As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP):
That level of risk which can be further lowered only by an increase in resource expenditure that is disproportionate in relation to the resulting decrease in risk. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
Asset:
Something valuable that an entity owns, benefits from, or has use of, in generating income or to provide a service to society. Examples include employees and management, customers and vendors, property and buildings, liability, income, technology and information, and reputation. (Adapted from Businessdictionary.com)
Audit:
A systematic, independent, documented process for obtaining information and data and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which defined audit criteria are fulfilled. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
Barrier:
Physical or procedural control measures that are put in place to prevent or reduce likelihood of risk exposure (proactive) and/or reduce severity of impact/consequence (reactive) resulting from a hazardous event. A fixed machine guard is an example of a “proactive barrier.” An example of a “reactive barrier” might be an air bag that is deployed in a car crash. (Authors)
Causal Factor:
One or several mechanisms that trigger the hazard that may result in a mishap. (MIL‐STD‐882E‐2012)
Compliance:
Meeting the requirements of local, state, or federal statutes, standards, or regulations. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Conformance:
Meeting the requirements of the organization’s OHSMS and this standard. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Conformity:
Fulfillment of a requirement. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
Consequence:
Outcome of an event affecting objectives. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 31000‐2018)
Consultation:
Seeking views before making a decision. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
Continual Improvement:
The process of enhancing the OHSMS to achieve ongoing improvement in overall health and safety performance in line with the organization’s health and safety policy and performance objectives. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Recurring activity to enhance performance. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
Contractor:
A person or organization providing services to another organization in accordance with agreed‐upon specifications, terms, and conditions. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
External organization providing services to the organization in accordance with agreed specifications, terms, and conditions. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
An entity in private industry that enters into contracts with the Government to provide goods or services. (MIL‐STD‐882E‐2012)
Control:
Measure that maintains and/or modifies risk. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 31000‐2018)
Corrective Action:
Action taken to eliminate or mitigate the cause of a system deficiency, hazard, or risk (e.g. fix an existing problem). (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Action to eliminate the cause(s) of a nonconformity or an incident and to prevent recurrence. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
Critical Control Point (CCP) Decision Tree:
A decision‐making flowchart tool used to identify “high severity with low probability” risks that require additional control measures to reduce severity. (Authors)
Current State Risk:
For present conditions, a risk assessment that takes into consideration existing controls and their effects on risk is referred to as a “current state” risk level. (Authors)
Design:
The process of converting an idea or market need into the detailed information from which a product, process, or technical system can be produced. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
To plan and develop the machine to meet the intended purpose and function during its life cycle. (ANSI B11.0‐2020)
Design Safety Review:
An important management process tool for integrating safety and health into the design process for new facilities, processes, or operations, and for changes in existing operations. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
Ergonomics:
The scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and other methods to design in order to optimize human well‐being and overall system performance. (Human Factors and Ergonomics Society)
Occupational ergonomics is the applied science of designing workplace demands and environment to accommodate human capabilities and limitation for well‐being and optimum performance. (Authors)
Event:
Occurrence or change of a particular set of circumstances. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 31000‐2018)
Exposure:
Extent to which an organization and/or stakeholder is subject to an event. (ISO Guide 73/ANSI/ASSP 690.1‐2011)
Contact with or proximity to a hazard, taking into account duration and intensity. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Exposure includes the frequency and duration of a hazard coming into contact with the population or assets at risk. Frequency of exposure describes how often an event might take place over a specified time period. Duration of exposure is the length of time that a single exposure occurs. (Authors)
State or condition of being unprotected and open to damage, danger, risk of suffering a loss in a transaction, or uncertainty. Examples of exposure to hazards include natural hazards, fire and explosion, spills or releases, process breakdowns, utility failures, transportation or distribution disruption, human error, intentional acts, regulatory, and liability.