.
Well-being
“A state of being with others, where human needs are met, where one can act meaningfully to
pursue one's goals, and where one enjoys a satisfactory quality of life.” (Source: Economic and
Social Research Council.)
White Paper
In the UK Parliamentary system, a document used to state government policy. The documents
provide the factual basis Parliamentary debate.
Winch
Powerful type of hoist or hauling machine; reel or roller.
Wiring Regulations
Published by the Institute of Engineering Technology (the IET, formerly the IEE), BS7671: 2008,
17TH Edition is the UK’s national standard for low voltage electrical systems (i.e. up to 1000
volts). ‘The Regs’ as they are commonly known, do not apply to systems operating at higher
voltages, nor do they apply to equipment on vehicles, systems for public electricity supply and
explosion protection.
Work at Height
Defined in the Work at Height Regulations 2005 as:
• “work in any place, including a place at or below ground level;

• obtaining access to or egress from such a place while at work, except by a staircase in a
permanent workplace;
• where, if measures required by these Regulations were not taken, a person could fall a
distance liable to cause personal injury.”
Working Party
Groups of supervisors or front-line managers who meet to discuss how to implement strategies
set by steering group and feedback on progress.
Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs)

The maximum concentration of an airborne substance, averaged over a reference period, to
which employees may be exposed by inhalation. (See ‘More’)
Work-Related Ill-Health
Adverse and often long-term poor health due to work activities.
RRC Glossary
Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD)

Upper Limb Disorders (ULDs) arise from ordinary movements, such as repetitive gripping,
twisting, reaching or moving. The disorders are created by prolonged repetition, often in a
forceful and awkward manner, without sufficient rest or recovery time. (See ‘More’)
RRC Glossary
-X-
There are no entries under X.
RRC Glossary
-Y-
There are no entries under Y.
RRC Glossary
-Z-
Zoonoses
Infectious diseases that can be transmitted between species. In the context of occupational
health, this is most frequently referred to as meaning transmission between animals and
humans.
More......
Index
Asbestos
Carcinogens
Construction Work
Control Strategies
Corrosive
Duty of Care
EMAS
Fire Alarm Systems
Fire Authority
Fire Classification
Fire Resistance
Fire Spread Control
Fire Ventilation
Fit Note
Formal Caution
Framework Directive
Fuse
Guidance Notes
Housekeeping
More......
HSG65
ISO 14001
Machinery Hazards
Means of Escape
Noise
Noise Exposure
Norms
OHSAS 18001
Prohibition Notices
Reportable Diseases
Robens Report
Safe System of Work
Statute Law
Strict Liability
More......
More...
Asbestos
Because of its strength and resistance to heat, asbestos has been used for insulation, heat
resistant clothing, roofing and fire-proofing. The physical properties of the material also made it
an ideal additive to ease the manufacture and application of ceiling and wall finishes, tape joint
compounds, floor tiles and mastics. Although banned from general use in many countries,
asbestos is still used in gaskets, brake linings, roofing and other materials.
Carcinogens
Carcinogens include:
• Halogenated compounds, such as vinyl chloride (angiosarcoma of blood vessels in the liver)
and tetrachloromethane (rat liver cancer).
• Nitro-compounds, including 4-nitrobiphenyl (prohibited by COSHH) and chrysoidine (an
azo dye).
• Aromatic amines, such as 2-napthylamine (bladder cancer) and benzidine or biphenyl-4, 4’-
diamine (bladder cancer).
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. mineral cutting oils (scrotal cancer) and
benzo(a)pyrene or 1, 2-benzpyrene (soots, tars, vehicle exhausts).
• Natural carcinogens, including aflatoxin B1 (animal carcinogen).
• Inorganic carcinogens, such as nickel, chromium, arsenic compounds (occupational lung
cancer) and asbestos (lung cancer and mesothelioma).
• Benzene (leukaemia).

