OSMR key terms

A structured process that identifies hazards, estimates the likelihood and severity of harm, and decides whether existing controls are adequate or need to be strengthened.

Any source, situation, or act with the potential to cause harm to people, property, or the environment, regardless of whether anyone is currently exposed to it.

A grid that combines likelihood and consequence ratings to assign a risk level, helping teams rank hazards and prioritise which controls to apply first.

The principle that risk should be reduced as low as reasonably practicable, balancing the cost and effort of further controls against the safety benefit they would deliver.

A ranked order of risk-reduction measures, from eliminating the hazard and engineering changes down to administrative procedures and personal protective equipment, used to choose the most reliable option.

The level of risk that remains after controls have been applied, which must be evaluated, recorded, and accepted by an accountable person before work proceeds.

A formal written authorisation that specifies the task, the hazards, the precautions required, and the validity period, and that must be signed off before and after high-risk work.

A procedure for isolating energy sources and fitting personal locks and warning tags so that equipment cannot be re-energised while someone is working on it.

Physically separating equipment or a system from every energy or product source, then proving it is de-energised, so that work can proceed without unexpected release.

A documented combination of procedures, controls, and supervision that sets out how a task is performed safely, including who does what and when.

An unplanned event that did not cause injury or damage but had the potential to do so, recorded so that underlying causes can be corrected before a serious incident occurs.

A systematic examination of an unwanted event to establish what happened, why it happened, and what changes will prevent recurrence, using evidence rather than blame.

A technique for tracing an incident back beyond immediate causes to the underlying management, design, or cultural failures that allowed it to happen.

A defined change made to remove the cause of a detected problem, with an owner and a deadline, then verified as effective rather than simply closed on paper.

A prepared set of arrangements covering detection, alarm, evacuation or shelter, first aid, and communication with external services for credible emergency scenarios.

A rehearsed exercise that tests an emergency plan under realistic conditions, revealing gaps in roles, communications, or equipment that can be fixed before a real event.

A designated safe assembly location where people report after evacuation so that responsible persons can account for everyone and brief the emergency services.

Clothing or equipment worn by an individual to reduce exposure to a hazard, used as a last line of defence when other controls cannot adequately remove the risk.

The extent to which people come into contact with a hazard, described by how often, how long, and at what intensity, which drives the likelihood side of a risk assessment.

The combination of training, experience, and demonstrated ability that qualifies a person to carry out a defined task safely and without close supervision.

A short, focused briefing before a task that covers the specific hazards, controls, and responsibilities for that day's work, delivered by the supervisor to the crew.

The shared values, beliefs, and behaviours that determine how seriously an organisation treats safety in practice, especially when nobody is watching or under schedule pressure.

An approach to accountability that distinguishes honest mistakes and system failures from reckless or deliberate violations, encouraging reporting without tolerating wilful disregard.

Visible, consistent action by senior managers that prioritises safety, such as resourcing controls, attending reviews, and modelling safe behaviour, which shapes how others behave.

A programme that observes workplace behaviours, gives feedback on safe and at-risk acts, and reinforces improvement, while addressing the conditions that drive behaviour.

A scheduled senior-level examination of safety performance data, audit findings, and objectives to confirm the management system remains suitable, adequate, and effective.

A measurable value chosen to track progress towards a safety objective, ideally combining lagging outcomes such as injuries with leading indicators such as inspections completed.

A metric based on outcomes that have already occurred, such as recordable injuries or lost days, useful for confirming trends but unable to predict future failure.

A proactive metric that measures preventive activity, such as training completion, audit closure rates, or near-miss reports, and signals future safety performance.

Meeting the legal duties, standards, and permit conditions that apply to the organisation's activities, verified through monitoring, records, and inspection.

An independent, systematic check that compares actual practice and records against defined requirements, producing findings that feed improvement rather than merely scoring performance.

A documented failure to meet a specified requirement, which must be recorded, corrected, and reviewed to determine whether similar gaps exist elsewhere.

A structured evaluation of the likely environmental effects of a proposed project before approval, including mitigation measures and consultation with affected parties.

A maintained list of an organisation's activities, products, and services that interact with the environment, together with the significance of each resulting impact.

The framework of policy, planning, operational controls, monitoring, and review that an organisation uses to manage its environmental responsibilities systematically and continually improve.

A priority order for managing waste: prevent, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover energy, then dispose, used to choose the least harmful practical option.

The planned actions, equipment, and trained personnel for containing and cleaning up a release of fuel, chemicals, or other pollutants before it reaches drains or soil.

Arrangements that keep critical operations running or restore them quickly after disruption, covering people, facilities, suppliers, and communications.

The controlled movement of people away from a dangerous area to a place of safety, requiring clear routes, alarms, and someone to confirm everyone has left.

A review that identifies the gap between the skills people currently hold and those their roles demand, so that learning effort is directed where it matters most.