Nebosh National Diploma UNIT A JARGON BUSTERS

Hazard – Something with the potential to cause harm. Categorised as

 Physical – Rotating blade of a circular saw
 Chemical – Strong acids and alkalis
 Biological – Contagious Disease
 Psychosocial – Excessive Workload.

Process Approach – This is where Individual activities and their related resources
are identified and managed as a process (each with their inputs & outputs). An
organisation can be viewed as a system comprising a network of these interrelated
processes (where outputs of one process can be the inputs for others).

Incidence – Incidence reflects the number of new cases of a particular event in a

population over a given time (e.g. a year) and is often used to describe accidents as
each accident is a ‘new’ event.

Prevalence – Prevalence is the total number of cases in a particular population as a

proportion of the total population. It is often used to represent ill-health statistics &
reflects not only new cases but also those who will continue to suffer.

Accident frequency rate –

Number of work related injuries x 100,000

Total Number of man hours worked

Accident Incidence Rate - Number of work related injuries x 1,000

Average number of persons employed

Accident Severity Rate - Total Number of days lost x 1,000

Total Number of Man Hours Worked

Ill-Health Prevalence Rate - Total number of cases of Ill-Health in population x 100

The Number of Persons at Risk

SMART -

 Specific – as to what you want to achieve

 Measurable – so you know if they have been met
 Achievable - attainable
 Realistic – realistically achievable with the resources you have
 Timely – set a reasonable timescale to achieve them
Benchmarking – The Process of comparing your own practices and performance
measures with organisations that display excellence & whom you wish to emulate.

Risk Estimation – Determining the magnitude of the size of the risk. This may range
from being a relatively crude estimation e.g. high, medium, or low, to a more
accurate ‘estimation’ based on data. Estimation is used because risk deals with
uncertainty and even the most detailed risk assessments have to make a number of
assumptions.

Risk Reduction – Where 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 (training etc)

Evaluation – Evaluation is the decision-making process whereby we decide, on the

basis of the risk we have estimated, as to whether it is acceptable or otherwise.

Qualitative Risk Assessment – A qualitative risk assessment is the comprehensive

identification and description of hazards from a specified activity, to people or the
environment. 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 process.

Quantitative Risk Assessment – A quantitative risk assessment is the application

of 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.

Safe System of Work – A safe system of work is one where the work is organised in
a logical and methodical manner so as to remove the hazards or minimise the risks.
The term is not defined in legislation but the HSE leaflet INDG76L, Safe Systems of
Work, gave a useful working definition.

‘A Safe System of Work is a formal procedure which results from systematic

examination of a task in order to identify all the hazards. It defines safe methods to
ensure that hazards are eliminated or risks minimised’

Permit to Work – A permit to Work is a formal written document of authority to

undertake a specific procedure and is designed to protect personnel working in
hazardous areas or activities.

System – A system is a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items

forming a united whole.
Manage & Management – The Oxford Dictionary defines to manage as ‘to
organise, regulate and be in charge of a business’ and management as ‘those
engaged in these functions’

Goal – A goal can be defined as ‘an object of effort or ambition’

Contractor – “One who is engaged to perform a certain task without direction from
the person employing him”

Self Employed – As stated in Section 53 HSWA ‘An individual who works for gain
or reward otherwise than under a contract of employment whether or not he himself
employs others’

Visitors – Third Parties who visit premises – with explicit or implied invitation (e.g.
customer entering a shop) > without invitation but with consent (e.g. cold call door to
door salesman)

Trespassers – Individuals who are not invited & whose presence is objected to.

Occupier – A person (or persons) who have a 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.

Health and Safety Culture - A system of shared values and beliefs, about the
importance of health and safety in the workplace.

Or

An attitude to safety which pervades the whole organisation from top to bottom and
has become the normal behaviour for every member of staff from the board of
directors down to the newest juniors.

Communication – Communication is the transfer of information from one person to

another with the information being understood by both the sender and receiver.