Chemical hazards are also classified according to whether they are:
• Liquids, with the potential for skin injuries caused by direct bodily contact with liquid acids
and alkalis due to the corrosive effect of these substances.
• Dusts; solid particles created by operations such as grinding or sieving of solid materials,
which can cause serious lung damage.
• Fumes are finely particulate solids, often metallic, such as lead, cadmium, zinc, copper and
magnesium which can give rise to an illness known as “metal fume fever”.
• Mists consist of finely suspended droplets formed by condensation from a gas or the
atomising of a liquid or from aerosols. Can be created by industrial processes, such as
chromium plating or the charging of lead acid batteries.
• Vapours are the gaseous form of a solid or a liquid. Examples are organic solvent vapours;
and mercury, a particularly hazardous chemical that can vaporise at room temperature and
create a toxic atmosphere.
More......
Construction Work
Carrying out any building, civil engineering or engineering construction work including:
• The construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair,

upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance (including cleaning which involves the use of
water or an abrasive at high pressure or the use of corrosive or toxic substances),
decommissioning, demolition or dismantling of a structure.
• The preparation for an intended structure, including site clearance, exploration,
investigation (but not site survey) and excavation, and the clearance or preparation of the
site or structure for use or occupation at its conclusion.
• The assembly on site of prefabricated elements to form a structure or the disassembly on
site of prefabricated elements which, immediately before such disassembly, formed a
structure.
• The removal of a structure or of any product or waste resulting from demolition or
dismantling of a structure or from disassembly of prefabricated elements which
immediately before such disassembly formed such a structure.
• The installation, commissioning, maintenance, repair or removal of mechanical, electrical,
gas, compressed air, hydraulic, telecommunications, computer or similar services which are
normally fixed within or to a structure.
Control Strategies
The hierarchy of control measures available to prevent exposure to substances hazardous to
health includes substitution with less toxic substances; isolation or enclosure of process; Local
Exhaust Ventilation (LEV); general ventilation; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); controlled
exposure; hygiene measures.
Personal protective equipment is the last line of defence against substances hazardous to health.
It is unacceptable to require employees to be encumbered by PPE when it is the process itself
which should be enclosed, or the hazardous substance which should be eliminated by
substitution.
Corrosive
Injury may be caused through:
• Contact with the Skin and Eyes

Chemical reactions with the fatty tissue of the skin can result in chemical burns while
gases, vapours, mists, aerosols or droplets may contact the cornea of the eye and the
irritant or corrosive may cause eye damage.
More......
• Inhalation
The respiratory system is particularly vulnerable in corrosive and toxic atmospheres. Any
inhaled substance will contaminate the nose, throat and mouth and further down the
respiratory tract, depending on the extent of the exposure. The extent to which gases,
vapours and mists cause problems on inhalation depends upon their solubility and irritant
properties.
• Ingestion
Risk of injury by the accidental swallowing of chemicals is a hazard in laboratory
operations where careless manual pipetting of chemicals can be very dangerous, due to
the possibility of swallowing materials, inhaling vapours or failing to wash hands before
eating meals, smoking or drinking, or from airborne dusts getting into the mouth and
being swallowed.
In the case of ingestion, a much higher concentration of chemical is usually required than
for injury by inhalation. Ingested chemicals are absorbed in the digestive tract and pass
through the liver where many de-oxifying mechanisms operate.
Duty of Care
The duty of care owed by employers to their employees is described in the case of Wilsons and
Clyde Coal Co v English, wherein it was said that the employer is obliged to ensure that
employees are provided with:
• Competent and safety-conscious co-workers.

• A safe system of work.
• Safe plant and equipment.
• A safe place of work.
EMAS
To participate in EMAS, a company must adopt an environmental policy, review environmental
performance at the site in question, develop an environmental management system and plan of
action in light of the findings of the review, audit the system and publish a statement of
performance of the site (see ISO 14001).
Enforcing agencies include:
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - factories, agricultural, nuclear installations, offshore,
railways, etc. inspectorates.
• Local authorities - principally through their environmental health departments - service
industries, shops, offices, etc.
• Fire authorities - for enforcement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Environment Agency - integrated pollution control under environmental protection
legislation and inspection under COMAH99.
More......

