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Key terms and concepts

Term	Definition
Accident	An event resulting in damage to property or a workplace injury.
Accident report	A written record of the events and injuries sustained by staff when an accident has occurred.
Biological hazards	Hazards such as germs and cockroaches that may be encouraged when a lunch or food area is not properly cleaned.
Chemical hazards	Hazards caused by harmful chemical substances, eg a hazard caused by failure to use gloves when replacing a toner cartridge on a photocopier.
Codes of practice	Practical and flexible guidelines (not legal regulations) to assist workplaces in implementing standards to comply with OH&S legislation, eg acceptable levels of noise, how and when to practice safe manual handling.
Deranged customers	Visitors or staff behaving in a disturbing and disruptive manner, eg angry and abusive or affected by alcohol/drugs.
Duty of care	The legal and moral obligation all employees have for the safety and well being of others to achieve a safe workplace.
Economic cost	The financial cost to staff or workplaces when workplace accidents occur, eg loss of income to staff, loss of profit or time to organisations.
Emergency drills	Regular rehearsals of procedures to be followed when an emergency occurs, eg fire evacuation or bomb threat procedures.
Environmental hazards	Workplace environmental issues which can have an adverse effect on staff, eg overcrowded workplace, insufficient light, exposure to strong sunlight without proper protection.
Ergonomic hazards	Workplace hazards caused by the lack of or incorrect use of ergonomic equipment, eg failure to correctly adjust or align a chair with a keyboard and computer screen.
Ergonomics	The relationship between staff, their equipment at work and the work environment.
Formal reporting or notification	A written workplace document, either electronic or manual, used to report, notify or advise information. This can also refer to a verbal report or advice which follows strict workplace policy and procedures, eg when staff report an emergency situation.
Forms	Workplace documents, either manual or electronic, eg accident report forms, incident report forms.
General hazards	Hazards that obstruct or restrict the normal use or pathway of an area, or hazards caused by the deterioration or damage to workplace items or equipment, eg a chair placed in front of a doorway or holes in carpets where staff or visitors could trip.
Hazard	Anything likely to cause an accident or injury.
Hazard identification	Finding or identifying a hazard.
Health and Safety Committee	A committee working in consultation with both management and staff to promote and facilitate a safe and secure workplace. The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Act requires that all workplaces with more than 20 staff have a Health and Safety Committee. Ideally it includes staff from different areas of the workplace.
Health and Safety representative	A representative selected from staff in the workplace as a requirement of the OH&S Act in all workplaces with less than 20 staff.
Human cost	The cost or suffering to staff, families or friends when workplace accidents occur.
Improvement Notice (IN)	A written notice served by an OH&S inspector requesting an organisation to address a breach of OH&S legislation.
Incident	An event in the workplace that alerts management and staff to the potential for an accident or injury in the future. Also called a ‘near miss’.
Incident report	A written record of the events and potential injuries sustained by staff when an incident or near miss has occurred.
Inspectors	OH&S inspectors are appointed by WorkCover as a requirement of the OH&S Act and have the authority to visit workplaces to assess compliance with OH&S legislation, or to investigate an accident or incident.
Legislation	OH&S Act 2000 and OH&S Regulation 2001.
Liability	Responsibility for or to another party, eg failing to follow proper OH&S legislation in the workplace can make a person or company liable to possible fines or prosecution.
Logbook	A workplace record of maintenance or operation, eg a photocopier logbook showing dates when machine was serviced or the number of copies per department.
Manual handling	This refers to carrying out a job without the assistance of any equipment, eg bending, lifting, pulling or pushing heavy brochures without using a trolley.
‘Near miss’	An event in the workplace that alerts management and staff to the potential for an accident or injury in the future. Also called an ‘incident’.
OOS (Occupational Overuse Syndrome)	An injury or condition usually caused by frequent incorrect use in the workplace of some part of the body, eg a wrist injury suffered by a computer operator caused by using the keyboard at the incorrect height or distance from their body. Also known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
Organisational cost	The cost to an organisation or workplace when accidents occur, eg to retrain staff, to review their OH&S policies and procedures, to re-establish and reinforce the confidence of staff and clients.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)	Protective safety clothing or equipment, eg gloves for handling photocopier toners.
Physical hazards	Workplace hazards that have a negative impact on or injure employees, eg loud noise or music, extreme heat or cold, radiation from equipment.
Plant and equipment	Machinery and equipment required for a company to carry out its business.
Prohibition Notice (PN)	A written notice served by an OH&S Inspector requesting an organisation to immediately cease an activity that is, or has the potential to be, a risk.
Psychological hazards	Workplace issues or hazards that can have an adverse effect on the mental health of staff, eg stress caused by working long hours, working with untrained staff or other unsafe work practices.
Public liability	Relating to the Duty of care and responsibility to all members of the community by every employee or citizen.
Regulations	OH&S rules providing guidelines to carry out proper workplace practices, eg regulations may provide guidelines suggesting that signage should be placed in an area that is being cleaned.
Risk	The possibility that a potential hazard will cause a workplace accident or disease.
Risk assessment	The process of identifying the potential and level of risk associated with a particular hazard.
Risk control	Procedures to eliminate or reduce the possibility of an injury from a hazard or potential hazard.
RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury)	An injury or disease usually caused by frequent, incorrect use in the workplace of some part of the body, eg a wrist injury suffered by a computer operator caused by using the keyboard at the incorrect height or distance from their body. Also known as Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS)
Safe work practices	A method or system of following workplace policies and procedures established to provide duty of care for all employees.
Safety inspection	A system of ensuring that the workplace remains safe by regular monitoring and identification and removal of potential hazards.
Security breaches	Breaking or failing to follow some or all workplace security policies and procedures.
Social cost	The negative reaction, loss of confidence or stress caused to a worker and/or their colleagues, family and friends after a workplace injury or accident.
Suspicious person	Any person who by their behaviour or appearance gives the impression that they may cause harm or disruption to a workplace.
Third party	Relating to damage or liability caused to the person or property of another person, eg when an employee fails to correctly use equipment and causes injury to another person.
Training needs	The gap between required job performance, competency or skills and current job knowledge, performance and skills.
Unauthorised persons	Staff or outside persons who are not authorised by company management to use, view or visit equipment, documents or areas in a workplace.
Work station	A desk or place where an employee or job is located in the workplace.
WorkCover NSW	The statutory authority responsible for enforcing OH&S compliance, providing guidelines and information to all NSW workplaces and employees.
Workers’ Compensation Scheme	A compulsory insurance scheme for employers that provides payments or compensation to employees for injuries incurred whilst carrying out their duties. eg WorkCover NSW Insurance premiums are compulsory regular insurance payments to provide insurance cover for all NSW workers.

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