UK GLossary List

Term	Explanation
Accident / Incident	An event that (a) causes any person to be harmed; or (b) in different circumstances, might have caused any person to be harmed; or (c) causes damage to property
ACOP	Approved Code of Practice - recommended methods that should be used to comply with legislation.
Business	Business: an activity carried out with the intention of making a profit or gain
Competent person	Generally this means a person who has the relevant knowledge, experience and skill to carry out a particular task, and has a relevant qualification (or their employer has evidence demonstrating that the person has the required knowledge, experience, and skill).
Contractor	Someone a person pays to do a job but who is not employed by that person.
Control measure	A way of eliminating or minimising risks to health and safety.
Designated agency	A government agency, other than HSE designated to carry out certain health and safety functions e.g ORR or ONR.
Duty holder	A person who has a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 (HSWA). Duty holders are employers, employees, the self employed, designers, manufacturers, or owners/managers of buildings.
Documentation Review	All health and safety documentation is to be reviewed at least annually, unless otherwise specified in law/regulation In the event of an accident or incident, changes in process/personnel, or legislative changes.
Eliminate	Remove the sources of harm (eg equipment, substances or work processes).
Good practice	Practices that have been proven to work well and produce the desired results.
Hazard	Something that has the potential to cause harm, loss or damage
Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 (HSWA)	HSWA is the key work health and safety law in the UK. All work and workplaces are covered by HSWA unless specifically excluded.
Health and safety representative (HSR)	Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) are workers elected by members of their work group to represent them in health and safety matters.
Health monitoring	Monitoring workers’ health to see if their work is harming their health and to assess ongoing effects.
Incident	An incident is unexpected and causes disruption, damage, harm, or loss to people, property, or the environment.
Injury	Damage or hurt to someone.
Investigation	A process of gathering information about an accident or incident to find out why the accident or incident happened and how to stop it from happening again.
Isolate	Isolate the hazard giving risk to prevent any person coming into contact with it e.g by separating people from the hazard.
Lock out/tag out (LOTO)	A set of procedures used to ensure equipment is shut down, inoperable, and (where relevant) de-energised. This allows maintenance and repair work to be performed safely.
Minimise	Take steps that protect the health and safety of people by either reducing the likelihood of an event occurring, or reducing the level of harm to people if it does occur.
Near miss	An incident which did not result in injury, illness or damage, but potentially could have.
Reportable Incidents	A reportable incident is when any of the following occurs as a result of work: A death Reportable injury (see below) Reportable occupational disease (see below) Over 3 day incapacitation (non-notifiable but must be recorded) Over 7 day incapacitation of worker Non fatal accidents to non-workers Occupational disease Dangerous occurrences Gas incidents Under RIDDOR you must notify HSE when a reportable incident occurs.
Reportable injuries to workers	fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes amputations any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs serious burns (including scalding) which: covers more than 10% of the body causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs any scalping requiring hospital treatment any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which: leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
Over-seven-day incapacitation of worker	Accidents must be reported where they result in an employee or self-employed person being away from work, or unable to perform their normal work duties, for more than seven consecutive days as the result of their injury. This seven day period does not include the day of the accident, but does include weekends and rest days. The report must be made within 15 days of the accident.
Over-three-day incapacitation	Accidents must be recorded, but not reported where they result in a worker being incapacitated for more than three consecutive days. If you are an employer, who must keep an accident book under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, that record will be enough.
Non fatal accidents to non-workers	Accidents to members of the public or others who are not at work must be reported if they result in an injury and the person is taken directly from the scene of the accident to hospital for treatment to that injury. Examinations and diagnostic tests do not constitute 'treatment' in such circumstances. There is no need to report incidents where people are taken to hospital purely as a precaution when no injury is apparent.
Occupational diseases	Employers and self-employed people must report diagnoses of certain occupational diseases, where these are likely to have been caused or made worse by their work: These diseases include (regulations 8 and 9): carpal tunnel syndrome severe cramp of the hand or forearm occupational dermatitis hand-arm vibration syndrome occupational asthma tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm any occupational cancer any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent.
Dangerous occurrences	Dangerous occurrences are certain, specified near-miss events. Not all such events require reporting. There are 27 categories of dangerous occurrences that are relevant to most workplaces, for example: the collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines the accidental release of any substance which could cause injury to any person.
Gas Incidents	Distributors, fillers, importers & suppliers of flammable gas must report incidents where someone has died, lost consciousness, or been taken to hospital for treatment to an injury arising in connection with that gas. Such incidents should be reported using the Report of a Flammable Gas Incident - online form. Registered gas engineers (under the Gas Safe Register,) must provide details of any gas appliances or fittings that they consider to be dangerous, to such an extent that people could die, lose consciousness or require hospital treatment. The danger could be due to the design, construction, installation, modification or servicing of that appliance or fitting, which could cause: an accidental leakage of gas incomplete combustion of gas or inadequate removal of products of the combustion of gas.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)	Anything used or worn by a person (including clothing) to minimise risks to the person’s health and safety; this includes air-supplied respiratory equipment. Employer’s have a duty to provide PPE, and also related duties covering selecting, using/wearing, maintaining, repairing and replacing PPE.
Primary duty of care	An employer must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers, and that other persons are not put at risk by its work.
Reasonably practicable	‘Reasonably practicable’ means what is or was reasonably able to be done to ensure health and safety, taking into account and weighing up relevant matters including: the likelihood of the risk concerned occurring or workers being exposed to the hazard the degree of harm that might result what the person concerned knows, or ought reasonably to know, about: the hazard or risk ways of eliminating or minimising the risk the availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, the cost associated with available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk. Control measures can only not be implemented where cost is grossly disproportionate. See HSE Website for explanation of what is deemed reasonably practicable for more information
Risk	Likelihood of exposure to harm and how serious
Risk assessment (RA)	A process of identifying, analysing, and evaluating potential risks and hazards associated with a particular task, project, or situation. Risk assessments are important for making informed decisions and ensuring that risks are managed effectively.
Safety data sheet (SDS)	Information about how a product could harm people and how to safely store, use and handle that product.
Standard	Follow these to achieve the desired level of quality.
Risk Assessment Method Statement	Designed to document tasks to understand in detail how they are performed.
Toolbox/safety talk	A short informal group meeting or discussion about a specific health or safety issue or topic. It’s a good way to provide information to workers and to start health and safety conversations.
Worker	A person who carries out work in any capacity for a Client or Principal Contractor is called a worker. This includes employees, contractors, subcontractors, employees of labour hire companies, apprentice or trainee, a person gaining work experience and volunteers. Although workers don’t have specific duties for worker participation or engagement, they do have duties to keep themselves and others safe.
Workplace	Any place where a worker goes, or is likely to be, while at work. This also includes a vehicle, vessel, aircraft, ship or other mobile structure.
Health surveillance	Health checks to identify ill health caused by work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)	HSE is Britain’s national regulator for workplace Health and Safety and the overarching body with various enforcement powers. All Health and Safety legislation is overseen by HSE and Inspectors are permanently warranted in the UK. HSE collaborates with employers, workers and other duty holders to embed and promote good work health and safety practices, and enforce health and safety law.