The purpose of the analysis is to explore the effect of failures or malfunctions of individual
components within a system. Basically we ask and answer the question, “If this part fails in this
manner, what will be the result?”
Fire Alarm Systems

The basic ‘fire alarm system’ is the human voice, which may be all that is needed in very small
workplaces. More sophisticated systems range from a simple hand bell to a sophisticated
electronically actuated system linked to a fire station control room. Systems are commonly
linked to heat and/or smoke detection systems, together with in-situ sprinkler systems, the
detection system actuating the audible alarm and sprinkler systems.
Fire Authority
One of its main functions is to collect funding from each local council. The Fire Authority is
responsible for enforcing the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire Classification
The classifications of fire are:
• Class A - involve solid materials, normally of an organic nature, in which the combustion
occurs with the formation of glowing embers, e.g. wood, paper, coal and natural fibres.
Water applied as a jet or spray is the most effective means of extinction.
• Class B - involve liquids and liquefiable solids. Foam is the most effective extinguishing
agent on such fires.
• Class C - involve gases or liquefied gases, e.g. methane, propane and butane. Both foam and
dry powder can be used on small liquefied gas spillage fires, particularly when backed up by
water to cool the leaking container.
• Class D - involve metals, e.g. magnesium and aluminium. They can only be extinguished by
the use of specialised dry powders, which form a crust over the metal and thus exclude
oxygen.
• Class F - cover fat fires, which are generally extinguished using foam or specially adapted
water spray nozzles.
There is also a ‘Class E’, although this is not a formal classification. ‘Class E’ relates to fires in
electrical equipment, which are most effectively tackled by use of carbon dioxide extinguishers.
Fire Resistance
Fire resistance of structural elements is expressed by the notional period of fire resistance for
which a structural element is capable of withstanding fire under specified test conditions (e.g. a
30-minute or 60-minute fire door).
More......
Fire Spread Control

Fire can spread by conduction, convection, radiation or direct burning. Measures to prevent fire
spread include strict control over flammable liquids and gases, with the installation of inert gas
blanketing systems in high-risk situations. Other measures include strict control over ignition
sources, construction elements, fire ventilation and compartmentalisation.
Fire Ventilation
Ventilators take the form of opening doors and strategically located pivoted louvres that
operate individually when a fire starts.
Venting systems also control the mushrooming process whereby fire can spread across
horizontal surfaces, such as ceilings and inner roofs, resulting in the development of secondary
fires from falling products of combustion.
Fit Note
The statement is issued if an employee is absent from work through injury or ill-health for over
seven days. The fit note provides information on how an employee’s condition affects what
they do and how they might be able to return to work. A doctor will give a ‘may be fit for work’
statement if they think that an employee’s health condition may allow them to work, as long as
the employer can give the employee the appropriate support. The fit note gives greater scope
for rehabilitation of the worker back into work and reflects evidence that long-term absence is
bad for health.

The gas mixture is drawn over a catalytic surface on which the flammable gas is oxidised. In turn,
the heat of oxidation raises the temperature of the catalyst surface and the device responds to
the rise in temperature dependent on the concentration of the air/flammable gas mixture
passing over it.
Flammable gas detectors must be calibrated to take into account the different gases to which
they will be exposed; for instance, different calibrations are required for propane and petrol.
Formal Caution
A formal caution may only be used where a prosecution could properly be brought. ‘Formal
cautions’ are entirely distinct from a caution given under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act
by an inspector before questioning a suspect about an alleged offence. Enforcing authorities
should take account of current Home Office guidelines when considering whether to offer a
formal caution. (Source: HSE 41 (rev1) Enforcement Policy Statement, HSE, 2009.)
More......
Framework Directive
The provisions of Directive 89/391 apply to all workplaces and set out general principles
concerning the prevention of occupational risks, the protection of safety and health, and the
elimination of risk and accident factors. The Directive also gives guidelines on the application of
the principles it covers. An important part of it is Article 16, which states that the Commission
shall adopt directives on specific topics relating to the workplace, often called ‘daughter
directives’, which lay down particular requirements for those areas of activity; e.g. display screen
equipment, PPE, etc. The requirements of the ‘daughter directives’ are in addition to and do
not replace provisions of the Framework Directive.
The provisions of the Framework Directive were enacted in the UK by means of the
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992. However, most of the
requirements of the Directive would have already been met by employers if they were fulfilling
their duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulations made under its
umbrella. The main feature to note is the introduction of a formal requirement placed upon
employers to undertake risk assessments.
Fuse
It does not protect people from the effects of electric shock. Under fault conditions, the
equipment will draw excess current, causing a heating effect through the fuse, which contains a
wire that melts, thus isolating the equipment from the incoming supply.
Guidance Notes
The other forms of information on health and safety are:
• Acts of Parliament.
• Regulations made under those Acts.
• Codes of Practice.
Guidance Notes are published by government authorised agencies in relation to the safe
performance of various activities. They are not mandatory nor are they as significant as Codes
of Practice, but a safety inspector would expect an employer to follow them. Guidance Notes
may be used in court as evidence of good practice. They can be freely downloaded from the
HSE website.
More......

