Workplace Safety Glossary
Whether you're managing field teams or ensuring lone worker safety, it's easy to get lost in the terminology. Become an expert with our glossary of workplace safety, WHS compliance, and risk management terms.
A
ALARP & SFAIRP
The legal and engineering standards requiring risks to be reduced as low as reasonably practicable, using a gross disproportion test that biases decisions toward safety.
Action Register
A dynamic governance tool that tracks corrective actions from hazards, incidents, and audits, serving as primary evidence of due diligence under Australian WHS law.
B
C
CAPA (Corrective & Preventive Action)
A systematic risk management process to identify root causes of incidents and implement controls to prevent recurrence or occurrence.
Chain of Responsibility
Australian transport law extending liability for safety breaches to all parties who influence transport activities.
Check-In
A scheduled welfare verification where lone workers confirm their safety status.
Code of Practice
An approved document providing practical guidance on complying with WHS duties, holding special evidentiary status in court proceedings.
Competency (Training & Verification)
The demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills to perform a task safely and effectively in a specific work environment, verified through evidence-based assessment.
Confined Space
An enclosed space not designed for human occupancy with restricted access and potential hazards.
Confined Space Entry Permit
The mandatory authorisation document that verifies atmospheric safety, isolation controls, and rescue readiness before confined space entry.
Connectivity Black Spot
A zone where telecommunications failure compromises critical safety controls, delaying emergency response and isolating workers in remote operations.
Control Measure
A specific action, device, system, or process implemented to eliminate or minimise work health and safety risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
Corrective Action
A systematic process of identifying and eliminating root causes to prevent recurrence. The fundamental mechanism by which safety management systems learn from failure.
D
E
Electrical Isolation
The verified disconnection of all energy sources from electrical equipment to eliminate the risk of electric shock and arc flash during work.
Emergency Response Centre (Monitoring Centre)
A fortified 24/7 facility that receives, verifies, and escalates distress signals from lone workers under Australian Standard AS 2201.2.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
A confidential, employer-funded support service providing counselling, coaching, and critical incident response to support workforce psychological wellbeing.
Escalation Protocol
A predefined procedure that activates when a lone worker signals distress or fails to check in.
Excavation Permit (Dig Permit)
A mandatory authorization system that prevents utility strikes and trench collapses by verifying subsurface hazards before breaking ground.
F
G
GPS Breadcrumbing and Location Pings
Technologies that track worker location through continuous trail logging or discrete location requests to enable emergency response and verify safety for remote and isolated workers.
Gas Testing and Atmospheric Monitoring
The systematic measurement of air quality to detect oxygen deficiency, flammable gases, and toxic contaminants before and during work in hazardous environments.
Geofencing
Virtual geographic boundaries that trigger automated safety responses when workers enter, exit, or dwell within defined areas using GPS and positioning technologies.
H
HSR (Health and Safety Representative)
An elected worker representative with statutory powers to identify hazards, issue improvement notices, and stop unsafe work.
Hazard Identification (HAZID)
A structured, multidisciplinary workshop technique for identifying potential hazards and threats in projects, facilities, or operations before detailed design is finalised.
Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL)
Australia's unified regulatory framework for heavy vehicles, establishing Chain of Responsibility across the supply chain.
Hierarchy of Controls
The legally mandated framework for selecting hazard controls, prioritising elimination and engineering over administrative measures and PPE.
Hot Work Permit
A documented system that authorizes welding, cutting, grinding and other ignition-generating activities only after fire and explosion controls have been verified.
I
ISO 45001
The international standard for occupational health and safety management systems, adopted in Australia as AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018. Provides a framework for risk-based OHS management and supports due diligence obligations.
Incident Investigation
A systematic inquiry process to uncover the causes of workplace incidents and prevent recurrence through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
Incident Report
A formal written record of workplace incidents used for investigation, corrective action, and strategic prevention. The primary sensor in safety management systems.
Induction (Site / Role / Contractor)
A mandatory process that informs workers and visitors of site-specific hazards, safety rules, and emergency procedures before they commence work.
J
JSA / JHA (Job Safety Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis)
A systematic process for breaking down a task into steps, identifying hazards at each step, and establishing controls to eliminate or minimize risk before work commences.
JSEA (Job Safety and Environmental Analysis)
A systematic process for breaking down work tasks into steps, identifying health, safety, and environmental hazards, and implementing controls to manage risks to as low as reasonably practicable.
Journey Management Plan
A strategic risk management system that ensures worker safety during work-related travel by identifying transport hazards and enabling rapid emergency response.
L
LOTO (Lockout/Tagout/Isolation)
A physical isolation system that prevents unexpected startup of plant by locking energy sources in the off position and verifying a zero-energy state.
LTIFR (Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate)
A standardised metric measuring lost-time injuries per million hours worked, widely used for benchmarking safety performance but limited when used in isolation.
