Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition

Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition

• Safety:
– Safety is the state of being "safe",
– is the state of being relatively free from harm, danger, injury
or damage.
– the condition of being protected from harm or other danger.
– Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition
• Health
– refers to the well-being from the immediate and long-term
effects of exposure to unhealthy working condition.
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition
• Environment:
– the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant
lives or operates
• Hydrosphere
• Atmosphere
• Lithosphere
• Biosphere
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition

• Occupational Safety and Health:

–deals with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace
and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards
(WHO)
–the discipline dealing with the prevention of work-related
injuries and diseases as well as the protection and promotion
of the health of workers
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition
Hazard
– Any circumstance or condition which poses the risk of an accident or
injury
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition
Hazard Assessment:
– A thorough examination of an operation to identify the actual and
potential hazards prior to work commencing and whenever the work
or work environment changes
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition
• Incident:
– Undesired circumstances and ‘near misses’ which could
cause accidents.
 Safety and Health: Key Terms Definition
• Accident
• Undesired circumstances which give rise to ill-health or
injury, damage to property, plant, products or the
environment; production losses or increased liabilities
 Safety and Health: Key Terms
• Risk
–is a measure of both the likelihood and the
consequences of all hazards of an activity or
condition.
–It is the chance of injury, damage, or loss.
 Safety and Health: Key Terms
• Likelihood
–the chance of harm occurring if a person is exposed to
the hazard.
–This could range from almost certain to rare.
 Safety and Health: Key Terms
• Consequence
• Likely outcome
• “What If this happens?”.
• What would be the worst likely outcome from contact to
the hazard? (Catastrophic to Insignificant)?