NEBOSH NGC key terms

A legal test requiring an employer to weigh the risk against the money, time and trouble needed to control it, unless the sacrifice is grossly disproportionate to the benefit gained.

The common law obligation of an employer to take reasonable steps to protect employees and others affected by the organisation's activities from foreseeable harm.

A civil wrong where a person breaches a legal duty owed to another, causing loss or injury that a reasonable person would have foreseen and avoided.

An employer's legal responsibility for the acts or omissions of employees carried out in the course of their employment, even where the employer was not directly at fault.

A written statement setting out an organisation's commitment to health and safety, the arrangements for putting that commitment into practice, and who is responsible for what.

The part of a health and safety policy that defines roles, responsibilities, accountability and reporting lines for health and safety throughout the management structure.

The part of a health and safety policy describing the practical systems, procedures and controls used to manage specific hazards and activities within the organisation.

The shared values, attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of an organisation's workforce that determine how seriously health and safety is actually treated day to day.

The measurable, current snapshot of workers' perceptions about safety at a particular moment, often assessed through surveys and used as an indicator of culture.

An approach that observes and reinforces safe workplace behaviours, using feedback and coaching rather than discipline alone, to reduce accidents caused by unsafe acts.

Someone with sufficient training, experience, knowledge and other qualities to be able to identify and control the risks arising from the task or workplace in question.

The two-way process of seeking and considering workers' views on health and safety matters before decisions are made, including arrangements for safety representatives.

A formal forum of management and worker representatives that meets regularly to discuss health and safety issues, review performance and recommend improvements.

The provision of basic facilities such as drinking water, washing facilities, toilets, rest areas and somewhere to eat, required to protect workers' health and comfort.

The combination of the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm and the severity of the harm that could result from exposure to it.

Any source, situation or activity with the potential to cause harm, ill health, injury or damage to property or the environment.

A systematic process of identifying hazards, evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm, and deciding on and recording suitable control measures.

The structured step of recognising all significant hazards associated with a task, process or workplace before their risks can be evaluated and controlled.

A ranked order of control measures, from eliminating the hazard at the top down to personal protective equipment at the bottom, used to select the most effective controls first.

The most effective control measure, removing the hazard entirely from the workplace so that no risk of harm from it remains.

Replacing a hazardous substance, process or piece of equipment with a less hazardous alternative, reducing risk without necessarily removing the task.

Physical measures built into plant, machinery or the workplace, such as guarding, ventilation or interlocks, that reduce exposure without relying on worker behaviour.

The level of risk that remains after all reasonably practicable control measures have been applied and which must be judged acceptable before work proceeds.

Equipment worn or held by a worker, such as helmets, gloves or respirators, that protects against one or more hazards but is the last resort in the hierarchy of control.

A documented method of carrying out a task that identifies the hazards, sets out the controls and defines a safe sequence of operations for workers to follow.

A formal, documented authorisation controlling high-risk work by recording the hazards, required precautions, isolations and the people authorised to carry out and supervise the task.

Breaking a job down into its component steps to identify the hazards and controls associated with each stage, often used to build a safe system of work.

The continuous process of identifying and responding to changing risks as work progresses, used where conditions differ from those anticipated in a written assessment.

Physically disconnecting and securing energy sources such as electricity, gas, steam or pressure so that plant cannot be started or release energy during maintenance.

A procedure in which an energy isolation device is locked in the safe position and the key held by the person working, preventing unauthorised reconnection.

An engineering control that captures airborne contaminants such as dust, fume or vapour at or near their source and removes them before they reach the breathing zone.

Face-worn equipment that filters or supplies clean air to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous substances, requiring fit testing and face-fit checks to be effective.

A published maximum concentration of a hazardous substance in workplace air, usually averaged over a reference period, that should not normally be exceeded.

The systematic, regular monitoring of workers' health, such as hearing tests or lung function checks, where exposure could cause identifiable disease or adverse effects.

Permanent damage to hearing caused by prolonged or repeated exposure to high noise levels, which is irreversible and usually develops gradually without obvious warning.

A marked area where noise exposure exceeds the action value, within which hearing protection must be worn and appropriate signs displayed.

A group of conditions affecting fingers, hands and arms, including vibration white finger, caused by prolonged use of vibrating tools and equipment.

The design of work, equipment and tasks to fit the capabilities and limitations of people, reducing strain, fatigue and musculoskeletal injury.

Any transporting or supporting of a load by hand or bodily force, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying, which can cause musculoskeletal injury.

An enclosed or partially enclosed space where serious injury can arise from hazardous atmospheres, engulfment or loss of consciousness, and which is not intended for continuous occupancy.

A mistake, lapse or violation in human performance that contributes to an accident, often shaped by workplace design, workload and organisational factors rather than carelessness alone.

A structured enquiry into an incident to establish what happened, identify immediate and root causes, and recommend controls to prevent recurrence.

A technique for tracing an incident back beyond its immediate cause to the underlying management, design or organisational failings that allowed it to happen.

An unplanned event that did not result in injury or damage but had the potential to do so, providing valuable warning information if reported and investigated.

The observed relationship between the numbers of near misses, minor injuries and serious incidents, used to argue that reducing minor events reduces serious harm.

Checking that controls and management arrangements are in place and working before harm occurs, using inspections, audits and safety sampling.

Measuring safety performance after events have happened, using accident, ill-health and near-miss data to reveal where controls have failed.

A systematic, independent and documented review of an organisation's health and safety management system against defined standards to verify conformity and identify improvement.

A physical check of a workplace, plant or activity against agreed standards to identify hazards and confirm that controls are being maintained.