Lagging Indicator
A retrospective metric measuring the outcomes of past safety events to assess historical performance, essential for compliance but limited in predictive capability.
Leading Indicator
A proactive metric measuring the presence and effectiveness of safety systems before incidents occur, providing early warning of potential failures.
Lessons Learned
The systematic process of capturing, analysing, and implementing knowledge from operational experience to reduce risk and enhance performance through organisational change.
Lone Worker
Workers isolated from colleagues due to location, timing, or work nature, protected under Regulation 48 of Australian WHS laws.
M
MTIFR (Medical Treatment Injury Frequency Rate)
A lag indicator measuring injuries requiring medical treatment beyond first aid per million hours worked, providing early warning signals of safety system health.
Man-Down Alert
An automated safety mechanism that detects when a worker has been incapacitated due to a fall, illness, or impact, and transmits a distress signal without manual intervention—critical for lone worker protection in high-risk industries.
N
Near Miss
An unplanned event that did not result in harm but had the potential to do so, revealing system failures before actual injury occurs.
Notifiable Incident
A workplace incident that triggers immediate mandatory reporting to state safety regulators—including death, serious injury, and dangerous incidents.
O
Occupational Violence & Aggression (OVA)
Any incident where a person is abused, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances arising out of, or in the course of, their work.
Officer Due Diligence
The non-delegable legal duty of directors and senior executives to personally verify their organisation is meeting WHS obligations. Requires knowledge, understanding, resourcing, reporting, compliance, and verification.
P
PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking)
The primary duty holder under Australian WHS law. PCBUs include businesses, sole traders, partnerships, government, and volunteer organisations with employees—all responsible for ensuring workplace health and safety.
Permit to Work
A documented system that authorises high-risk work only after safety precautions have been verified and responsibilities clearly assigned.
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
A satellite-enabled emergency beacon that transmits distress signals to search and rescue authorities when workers are in life-threatening situations.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The final line of defence in workplace safety—clothing and equipment protecting workers from residual hazards after higher-order controls have been applied.
Pre-start Check (Plant/Vehicle)
A systematic inspection performed before using plant, vehicles, or equipment to verify safe operation and identify critical defects.
Psychosocial Hazards
Hazards arising from work design, management, or workplace interactions that can cause psychological harm.
R
Residual Risk
The level of risk remaining after control measures have been implemented, representing the actual risk exposure workers face when controls are functioning as intended.
Risk Assessment
The systematic process of evaluating workplace hazards by analyzing likelihood and consequence to determine appropriate control measures under the WHS Act.
Risk Matrix
A fundamental risk management tool that characterises and prioritises workplace hazards by plotting likelihood against consequence severity to generate risk ratings.
Risk Register
A centralised database recording identified workplace hazards, their severity, control measures, and accountable persons—the single source of truth for managing safety risks and demonstrating WHS compliance.
Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
A systematic process for identifying the underlying organizational and systemic failures that contribute to incidents, enabling effective prevention rather than treating symptoms.
S
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
Written step-by-step instructions that define the safe method for performing routine tasks and operating equipment, serving as evidence of a safe system of work.
SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement)
Legally mandated safety document required before commencing any of 19 High Risk Construction Work activities in Australia, detailing site-specific hazards and control measures.
Safe System of Work (SSoW)
The overarching framework that ensures tasks are performed safely and consistently by integrating policies, procedures, training, and workplace culture.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
A legally mandated 16-section document providing comprehensive information on hazardous chemicals, including properties, health risks, safe handling procedures, and emergency response measures required under WHS legislation.
Safety Management System
A comprehensive framework that systematically manages workplace safety through integrated policies, procedures, and verification processes aligned with WHS legislation.
Severity Rate
A metric measuring the consequence of safety failures through lost days, widely used for insurance and compliance but critically limited in predicting catastrophic risks.
Stop Work Authority
The legal right and organisational duty for any worker to halt operations immediately upon observing unsafe conditions, protected by Australian WHS legislation.
T
TRIFR (Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate)
A comprehensive metric measuring all recordable injuries per million hours worked. More sensitive than LTIFR but vulnerable to classification gaming and statistical volatility in small workforces.
Take 5
A five-step pre-task risk assessment where workers pause to identify hazards, assess risks, and confirm controls before starting any task.
Toolbox Talk / Pre-Start Meeting
Structured safety communication sessions where teams discuss hazards, controls, and operational readiness before starting work.
W
WHS Act and WHS Regulations
Australia's primary workplace safety legislation. The WHS Act establishes who has safety duties and what they must achieve, while the Regulations specify how to manage specific hazards. Non-compliance can result in prosecution, multi-million dollar fines, and imprisonment.
Welfare Timer
An automated countdown system that triggers emergency alerts if workers don't confirm their safety.
Working at Heights
Work involving a potential fall from one level to another. Requires strict controls following the hierarchy, from elimination to fall arrest systems.
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