OSHA 10 Construction key terms

The federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that writes and enforces workplace safety and health standards, conducts site inspections, and issues citations and penalties to employers.

The federal law that created OSHA and directed employers to provide workplaces free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm to workers.

Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, requiring employers to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm, even when no specific standard applies.

The part of the Code of Federal Regulations containing OSHA's construction standards, covering fall protection, scaffolds, excavations, electrical work, and many other construction activities.

A formal notice issued by OSHA that alleges a violation, describes the hazardous condition, sets a date for abatement, and proposes a monetary penalty.

A violation committed by an employer with intentional disregard for, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act or its standards; it carries the highest penalty range.

A violation in which the employer knew or should have known of a hazard likely to cause death or serious physical harm, unless the employer could not reasonably have known of a feasible way to fix it.

Protections allowing workers to request an inspection, accompany the compliance officer, view citations, review injury records, and file complaints without fear of employer retaliation.

The order OSHA uses to rank inspections: imminent danger first, then fatalities and catastrophes, then formal complaints and referrals, then programmed inspections, then follow-up visits.

A condition where an accident is about to happen and could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm before the hazard can be removed.

The Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, on which employers record each case involving more than first aid, including the worker, the date, and the nature of the injury.

A policy under which OSHA may cite creating, exposing, correcting, and controlling employers for hazards on a site where employees of several companies are working.

A free and confidential service delivered through state programs and funded partly by OSHA that helps employers find and fix hazards, with limited inspection exemptions for participants.

Someone who can recognize existing and predictable hazards at a site and has authority to take prompt corrective action; OSHA requires one for scaffolding, excavations, and certain other work.

The four leading causes of death on construction sites - falls, struck-by, caught-in or between, and electrocution - which together account for the majority of construction fatalities.

Equipment and practices, such as guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems, used to keep workers from falling or to stop a fall safely.

An assembly of anchorage, connectors, and full-body harness that catches a worker during a fall; construction work often requires it at heights of six feet or more.

A barrier with top rail, midrail, and toe board placed at open edges, holes, and platforms to prevent workers and materials from falling to a lower level.

A hazard in which a worker is hit by a moving or falling object, such as a dropped tool, a swinging crane load, or a vehicle backing up.

A hazard in which a worker is crushed, squeezed, or pinched between objects, pulled into machinery, or buried by a collapsing trench wall.

Death caused by electric current passing through the body; on construction sites this typically involves overhead power lines, damaged cords, or ungrounded equipment.

A device that senses an imbalance in electrical current and trips quickly to cut power, protecting workers from shock; OSHA requires them for many construction receptacles and cords.

Methods such as sloping, benching, shoring, or trench shields used to protect workers from cave-ins in excavations five feet deep or more.

A procedure for shutting off and isolating hazardous energy, then applying locks and tags, so machines cannot be started while workers service or repair them.

An OSHA rule requiring employers to identify chemical hazards, label containers, keep safety data sheets, and train workers on handling hazardous chemicals safely.

A standardized document describing a chemical's hazards, safe handling, first aid, and emergency measures, kept available to workers under the Hazard Communication Standard.

Equipment worn by workers, such as hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, and respirators, that reduces exposure to hazards when other controls cannot fully protect them.

A temporary elevated platform, supported from the ground or suspended, used by workers to perform construction tasks; it must be designed, erected, and inspected under OSHA rules.

Safe practices for ladders, such as keeping extension ladders at a four-to-one angle, extending them three feet above the landing, and facing the ladder while climbing.

A space large enough to enter, with limited entry or exit, not meant for continuous occupancy, and containing hazards such as toxic gas, engulfment, or low oxygen.

A program of respirators, fit testing, medical evaluation, and training used to protect workers from breathing dusts, fumes, vapors, or air containing too little oxygen.

Practices for using tools safely, including inspecting them before use, keeping guards in place, using the right tool for the task, and maintaining cords and blades.

Steps taken to avoid and respond to fires on site, such as clearing flammable debris, controlling ignition sources, and providing extinguishers and clear exit routes.

Fine dust released by cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete and stone that can be inhaled and cause silicosis; controls include water, ventilation, and respiratory protection.

Illness caused by working in hot conditions, ranging from heat cramps and heat exhaustion to heat stroke; prevention includes water, rest, shade, and gradual acclimatization.