HAZOPs allow an assessment to be made at the wider system or ‘plant’ level, not at component
level. Deviations from normal performance are modelled through the use of ‘Guide’ and
‘Property’ words.
‘Guide’ words include ‘No’, ‘More than’, Less than’, etc, while ‘Property’ words include any
physical property such as flow, temperature, pressure, etc. When combined, the Guide and
Property words form a Deviation, which can then be examined. For example, the ‘Guide’ word
‘No’ can be matched with the ‘Property’ word ‘Flow’ to give the deviation ‘No Flow’. The team
will then look at the system schematics to decide how ‘No Flow’ might be caused and then
decide whether the consequences of ‘No Flow’ will demand a design change to prevent this
from happening or mitigate the outcome.

The HSE was established by HSWA 1974. In 2008, it merged with the Health and Safety
Commission (HSC) to become a unitary body, known as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSE’s job is to protect people against risks to health or safety arising out of work activities.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also provide additional Guidance on health and safety
measures, including an extensive series of stand-alone health and safety guidance notes.

The ‘Policy’ is generally arranged in three sections – the ‘Statement of Intent’, ‘Organisation’
and ‘Arrangements’. The ‘Statement of Intent’ sets out the employer’s attitude and
commitment to the management of health and safety. The ‘Organisation’ page defines roles
and responsibilities for health and safety. The ‘Arrangements’ page gives details of how
different aspects of safety and health will be managed in practice.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping procedures help to ensure that work areas and routes are properly maintained
and clean to limit risks and hazards such as wet, slippery or uneven floor surfaces. They also
address the accumulation of waste or other debris in the workplace, as well as other topics such
as identifying and, where appropriate, rectifying poorly lit areas.
More......
HSG65
The five steps to achieve good safety management are:
• Policy - a written policy must be put in place, which sets targets and objectives for dealing
with health and safety issues.
• Organising - deals with roles and responsibilities of all employees to ensure they know what
their part is in the overall safety management system.
• Planning and implementing - to achieve the objectives set in the policy, it is important to
have a strategic plan for health and safety issues.
• Measuring performance - to actively monitor health and safety standards and to learn from
incidents and put corrective actions in place.
• Reviewing performance - critically appraise the system to ensure it is operating effectively.

HSE/EHO inspectors have the power to enter premises at any reasonable time accompanied, if
necessary, by police officers. They can take with them any duly authorised person, equipment or
materials required; make examinations and investigations; direct that any premises, any part
thereof or anything therein shall remain undisturbed for the purposes of examination and
investigation; take measurements, photographs, recordings and samples; cause any article or
substance to be dismantled or subjected to any process or test; take possession of any article or
substance and detain for as long as is necessary; require any person to give information, answer
questions and sign a declaration of truth; require production of, inspect and take copies of
books and documents required to be maintained or otherwise; require any person to afford
appropriate facilities and assistance; inform Safety Representatives of matters they have found
following an investigation or examination; serve Improvement Notices and Prohibition Notices.
ISO 14001
To meet the standards set by ISO 14001 and implement an environmental management
system, an organisation should follow five steps:
• Preparing an environmental policy whereby senior management describes the operation of

the company and its effects on the environment.
• Planning to identify and prioritise the organisation’s objectives and targets for
improvement.
• Implementation and operation of procedures for key activities such as communication,
document control and definition of roles and responsibilities within the EMS.
• Checking and corrective action stage determines if the requirements of the standards in
ISO 14001 are being met and whether the systems are being properly maintained.
• Management review identifies whether changes need to be made to the policy.
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A JSA has six steps, as follows:
• Select the task to be analysed.

