Occupational Health and Safety Chapter 1

Key Terms in Occupational Health and Safety

• Accident proneness: the notion that some individuals are more likely to be involved in an accident due to individual characteristics.

• Assumption of risk: the belief that a worker accepted the risk of employment when they accepted the job.

Occupational Health and Safety Conditions

• Brown Lung: a disease of the lung caused by excessive inhalation of dust, often affecting textile workers.

Employer Responsibilities

• Due diligence: an expected standard of conduct that requires employers to take every reasonable precaution to ensure safety.

• Internal responsibility system (IRS): a system of shared responsibility for health and safety that is the basis for most Canadian OH&S legislation.

Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

• Lost-time injury: a workplace injury that results in the employee missing time from work.

• Occupational injury: any cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation resulting from a workplace accident.

• Occupational illness: an abnormal condition or disorder caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with employment.

Approaches to Occupational Health and Safety

• The three E: a traditional approach to occupational health and safety that emphasized engineering, education, and enforcement.
  • Engineering: developing solutions to ensure safe work environments, equipment, and personal protective devices.
  • Education: educating supervisors and employers in the use of equipment.
  • Enforcement: focusing on enforcing existing regulations and practices.

Key Terms in Occupational Health and Safety

• Accident proneness: the notion that some individuals are more likely to be involved in an accident due to individual characteristics.

• Assumption of risk: the belief that a worker accepted the risk of employment when they accepted the job.

Occupational Health and Safety Conditions

• Brown Lung: a disease of the lung caused by excessive inhalation of dust, often affecting textile workers.

Employer Responsibilities

• Due diligence: an expected standard of conduct that requires employers to take every reasonable precaution to ensure safety.

• Internal responsibility system (IRS): a system of shared responsibility for health and safety that is the basis for most Canadian OH&S legislation.

Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

• Lost-time injury: a workplace injury that results in the employee missing time from work.

• Occupational injury: any cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation resulting from a workplace accident.

• Occupational illness: an abnormal condition or disorder caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with employment.

Approaches to Occupational Health and Safety

• The three E: a traditional approach to occupational health and safety that emphasized engineering, education, and enforcement.
  • Engineering: developing solutions to ensure safe work environments, equipment, and personal protective devices.
  • Education: educating supervisors and employers in the use of equipment.
  • Enforcement: focusing on enforcing existing regulations and practices.

Occupational Health and Safety

• Act: A federal, provincial, or territorial law that constitutes the basic regulatory mechanism for OH&S.
• Constructor/Contractor: A person or company responsible for the construction of a project and ultimately responsible for the health and safety of all workers.
• General Duty: A primary duty directly articulated in the occupational health and safety act, requiring employers to take every reasonable precaution to ensure employee safety.

Key Terms and Concepts

• GHS: An international classification and labeling of chemicals being adopted by countries around the world.
• Guidelines And Policies: More specific rules that are not legally enforceable unless referred to in a regulation or act.
• Prescribed Duty: A duty to be undertaken because of health and safety regulations.
• Regulations: Explain how the general intent of the act will be applied in specific circumstances.
• Standards And Codes: Provide practical guidance on the implementation of occupational health and safety practices, often established by agencies such as the CSA or the ILO.