Welcome to our Jargon Buster
Health & Safety can be awash with words that are based on legislation or industry-specific guidance.
Safetying was created to break down all barriers that might exist to good, sensible Health & safety - if we have missed anything or if you have any more, please get in touch.
CDM - Construction, Design and Management - legislation that ensures all building and maintenance work is managed and completed safely. The design part relates to safety being designed into how we use a building.
COSHH - Control of substances harmful to health, this is not a bit of legislation designed to make you risk assess a bottle of washing up liquid! COSHH is about making better decisions about how you choose and use chemicals in your business and protecting everyone from needless harm.
DSE - Display Screen Equipment - usually refers to the assessment to ensure safe working with said equipment.
Ergonomics - The design of everything you work with and the environment you work in to work as effectively as possible, avoiding stress, strain, injury, or fatigue. Ergonomics is part of the way everything is designed at work.
Emergency Lighting - The lighting that will be powered by a backup power source to help you see and get out of a building in a power cut. Usually, the little green LEDs you see are placed to highlight steps, changes of direction, and guide you safely out.
Fire Systems - This means the collection of fire detection, alarms, fire doors (which cannot do their job with a wedge in the way), fire protection in ceilings and walls - everything that helps prevent fire from occurring, spreading, and that helps you get out if there is a fire.
Fire Water - The water used by the fire service to put out a fire will be contaminated with lots of nasty chemicals and bits of burnt furniture, basically everything that has been burnt and melted.
HAVS - Hand-arm vibration syndrome - usually from use of vibrating tools (intentionally vibrating or vibrating because they are broken/old)
HSE - Health and Safety Executive, is the lawmaker and can bring a prosecution against any organisation for failings in health and safety.
HSG65 - The HSE's very own health and safety management system guidance.
HVAC - Heating, ventilation & air conditioning - this is the law that dictates the type of air handling systems you need and how they should be maintained.
Inspection and Audit - Inspection is a compliance check. Audit is a check on the whole system function - data in, data out.
Method statement - This is step by step of how you will complete a task or job safely.
Near miss - An incident where no one is harmed but could have been, a great opportunity to learn lessons without harm.
PAT - Portable appliance testing, this is the test on your electrical equipment done by using a test machine that runs a current through it and checks for any breaks in the protection from electrocution.
PPE - Personal protective equipment, this is your last line of defence against any hazard you encounter at work.
RPE - Respiratory Protective Equipment. It has its own special category as there are so many different kinds for different tasks, from those little face tents you get from B&Q for DIY to the full-on Space adventure hoods used for a number of really stinky jobs.
RIDDOR - These are specific kinds of accidents or dangerous occurrences at work that must be reported to the HSE.
Risk Assessment - This is an assessment of all the hazards in your work and how the risk of harm is lowered.
Procedure and Policy - These are the documents that set out your commitment to health and safety and give details on how you will work safely.
Site - Your business premises, place of work, regardless of business type.
Work equipment - All equipment you use at or for work - Everything from office stationery to machines, from scissors to dimmers, printers, and even the kettle.
Workstation - this is a specific area where you do your job, from a desk to a workbench to an airplane cockpit.