• Record each step of the task.
• Examine each step to identify hazards.
• Develop the safe system of work.
• Implement the safe system of work.
• Monitor the application and effectiveness of the safe system of work.
Legionnaire’s disease is caught by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water. Prompt
treatment using antibiotics is essential to reduce the risk of death. The condition is called
Legionnaires’ disease because it was first identified after a mass outbreak at a hotel hosting a
convention of a veteran organisation known as the American Legion.
Machinery Hazards
BS 5304 listed the following hazards associated with the use of machinery. They related only to
mechanical hazards:
• Entanglement.
• Friction and abrasion.
• Cutting.
• Impact.
• Shear.
• Crushing.
• Drawing in.
• Stabbing and punctures.
The basic source of information regarding safety of machinery was the British Standards
Institution publication BS 5304: 1988, Code of Practice for safety of machinery. As the result of
harmonisation of EU standards, it was adapted as an EU standard and republished as:
• BS EN 292: Part 1: 1991, Safety of machinery - Basic concepts, general principles for design
Part 1, Basic terminology, methodology.
• BS EN 292: Part 2: 1991, Safety of machinery - Basic concepts, general principles for design
Part 2. Technical principles and specifications.
• BS EN 292 extended the basis upon which hazards are described by incorporating hazards
associated with use. The following categories were introduced:
• Mechanical (derived from the above list).
• Electrical.
• Thermal.
• Noise.
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• Vibration.
• Materials and substances.
• Ergonomic principles.
• Combinations of above.

Material Safety Data Sheets must contain the following information:
• Composition and/or ingredients.

• Hazards.
• First aid.
• Fire-fighting.
• Accidental release.
• Handling and storage.
• Exposure controls.
• Personal protection.
• Physical and chemical properties.
• Stability and reactivity.
• Toxicological information.
• Ecological information.
• Disposal.
• Transport.
• Regulatory information.
Any substance or preparation dangerous for supply must carry a label on its container giving
information on the supplier, the name of the substance or constituents, indication of danger
and symbol(s), risk and safety phrases.
Means of Escape
An alternative means of escape is a second route, usually in the opposite direction to the first
means of escape, but which may join the first means of escape. The following are not acceptable
as means of escape:
• Spiral staircases.
• Escalators.
• Lowering lines.
• Portable or throw-out ladders.
Doors providing means of escape should not be locked and should open outwards only. Where
doors are kept locked for security purposes, panic bolts should be fitted or keys kept in
designated key boxes close to the exit. A notice should indicate that the doors can be opened in
case of fire.
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A fire exit notice should be fitted to or above fire exit doors. Appropriate notices should be
affixed along fire escape routes, which should be provided with emergency lighting. Corridors
and stairways forming a means of escape should have at least half-hour fire resistance. The
surface should be non-combustible.

A preliminary monitoring survey should concentrate on those groups of staff most likely to be
significantly exposed to a hazardous substance. If their exposures are measured and found to
present insignificant health risks when compared with current standards, then lesser-exposed
staff need not be assessed in detail. Monitoring is required when:
• Failure or deterioration of the control measures could have a serious effect on health,
either because of the toxicity of the substance or because of the extent of potential
exposure, or both.
• Measurement is necessary so as to be sure that a workplace exposure limit, or any self-
imposed working standard is not exceeded.
• There is need for an additional check on the effectiveness of any control measure provided
in accordance with the COSHH Regulations.
Occupational hygiene monitoring should be designed to show areas of control which require
further attention. Once the airborne concentration has been measured, whether by personal or
environmental sampling, it will be necessary to report and record the findings, including:
• A brief summary.
• The detailed findings.
• A discussion of the implications of the findings.
• A set of clear recommendations for future action.
The findings should record:
• When the monitoring was done and what the results were.
• What monitoring procedures were adopted, including duration.
• The locations where samples were taken, the operations in progress at the time and, in the
case of personal samples, the names and jobs of individuals concerned.
Noise
The disruptive effects of noise at work extend to stress, irritability, loss of efficiency and poor
performance, interference with communications, increased risk of accidents, in addition to
impaired or total loss of hearing.
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Noise Exposure
It is commonly accepted that equal amounts of noise energy entering the ear causes the same
deafness to exposed workers irrespective of the noise or exposure profiles. Thus a short
exposure to a high level of noise is considered to cause comparable hearing damage to a long
exposure to a low level of noise. Furthermore, there is a particular danger of instantaneous
damage caused by proximity to an explosive source, where a very high-pressure sound wave is
produced (e.g. pneumatic nailing and stapling, riveting, cartridge tools or guns).
A methodology for noise risk assessment is given within the Control of Noise at Work
Regulations 2005, which provide a framework for the control of workplace noise at work.
Norms
Social norms can be enforced formally (e.g. through sanctions) or informally (e.g. through body
language and non-verbal communication cues.) If people do not follow these norms then they
risk becoming outcasts from the group.

