BCSP CSP key terms

A measure of new injury or illness cases in a population over a period, usually calculated per 100 full-time workers per year using OSHA's formula. It helps compare safety performance across sites or time.

A statistic showing how spread out values are around the average. A small value means data cluster near the mean; a large value means wide variation.

A prioritization method based on the principle that a small number of causes often produce most of the effects. It ranks problems by frequency or cost so resources target the biggest contributors.

A decision method that compares the expected costs of a safety control with its expected benefits, often in monetary terms. It helps justify which risk-reduction options provide the best value.

A structured set of policies, procedures, responsibilities, and resources an organization uses to manage safety risks and improve performance. It typically includes planning, implementation, evaluation, and corrective action.

The shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that determine how seriously an organization treats safety. It shows up in reporting, accountability, and how workers and leaders respond to hazards.

A formal process for reviewing and approving changes to equipment, processes, materials, or organization before they are implemented. Its purpose is to identify and control new hazards introduced by the change.

A proactive measure that reflects preventive activities or conditions, such as training completion or near-miss reporting, rather than past harm. It is used to predict and prevent future incidents.

A four-step continuous improvement cycle: plan the change, implement it, check results against objectives, and act to standardize or correct. Safety management systems use it to drive ongoing improvement.

A condition, substance, activity, or source with the potential to cause harm, injury, illness, or damage. A hazard is the source of risk; it exists even when no one is exposed.

The combination of the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm and the severity of that harm. Risk considers exposure and consequences, not just the presence of a hazard.

The process of identifying hazards, evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm, and determining whether existing controls are adequate. It produces information used to prioritize and select risk-reduction measures.

A tool that plots likelihood against severity to rank risks into categories such as low, medium, or high. It helps teams compare different risks and decide which need priority action.

As low as reasonably practicable. A risk-management principle requiring risks to be reduced until further reduction would be grossly disproportionate to the benefit. It balances risk reduction against cost and effort.

A deductive technique that starts with an undesired top event and traces backward through logical gates to identify combinations of failures that could cause it. It supports system design and risk control.

A semi-quantitative method that evaluates independent protection layers between a hazard and a consequence. It estimates whether existing safeguards reduce risk enough and where additional layers are needed.

A regulatory or advisory limit on the amount or concentration of a hazardous agent in workplace air that workers may be exposed to over a specified time. It is used to evaluate and control health risk.

A legal occupational exposure limit set by OSHA for airborne contaminants. Employers must keep worker exposures at or below the PEL, often measured as an eight-hour time-weighted average.

An average exposure calculated over a defined period, usually eight hours, that accounts for varying concentrations and durations. It is used to compare measured exposures with occupational exposure limits.

The science of fitting work tasks, tools, equipment, and environments to the capabilities and limitations of people. Good ergonomics reduces fatigue, errors, and musculoskeletal strain.

An injury or condition affecting muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, or joints, often caused or worsened by repetitive motion, forceful exertion, awkward posture, or vibration. It is a major ergonomic concern.

An engineering control that captures airborne contaminants at or near their source and removes them before they enter the breathing zone. It is preferred over dilution ventilation for many toxic materials.

A model suggesting that many near misses and minor incidents occur for each serious injury. It is used to argue that reducing minor events and unsafe acts can prevent major harm.

A process that observes worker behaviors, provides feedback, and reinforces safe acts to reduce at-risk behavior. It supplements, but does not replace, engineering and administrative controls.

A model of accident causation in which hazards are blocked by multiple defensive layers, each with weaknesses or holes. An accident occurs when holes in all layers line up.

The study of how human capabilities, limitations, and behaviors interact with equipment, tasks, and environments. It is used to design systems that reduce human error and improve safety performance.

The relationship between the amount of exposure to a harmful agent and the likelihood or severity of the resulting health effect. It is fundamental to toxicology and exposure control.

A ranked approach to controlling hazards, from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. It guides selection of controls that reduce risk.

A method that breaks a job into steps, identifies hazards at each step, and defines controls before work begins. It is often used for training and pre-task planning.

A formal written authorization that documents the hazards, controls, and conditions required for high-risk work such as hot work or confined-space entry. It ensures proper review before work starts.

A specific procedure for isolating hazardous energy sources, applying locks and tags, and verifying zero energy before maintenance or servicing. It prevents unexpected startup or release of stored energy.

A model of the four elements needed for combustion: fuel, oxygen, heat, and an uninhibited chemical chain reaction. Removing any one element can prevent or extinguish fire.

The lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapor to form an ignitable mixture near its surface. It indicates fire hazard and helps classify flammable and combustible liquids.

The range of vapor concentrations in air between the lower and upper flammable limits within which ignition can occur. Concentrations below or above the range are too lean or too rich to burn.

A written plan that describes how occupants should respond to emergencies, including alarm signals, evacuation routes, assembly areas, and assigned responsibilities. It is required in many workplaces and must be practiced.

A standardized, scalable management structure used to coordinate emergency response among multiple agencies and roles. It establishes clear authority, common terminology, and span of control.

A provision requiring employers to provide a workplace free from recognized serious hazards not covered by a specific standard. It is used when no specific OSHA rule applies.

The degree of care and skill that a reasonably prudent professional or employer would exercise under similar circumstances. Failure to meet it can support a negligence claim.

A set of professional principles and expected behaviors governing honesty, competence, confidentiality, and protection of public safety. For safety professionals, it guides decisions when interests conflict.

Equipment worn by workers to reduce exposure to hazards, such as gloves, respirators, or safety glasses. It is the last line of defense and requires proper selection, fit, training, and maintenance.