Commitment – A declared attachment to a doctrine or cause.

Psychology – A study of the human personality (the human soul and mind, to quote
the Oxford Dictionary)

Sociology – A study of the history and nature of human society.

Skill Based Behaviour – Describes a situation where a person is carrying out a

tried and tested operation in automatic mode. A competent cyclist can ride a bicycle
without any conscious effort (off line processing) or an experienced driver can
change gear without thinking of the sequence of events involved. Little or no
conscious thought is required; in fact thinking about the task makes the task less
smooth and efficient and increases the chance of error. In this situation error occurs
if there are any problems such as a distraction.
Rule Based Behaviour – At the next level where the operator has available a wide
selection of well-tried routines (i.e. rules) from which appropriate ones can be
selected to complete the task (low level on-line processing) i.e. if X happens, then I
do Y. An example is obeying the Highway Code when driving; if there is a red traffic
signal the rule is to stop. In this situation, errors occur if the wrong rule is applied.

Knowledge based Behaviour – For situations where a person has to cope with
unknown situations, where there are no tried rules or skills (high level on-line
processing) The Individual, using their experience and perhaps trial and error, tries
to find a solution to solve a novel situation. In these circumstances the chance of
error is the greatest.

Perception – Perception is the recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli

based chiefly on memory.

Incentive – An Incentive is really an inducement that provides a motive for someone

to do something, usually in the form of some sort of reward for achieving a particular
goal or milestone.

Appraisal Scheme – An appraisal scheme is a formal means of placing the value on

achievement or effort and is generally carried out on an annual basis. The results
may be used to determine the level of a pay rise or a promotion.

Peer – A person of the same level or rank.

Organisational Conflict – This can be defined as ‘any perceived clash of interests

between individuals, groups or levels of authority in an organisation’.

Stress – The reaction that people have to excessive pressure or other types of
demands placed on them.

Judicial Precedent – ‘A decision of a court to which authority is attached’

Tort – In English Law a ‘tort’ is a civil wrong. Examples are Defamation, Nuisance
and trespass.

Contract – An agreement between two or more people which may have legal
consequences.

Dismissal – Legally, Dismissal from employment occurs when

 The employer terminates the employee’s contract, with or without notice.

 The contract is terminated by the employee who resigns because of the
employers’ behaviour – known as constructive dismissal.

Articles – 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.
Substance – This means any natural or artificial substance (including micro-
organisms) intended for use (whether exclusively or not) by persons at work.

Employee – In this context this is someone who works under a contract of

employment. The contract may be express or implied and, if express, may be verbal
or in writing.

Consent – Generally means agreeing to a course of action.

Connivance – is more of an indirect agreement to unlawful acts by another (i.e.

‘turning a blind eye’)

Neglect – Not doing what you should have done (i.e. an omission rather than an act,
so things happen by default because you failed to act)

Formal Caution – A formal caution is a statement by an inspector, which 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. A formal caution may only be
used where a prosecution could be properly 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.

Senior Management – In relation to the organisation ‘senior management’ is

defined as persons who play a significant role in (a) the making of decisions about
how the whole or substantial part of its activities are to be managed or organised, or
(b) the actual managing or organising of the whole or a substantial part of those
activities.

Organisation – This includes corporations, trade unions, public bodies (e.g. local
authorities & NHS Trusts), government departments & police forces.

Relevant Duty of Care – Includes a range of duties owed under the law of
negligence (including the duty of care owed by employers to employees, the duty
owed by occupiers, etc)

Gross Breach – A breach of a duty of care by an organisation is a ‘gross’ breach if

the conduct alleged to amount to a breach of that duty falls far below what can be
reasonably be expected of the organisation in the circumstances.

Tortfeasor – The ‘wrongdoer’ who has failed in their duty of care.

Damages – The amount of money (compensation) awarded by a court to a

successful claimant, in health and safety cases, for personal injury sustained by the
claimant.