There are several categories of occupational health service, namely:
• A full occupational health service, staffed by a full-time doctor, with one or more
supporting nurses. Specialist treatment might also be available in a work’s health centre,
such as dental, optical, chiropody and physiotherapy. Suitable for large organisations or
those with sufficient risks to make it viable.
• An occupational health service staffed by an occupational health nurse with regular visits by
a doctor and clinics (perhaps weekly). Suitable for smaller organisations or those with fewer
occupational health risks.
• An outsourced occupational health service provided by a private occupational health-
service provider. The type of service provided, the make-up personnel providing the service
and its functions have to be determined by the employer. Suited to SME’s with low-risk
profiles.
OHSAS 18001
This standard was developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001
(environmental) management systems standards, in order to facilitate the integration of quality,
environmental and occupational health and safety management systems by organisations,
should they wish to do so.
The OHSAS specification gives requirements for an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)
management system, to enable an organisation to control its OH&S risks and improve its
performance. It does not state specific OH&S performance criteria, nor does it give detailed
specifications for the design of a management system.
The OHSAS specification is applicable to any organisation that wishes to:
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• Establish an OH&S management system to eliminate or minimise risk to employees and

other interested parties who may be exposed to OH&S risks associated with its activities.
• Implement, maintain and continually improve an OH&S management system.
• Assure itself of its conformance with its stated OH&S policy.
• Demonstrate such conformance to others.
• Seek certification/registration of its OH&S management system by an external
organisation.
• Make a self-determination and declaration of conformance with this OHSAS specification.
Over 7-Day Injury
When calculating ‘more than seven consecutive days’ the day of the accident should not be
counted, only the period after it. Any days the injured person would not normally have been
expected to work, such as weekends, rest days or holidays, must be included. (Source: HSE, L73,
‘A guide to the reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 1995’.)
Prohibition Notices
The notice will say that the inspector is of that opinion and will specify the matters that give rise
to the risk. It will order that the activities in question are not performed until such time as the
problem is remedied.
A Prohibition Notice may take effect immediately or it may be deferred. Appeals can be made
to the Employment Tribunal within 21 days of service of the notice, but the notice will not
normally be suspended pending the outcome of the appeal.

The range of possible events may be represented by broad categories, with classification of the
likelihood and consequences, to facilitate their comparison and the identification of priorities.
Qualitative risk assessments are characterised by the fact that they do not use numerical
systems to assess risks, relying instead on a more subjective approach based on the assessor’s
perception and opinion and presented as high-, medium- or low-risk levels.

Under QMV, each Member State is allocated a block of votes according to its size by
population. For example, the large states such as the UK, France, Germany and Italy each have
29 votes, while Malta, with a much lower population and therefore a lesser percentage of the
total EU electorate, has only 3. Under current arrangements, at least 255 out of the 345 are
needed if a law is to be enacted.
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Reportable Diseases
The diseases are classified under three main headings:
• Conditions due to physical agents and the physical demands of work, including:
inflammation, ulceration or malignant disease of the skin, bones or blood resulting from
work with ionising radiation; carpal tunnel syndrome; hand-arm vibration syndrome
resulting from vibration.
• Infections due to biological agents, including: anthrax, brucellosis, etc., and any infection
which can reliably be attributed to work with micro-organisms, exposure to human blood
or body fluids, or animals.
• Conditions due to substances, including: poisonings from listed substances; angiosarcoma
of the liver associated with vinyl chloride monomer.
The diseases listed in Schedule 3 of RIDDOR are only reportable if they are believed to be
directly attributable to the specified work activity.
Robens Report
In 1970 the UK Government appointed a committee chaired by Lord Robens to examine health
and safety at work. The committee’s report was published in 1973. The committee was critical
of the alarming number of employees injured or killed every year and found that much current
law was incomprehensible to those who it was intended to protect. Much of the current
legislation was highly prescriptive, intricate, and often out-of-date. The enforcement authorities
had a confusing overlap of jurisdiction. The main conclusion of the committee was that apathy
existed at all levels within organisational structure. It suggested that a proactive system was
required involving all employers and employees; that a single comprehensive piece of
framework legislation was needed to cover all work activities, supplemented by controls to deal
with specific problems. There should be voluntary standards and flexible codes of practice. In
addition, there should be a single enforcement authority with powers of delegation, and also
charged with giving assistance and advice. The result was the passing of the Health and Safety at
Work etc. Act 1974.
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Safe System of Work

Requirements for a safe system of work include:
• A safe layout, with adequate space.

