The Safety Terms You Can’t Afford to Miss

When do you say a situation is hazardous and when do you say it is risky? Are occupational illnesses and industrial diseases the same thing? Am I a competent person? Safety starts with knowing and really understanding. In the area of occupational health and safety, it is very important to be familiar with safety terms. This will make your work easier because you will avoid mistakes. It will also make the workplace less risky for you and the people moving around in it. Understanding might even save your life. Most safety terms and definitions may seem familiar to most of us, but do we really understand what they mean? Let’s find out.

Lockout
When a machine is shut down for maintenance, repair, or other reasons, you don’t have to fear that it will accidentally turn on. This is because the machine is in lockout mode or is protected from sudden start-ups. So make sure a machine is in “lockout” when not in use to prevent untoward incidents.

Machine
A term you use so often, you ought to know its formal definition. It’s an “apparatus combining action of several moving parts.”

Manual Handling
This is the many activities you do with your hands or your body. It includes cleaning, holding, lifting, moving loads, and packing. This also refers to pulling, pushing, sorting, throwing, and typing.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
The SDS is a form that summarizes the properties of a hazardous chemical product and its possible health and safety hazards. It includes information on how to handle, use, and store the product properly. It also details physical data of the products such as the melting and boiling points, reactivity, health effects, and first aid. In general, suppliers of such products are required to provide SDS for all hazardous materials. This is important so that workers will be aware of the proper and safe use of the product.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
The NIOSH is a federal agency in the United States of America‘s Department of Health and Human Services. The agency was established to assure safe and healthy working conditions. It does this by doing researches, tests, certifications, and trainings to occupational safety and health professionals. NIOSH also makes recommendations to prevent illnesses and injuries related to work.

Near Miss
Here’s a “miss” term you wouldn’t want to miss in an accident.

Yes, it’s a misfortune but the good thing is that it does not result to injury or disease.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA is the United States of America’s authority responsible in ensuring safe and healthy workplaces and continues to develop and implement regulations to achieve this.

Risk
I’m sure at one point in your working life, you took a risk while knowing that there is a chance something negative might happen. Risk is the likelihood or probability that an accident, damage, illness, injury, or loss will occur.

Occupational Disease
This is the term used when you get sick due to a health hazard present in your workplace.

Occupational Health
Your workplace should provide policies and programs that will ensure an environment suitable for the physical, mental and emotional well-being or occupational health of its workers.

Occupational Safety
The health of workers is as important as their safety. Your work environment should prevent accidents and lessen the risk of injuries to workers

Personal Monitoring
From the term itself, this technique is used to monitor one’s exposure to hazardous agents and chemicals by wearing a sampling device. Hazardous chemicals are monitored at the breathing zone while noise is examined at the ears.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Unlike Personal Monitoring, PPE is a device that provides protection to a worker. It is personal safety equipment that includes ear plugs, hard hats, safety goggles, respirators, gloves, and safety shoes

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
WHMIS is system that ensures that information on hazardous materials is disseminated. This is done by requiring labels, MSDSs, and training programs for workers.

Now that you know that elimination of the risk is an effective occupational safety measure and that wearing PPE will minimize risk and prevent occupational disease, it is time you assess the occupational safety and health program of your workplace.