NIOSH Safety and Health Officer (SHO) - Occupational Health (Malaysia) key terms

The branch of public health concerned with the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social wellbeing of workers, and the prevention of harm caused by workplace conditions.

The science of anticipating, recognising, evaluating and controlling workplace hazards that may cause illness, using measurement and exposure assessment to protect worker health.

A regulatory or advisory airborne concentration of a hazardous agent that is considered acceptable for repeated exposure over a stated reference period, usually expressed as a time-weighted average or ceiling value.

An exposure measure that averages a worker's airborne concentration over a reference period, such as eight hours, so that fluctuating exposures can be compared with a single limit value.

A maximum average concentration permitted for a brief reference period, typically fifteen minutes, intended to prevent acute effects from peaks of exposure that an eight-hour average would not capture.

Repeated measurement of a hazardous substance, its metabolite, or a biochemical effect in a worker's blood, urine, breath or other tissue to assess total uptake from all routes of exposure.

A reference value for a substance measured in a biological specimen, used to interpret biological monitoring results against a level consistent with acceptable exposure to the agent.

A planned programme of periodic health checks, questionnaires or examinations applied to workers exposed to specified hazards, designed to detect early signs of work-related ill health so that action can follow.

A statutory or physician-led programme of medical examinations and tests for workers in specified high-hazard occupations, used to certify fitness and detect occupational disease at an early stage.

An illness or disorder that arises wholly or partly from exposure to hazards at work, such as pneumoconiosis, occupational asthma or noise-induced hearing loss, and is often notifiable.

Illness caused by absorption of a toxic substance through inhalation, skin contact, ingestion or injection in the workplace, such as lead or pesticide poisoning, and typically reportable to the authorities.

Permanent hearing damage caused by prolonged or intense exposure to workplace noise, typically beginning at high frequencies and detected through audiometric testing within a hearing conservation programme.

A set of measures for noise-exposed workers including noise assessment, engineering and administrative controls, hearing protection, audiometric testing and training, aimed at preventing occupational hearing loss.

The net load of heat that a worker accumulates from metabolic work, environmental heat and clothing, which can progress to heat exhaustion or heat stroke if not managed by acclimatisation, rest and fluid intake.

The gradual physiological adjustment, usually over one to two weeks of repeated heat exposure, that improves sweating and cardiovascular response and reduces the risk of heat illness in new or returning workers.

Illness such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma caused by inhaling asbestos fibres, with a long latency that requires stringent controls, exposure registers and health surveillance for exposed workers.

Any source, situation or act with the potential to cause harm to a person, such as a chemical, machine, work practice or condition, before considering how likely that harm is.

The combination of the likelihood that a hazardous event will occur and the severity of harm it would cause, used to prioritise which hazards need control first.

The preferred order of risk reduction measures: eliminate the hazard, substitute it, apply engineering controls, then administrative controls, with personal protective equipment as the last resort.

A physical change to plant, process or workplace design, such as local exhaust ventilation, guarding or enclosure, that reduces exposure at source without relying on worker behaviour.

An engineering system that captures airborne contaminants such as dust, fume or vapour near their point of generation through a hood, ducting and fan, and discharges them safely, requiring regular examination and testing.

Equipment worn or held by a worker, such as respirators, gloves, eye protection or hearing protectors, that reduces individual exposure but depends on correct selection, fit, use and maintenance.

Devices worn over the face to reduce inhalation of airborne contaminants, selected by hazard and assigned protection factor, and requiring fit testing, training and maintenance to remain effective.

A qualitative or quantitative check that a tight-fitting respirator seals against an individual wearer's face, carried out before first use and periodically thereafter to confirm adequate protection.

An enclosed or partially enclosed space with restricted entry and exit that is not designed for continuous occupancy and may contain a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment risk or oxygen deficiency.

Measurement of oxygen level, flammable gas or vapour and toxic contaminants inside a space before entry and continuously during occupancy, to confirm the atmosphere is safe or to justify controls.

A formal documented authorisation that specifies the work to be done, the hazards identified, the controls required and the persons responsible, issued before high-risk tasks such as hot work or confined space entry.

A procedure for isolating hazardous energy sources and attaching locks and tags so that plant cannot be re-energised while maintenance or cleaning is in progress.

A structured process of identifying hazards, evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm, and deciding on controls, with the findings recorded and reviewed when circumstances change.

A living record listing identified hazards, their assessed risk ratings, the controls in place, responsible persons and review dates, used to track and prioritise risk reduction.

A technique that breaks a task into sequential steps, identifies the hazards at each step and specifies controls, often used to develop safe work procedures and tool-box instructions.

A written, task-specific instruction describing the sequence of steps, hazards and required controls so that work can be performed consistently and safely by trained persons.

The ranked sequence of control measures, from elimination and substitution through engineering and administrative controls to personal protective equipment, used to select the most reliable protection reasonably practicable.

A legal test weighing the likelihood and severity of harm against the cost, time and difficulty of the measures needed to eliminate or reduce it, so that grossly disproportionate effort is not required.

Broad statutory obligations placed on employers, self-employed persons and others to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of employees and others affected by the undertaking.

A person registered with the national occupational safety and health authority and employed to advise on and implement OSH measures at a workplace, with duties and notification requirements set by regulation.

A structured framework of policy, planning, implementation, monitoring and management review that an organisation uses to control OSH risks and continually improve performance.

A joint employer-and-worker body established at workplaces meeting prescribed thresholds, which reviews OSH measures, investigates incidents and promotes cooperation on safety and health matters.

A workplace accident, dangerous occurrence, occupational poisoning or disease that the employer must report to the authorities within a prescribed period, often followed by a written report.

A structured document supplied for a hazardous chemical that gives its hazards, composition, safe handling, exposure controls, first-aid and emergency information needed for risk assessment and training.