• Safe means of access to and egress from the working area.
• Correct sequence of operations.
• Analysis of tasks, using techniques such as job safety analysis (see corresponding entry,
above).
• Identification of safe procedures, both routine and emergency.
• A safe and healthy working environment, in terms of:
• Temperature, lighting, ventilation and humidity.
• Noise and vibration control.
• Hazardous airborne contamination.
• Provision of information, instruction and training for persons operating the safe system of
work.
Other functions include the right to carry out inspections of the workplace, to look at the
causes of accidents, to receive information from the Health and Safety Inspectors and to attend
meetings of the Safety Committee. Safety Representatives also have the right to ask for, and
receive from the employer certain information that relates to the place of work. See Safety
Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977. The Regulations are accompanied by
an Approved Code of Practice and Guidance Notes.
Statute Law
Statute law includes Acts of Parliament, Regulations and Orders in Council; it is often referred
to simply as ‘Statutes’. The contents of a statute are referred to as ‘Statutory provisions’. As
Parliament is supreme, conflicts between statute and common law are resolved in favour of
statute law.
Strict Liability
Speeding, for example, is a strict liability offence – whether you intended to exceed the speed
limit is irrelevant – it is enough that you did so. Most health, safety and environmental offences
are offences of strict liability.
When using this type of monitoring (perhaps for a chemical agent or sound level), where
workers are exposed to levels below the permissible exposure limit for part of the day, then it is
within the law for the employer to expose those workers to levels above the permissible
exposure limit for the rest of the work shift, but only provided that the time-weighted average
remains below the limit.
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Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) are published by the HSE in Guidance Note EH40 and
provide the principal method for controlling airborne contamination of the occupational
environment in the UK. WELs are designed to control the absorption into the body of harmful
substances following inhalation. They are not concerned with absorption following ingestion or
skin contact.

Typical effects include:
• Inflammation of the tendon, muscle tendon junction or tendon sheath (tenosynovitis).

• Inflammation of the tissue of the hand (elbow or knee), caused by constant bruising or
friction (“beat” conditions).
• Compression of the peripheral nerves serving the upper limb (carpal tunnel syndrome).
• Temporary fatigue, stiffness or soreness of the muscles.

RRC Glossary

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2 013 E D I T I O N

Airborne Contaminant Monitoring

Approved Code of Practice (ACoP)

Assigned Protection Factor (APF)

Auto Ignition Temperature

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE)

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Chemical Health Hazards

Chemical Safety Data Sheet

Confined Vapour Cloud Explosion

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Cumulative Trauma Disorder

Dangerous Parts of Machinery

Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

(See also Improvement Notices and Prohibition Notices.)

European (EU) Directives

European (EU) Regulations

European (EU) Treaties

Fault Tree Analysis

Fire Alarm Systems

• By sensing heat - actual temperature or the rate of temperature rise.

• Starvation - a reduction in the concentration of the fuel.

Fire Safety Log Book

Fire Spread Control

Fixed Fire-fighting Equipment

Flammable Gas Detectors

Fusion Heat Detector

Hazard Data Sheet

See Material Safety Data Sheet.

Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP)

Health and Safety Climate

Health and Safety Culture

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Health and Safety Policy

Health Needs Assessment (HNA)

HSE Guidance Notes

Inspectors (Powers of)

Investing in Human Capital

See also EMAS (2).

Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

A JSA has six steps, as follows:

• Select the task to be analysed.

Local Exhaust Ventilation

Long-term Exposure Limits

Lower Explosive Limit

Machinery Guarding Principles

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Maximum Explosion Pressure

Mental Health Condition

Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE)

Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs)

Mobile Work Equipment

Monitoring Hazardous Substances

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

Occupational Health Monitoring

Occupational Health Risks

Occupational Health Services

Over 7-Day Injury

Permanent Threshold Shift

Personal Protective Equipment

Plant and Equipment

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)