OHSAS 18001 2007

PLAIN ENGLISH DEFINITIONS

OHSAS 18001 is an Occupational Health and Safety Standard.

(OHSAS stands for Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series. )

Acceptable Risk - Audit - Continual Improvement - Corrective Action Document - Hazard - Hazard Identification - Ill Health - Incident - Interested Party Nonconformity - Occupational Health & Safety - Occupational Health & Safety System Occupational Health & Safety Objective - Occupational Health & Safety Performance Occupational Health & Safety Policy - Organization - Preventive Action Procedure - Record - Risk - Risk Assessment - Workplace

The following section on Terminology is based on OHSAS 18001 2007, section 3, Terms and definitions. We have translated these definitions into plain English in order to make them easier to understand. However, in order to make these definitions more informative, we have also used information

from OHSAS 18002. We have taken this approach in order to add substance to definitions that are often rather cryptic and difficult to understand.

3.1 Acceptable Risk

A risk is acceptable if it has been reduced to a level that your organization can tolerate given its occupational health and safety (OH&S) policy and its legal obligations.

3.2 Audit
An audit is an evidence gathering process. Audit evidence is used to evaluate how well audit criteria are being met. Audits must be both objective and independent and the audit process must be both systematic and documented.

3.3 Continual Improvement

Continual improvement is a recurring process that enhances an organizations OH&S management system and improves its overall OH&S performance. Continual improvements must be consistent with the organizations OH&S policy and can be achieved by carrying out internal audits, performing management reviews, analyzing data, and implementing corrective and preventive actions.

3.4 Corrective Action

Corrective actions are steps that are taken to remove the cause or causes of an existing nonconformity or other undesirable situation. Corrective actions address actual problems. In general, the corrective action process can be thought of as a problem solving process.

3.5 Document
When information is placed on a medium it becomes a document. In this context, the term medium usually refers to paper. But it can also refer to electronic, magnetic, or optical disks. A set of documents is often referred to as documentation. NOTE: Neither OHSAS 18001 nor OHSAS 18002 expects you to write an OH&S Manual (per OHSAS 18001 and 18002 section 4.4.4).

3.6 Hazard
A hazard is any situation, substance, activity, event, or environment that could potentially cause injury or ill health. More precisely:

Hazardous situations can cause injury or ill health. Examples of potentially hazardous situations include slippery or uneven walking surfaces, cramped working conditions, badly ventilated areas, high altitudes, noisy locations, poorly lit areas, and confined spaces. Hazardous substances can cause injury or ill health. Examples of potentially hazardous substances include corrosive and toxic chemicals, flammable and explosive materials, dangerous gases and liquids, radioactive substances, particulates, poisons, bacteria, and viruses. Hazardous activities can cause injury or ill health. Examples of potentially hazardous activities include dangerous tasks, unnatural movements and postures, heavy lifting, repetitive work, interpersonal conflicts, bullying, and intimidation. Hazardous events can cause injury or ill health. Examples of potentially hazardous events include explosions, implosions, collisions, vibrations, fires, leaks, releases, chemical reactions, electric shocks, falling objects, loud noises, structural breakdowns, software failures, equipment malfunctions, and unscheduled shutdowns.

3.7 Hazard Identification

Hazard identification is a process that involves recognizing that an OH&S hazard exists and then describing its characteristics.

3.8 Ill Health

Ill health is an adverse physical or mental condition. In order to qualify as an occupational health and safety problem, an adverse physical or mental condition must be identifiable and be caused or aggravated by a work activity or a work related situation.

3.9 Incident
An incident is a work related event during which: 1. injury, ill health, or fatality actually occurs, or 2. injury, ill health, or fatality could have occurred. An accident is a type of incident. It is a work-related event during which injury, ill health, or fatality actually occurs. It is a type of incident (see 1, above). A close call, near miss, near hit, or dangerous occurrence is also a type of incident. It is a work-related event during which injury, ill health, or fatality could have occurred, but didnt actually occur (see 2, above).

3.10 Interested Party

An interested party is a person or group that has a stake in the OH&S performance of an organization. Interested parties may be directly affected by the organizations OH&S performance or actively concerned about it. They come from both inside and outside of the workplace.

3.11 Nonconformity
Nonconformity is the non fulfillment of a requirement or a deviation from a standard. When an organization fails to meet requirements or deviates from a standard, a nonconformity exists. Accordingly, any deviation from the OHSAS 18001 standard is a nonconformity.

