ASP Fellowship I flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Fiduciary duty

The obligation to act in the client's and public's best interest ahead of personal gain, disclosing conflicts in writing before accepting work.

Conflict of interest

A situation where personal, financial, or other interests could bias professional judgment; it requires written disclosure and possible withdrawal from the engagement.

Scope of competence

The boundary of work a professional may accept based on education, training, and experience; work outside it needs specialist review or referral.

Sealing drawings

Affixing a professional seal certifies personal review and responsibility for the work; sealing unverified work by others violates practice rules.

Confidentiality exceptions

Client information stays confidential after the engagement ends unless disclosure is legally compelled, authorized by the client, or needed to prevent imminent harm.

Incorporation by reference

A regulatory technique making a published standard legally enforceable; the specific edition cited in the regulation governs compliance.

Hierarchy of authority

Statute outranks regulation, which outranks incorporated standards and guidance; conflicting requirements resolve toward the more stringent enforceable rule.

Permit condition

A legally binding limit or operating requirement attached to a permit; exceeding it is a violation regardless of intent or actual harm.

Change management

A controlled process ensuring that physical or procedural changes are reviewed and approved before implementation when they affect permitted activities.

Compliance audit trail

A dated record linking each regulatory requirement to a responsible person, supporting evidence, and closure, enabling demonstration of compliance during inspection.

Hierarchy of controls

Ranking of hazard controls from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then personal protective equipment.

Risk score

A value computed as likelihood multiplied by severity, used with a consistent matrix and recalculated after each control measure is applied.

Permissible exposure limit

A regulatory airborne concentration limit, usually an 8-hour time-weighted average, sometimes expressed as a ceiling or short-term exposure limit.

Confined space entry

Entry requiring atmospheric testing before and during occupancy, an attendant outside, isolation of hazards, and a documented rescue plan.

Reportable quantity

A threshold release amount that triggers immediate notification to authorities followed by a written report within the required timeframe.

Mass balance

The principle that mass entering a system minus mass leaving equals accumulation; applied to each unit operation before energy balances are solved.

First-order decay

Concentration declines as C = C₀e^(−kt), giving a half-life of approximately 0.693 divided by the rate constant k.

Reynolds number

A dimensionless ratio ρvD/μ used to classify flow as laminar below about 2,000 and turbulent above about 4,000.

Pump operating point

The flow and head where the pump performance curve intersects the system curve; power equals ρgQH divided by efficiency.

Steady-flow energy balance

For steady flow, heat minus work equals the change in enthalpy plus kinetic and potential energy changes, with negligible terms justified explicitly.

Fail-safe position

The final control element position on loss of power or signal that protects people and the environment, chosen during design.

Relief device sizing

Sizing based on the worst-credible overpressure scenario rather than normal operating conditions, accounting for all credible relieving sources.

Lockout tagout

Isolation of every hazardous energy source with locks and tags, followed by verification of a zero energy state before work begins.

Commissioning sequence

Progressive verification through mechanical completion, check-out, functional testing, performance testing, and formal handover to the owner.

Accuracy versus precision

Accuracy is closeness to the true value, affected by bias; precision is repeatability, reduced by random scatter in measurements.

Measurement uncertainty

The combined range of doubt around a result, combining Type A statistical and Type B calibration or manufacturer contributions in quadrature.

Control chart signal

A point beyond control limits or a nonrandom run pattern indicates special-cause variation; common-cause noise should not trigger adjustment.

Detection limit

The lowest concentration distinguishable from blank noise, commonly taken as three times the standard deviation of blank measurements.

Critical path

The longest-duration sequence of dependent activities through a project network; delay on this path delays project completion.

Earned value indices

Cost performance index equals earned value divided by actual cost; schedule performance index equals earned value divided by planned value; below 1.0 is adverse.

Risk response strategies

Standard options for registered risks: avoid the activity, mitigate probability or impact, transfer via contract or insurance, or formally accept the exposure.

Life-cycle assessment

Quantification of environmental impacts from raw material extraction through disposal, with results strongly dependent on documented system boundary choices.

AI-assisted analysis controls

Requirements for trustworthy use: explainable models, human review of outputs, and retained records of model version, data provenance, and validation.