3.12 Occupational Health & Safety

When OHSAS 18001 uses the term occupational health and safety, it refers to all of the factors and conditions that: 1. affect health and safety in the workplace, or 2. could affect health and safety in the workplace. Occupational health and safety (OH&S) factors affect employees (permanent and temporary), contractors, visitors, and anyone else who is in the workplace.

3.13 Occupational Health & Safety Management System

An occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) is used to establish an OH&S policy and to manage OH&S risks. An organizations OHSMS is one part of a larger management system. A management system, including an OHSMS, is a network of interrelated elements. These elements include responsibilities, authorities, relationships, functions, activities, processes, practices, procedures, and resources. A management system uses these elements to establish policies, plans, programs, and objectives and to develop ways of implementing these policies, plans, and programs, and achieving these objectives.

3.14 Occupational Health & Safety Objective

OH&S objectives are OH&S performance goals that organizations set for themselves and wish to achieve. Your organizations OH&S objectives should be both measurable and consistent with its OH&S policy.

3.15 Occupational Health & Safety Performance

OH&S performance is all about results. Its all about how well organizations manage their OH&S risks and the results they actually achieve. In order to be able to determine how well OH&S risks are being managed, OH&S performance must be measurable. You can measure your organizations OH&S performance by measuring the effectiveness of your controls and by comparing your OH&S results and achievements against your OH&S policy, objectives, or any other suitable OH&S performance requirements.

3.16 Occupational Health & Safety Policy

An organizations OH&S policy statement expresses a commitment to the implementation and ongoing maintenance of its OHSMS and the improvement of its overall OH&S performance. Your OH&S policy should emphasize the need to prevent injury and ill health, comply with all legal and nonlegal requirements, and be appropriate to the nature and scale of the OH&S risks that your organization must deal with. In general, an OH&S policy should be used to drive the implementation and maintenance of the OHSMS, to develop OH&S objectives, and to encourage action.

3.17 Organization
An organization is a company, corporation, enterprise, firm, institution, or authority. Organizations can be either incorporated or unincorporated, and can be either privately or publicly owned. It can also be a single operating unit or part of a larger entity. However, an operating unit or part of a larger entity must have its own functions and administration in order to count as an organization.

3.18 Preventive Action

Preventive actions are steps that are taken to remove the causes of potential nonconformities or other undesirable situations that have not yet occurred. Preventive actions address potential problems. In general, the preventive action process can be thought of as a risk analysis process.

3.19 Procedure
A procedure is a specified way of carrying out an activity or a process. Procedures may or may not be documented. A documented procedure describes and controls a logically distinct

process or activity, including the associated inputs and outputs. Documented procedures can be very general or very detailed, or anywhere in between. While a general procedure could take the form of a simple flow diagram, a detailed procedure could be a one page form or it could be several pages of text. A detailed documented procedure defines and controls the work that should be done, and explains how it should be done, who should do it, and under what circumstances. In addition, it often explains what authority and what responsibility has been allocated, which supplies and materials should be used, and which documents and records must be used to carry out the work.

3.20 Record
A record is a document that shows what kinds of activities are being performed or what kind of results are being achieved. It always documents and provides evidence about the past.

3.21 Risk
Risk combines three elements: it starts with a potential event , and then combines its probability with its potential severity . In the context of OH&S, the concept of risk asks two future oriented questions: 1. What is the probability that a particular hazardous event or exposure will actually occur in the future? 2. How severe would the impact on health and safety be if the hazardous event or exposure actually occurred? A high risk hazardous event or exposure would have both a high probability of occurring and a severe impact on OH&S if it actually occurred. A high risk event or exposure is one that is likely to cause severe injury or ill health.

3.22 Risk Assessment

A risk assessment considers the effectiveness of existing OH&S controls and then evaluates the probability and the potential severity of specific hazardous events and exposures. On the basis of such an assessment, organizations decide whether or not the risk is acceptable.

3.23 Workplace
A workplace is a physical location where an organizations work is performed. A physical location is an organizations workplace only if it is under its control. However, control may extend to work that is performed while traveling, working at home, or at a customers workplace. Regardless of where work is performed, organizations must manage their OH&S risks.

OTHER OHSAS 18001 OH&S WEB PAGES

Introduction to OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Overview of OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Standard OHSAS 18001 2007 OH&S Standard Translated into Plain English OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Gap Analysis Tool OHSAS 18001 2007 Internal OH&S Audit Program
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OHSAS 18001 is an Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard

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