Reference
OSHA glossary
The terms that turn up in an inspection, a citation or a training record, defined without the regulatory throat-clearing. 20 entries.
- AEGCP
- An Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program is an alternative to installing GFCIs on every cord. It requires you to color-code or tag extension cords, test them regularly, and maintain logs showing continuity and polarization checks. Many contractors run AEGCP alongside GFCIs so they can prove diligence during audits. Keep the log with your LOTO and electrical safety documentation to show a cohesive approach, and note which employee removed a failed cord from service so accountability stays clear.
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Bloodborne pathogens such as HBV, HCV, and HIV are addressed by OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.1030. Even restaurants or retail stores need exposure control plans if employees clean up injuries. The plan covers universal precautions, PPE, hepatitis B vaccinations, sharps disposal, and post-exposure follow-up with medical providers. Documenting annual training and housekeeping procedures demonstrates compliance and proves that spill kits stay stocked. Keep vaccination declination forms with your PPE records so audits move quickly.
- Confined Space Entry
- Permit-required confined spaces contain hazards such as engulfment, toxic atmospheres, or inwardly converging walls. OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.146 requires written programs, entry permits, atmospheric testing, attendants, and rescue provisions. Plumbing and HVAC contractors often encounter vaults, pits, or tanks during service calls, so we keep portable gas monitors and retrieval equipment with our vans. Every entry permit ties back to our EAP and respiratory protection plans, and we retain the permits for at least 12 months to show lessons learned.
- DART
- Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred measures how serious OSHA-recordable cases become. Using the same 200,000-hour multiplier as TRIR, you count only the cases that led to lost time or job transfers. DART highlights whether light-duty placements, return-to-work plans, or ergonomic controls are effective. When DART diverges from TRIR, we know our programs are detecting issues early but not preventing severity, so we revisit JHAs and supervisor coaching sessions.
- Ergonomic Risk Assessment
- An ergonomic risk assessment evaluates tasks for awkward postures, force, repetition, and contact stress. While OSHA lacks a specific ergonomic standard, the General Duty Clause requires employers to mitigate recognized hazards. We tie ergonomic assessments to recordkeeping trends, JHAs, and PPE upgrades so managers can prioritize engineering or administrative controls before injuries spike. Documenting the assessment also helps justify equipment purchases and shows insurers you have a structured musculoskeletal prevention plan.
- GFCI
- A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter shuts off power when it senses an imbalance between hot and neutral conductors. OSHA requires GFCIs on temporary wiring, construction tools, and wet locations to prevent shocks. Inspectors often test your cords on the spot, so crews should verify each GFCI before use and log the test in the AEGCP binder. Pairing GFCIs with written cord inspections dramatically reduces electrical citations. Train employees to document the tester used, the time of the check, and what happened if the device tripped so you can prove corrective action.
- GHS
- The Globally Harmonized System is the labeling and classification framework that informs your HazCom program. It defines pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, and precautionary statements so chemical language remains consistent worldwide. OSHA adopted GHS in 2012, which is why your SDS follow a standard layout and why secondary containers require the same pictograms as the shipped containers. Keeping labels aligned with GHS reduces confusion during bilingual training and prevents mismatched PPE guidance.
- Hearing Conservation Program
- When noise exposures exceed 85 dBA as an 8-hour TWA, OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.95 requires a Hearing Conservation Program. Elements include noise monitoring, audiometric testing, hearing protection selection, training, and record retention. Metal fabrication, auto repair, and warehousing operations often exceed the threshold during grinding or forklift activity. Tie your program into PPE and machine guarding audits so noise controls stay aligned with production changes, and track audiogram shifts so you can intervene early.
- Hot Work Permit
- A hot work permit authorizes temporary operations that can produce flames, sparks, or heat, such as welding or torch cutting. The permit documents the scope, duration, fire watch, atmospheric monitoring, and post-work inspections required by 29 CFR 1910.252 and NFPA 51B. SMBs should attach photos of shielding, note the nearby combustibles removed, and log the inspection time after work stops. Keeping permits with your fire prevention plan proves you followed every precaution.
- JHA/JSA
- A Job Hazard Analysis (or Job Safety Analysis) breaks a task into steps, lists associated hazards, and documents the controls used to eliminate or reduce risk. OSHA promotes JHAs as the foundation for PPE selection, lockout/tagout procedures, and walking-working-surfaces inspections. When we update equipment or see a spike in TRIR or DART, we revisit the JHA to verify that controls, training, and emergency procedures still match the real workflow.
- LOTO
- Lockout/Tagout is OSHA’s energy control program under 29 CFR 1910.147. It requires written procedures, authorized employee training, annual inspections, and lock devices that physically isolate energy sources. LOTO protects technicians during maintenance and is one of the most cited standards when small shops lack documented steps for each piece of equipment. We link LOTO procedures to our electrical safety and machine guarding programs so supervisors can demonstrate a single source of truth.
- MEWP
- Mobile Elevating Work Platforms include boom lifts and scissor lifts covered by ANSI A92. OSHA enforces operator training, fall protection, and inspection requirements under walking-working-surfaces rules. Document pre-use inspections, tie-off anchor points, and rescue plans whenever crews work from MEWPs. Include wind limits, pothole protection checks, and who authorized the work area barricades. We store the checklist with our EAP and PPE programs so auditors see how aerial work integrates with site controls.
- Near Miss
- A near miss is an unplanned event that had the potential to cause harm but did not. OSHA encourages documenting near misses to uncover root causes before injuries occur. Effective near-miss programs capture photos, immediate controls, and follow-up actions, then feed the data into TRIR and DART reviews. Sharing the lessons during toolbox talks shows crews that reporting is worthwhile. We tag each near miss with the impacted OSHA program so trends are easy to discuss with leadership.
- PSM
- Process Safety Management, outlined in 29 CFR 1910.119, governs high-hazard chemical processes. While most SMBs fall below the 10,000-pound thresholds, cannabis extraction labs and cold storage facilities can trigger PSM-like expectations from insurers or state agencies. Elements include process hazard analyses, operating procedures, mechanical integrity, and emergency planning. Documenting scaled-down PSM elements shows regulators you understand the risk profile even if the full standard does not formally apply.
- Respirable Crystalline Silica
- Silica dust particles smaller than 10 microns can reach the deepest parts of the lungs and cause silicosis. OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.1053 standard sets an action level of 25 µg/m3 and a PEL of 50 µg/m3 averaged over 8 hours. Employers must conduct exposure assessments, implement engineering controls, provide respirators when controls cannot reduce exposure, and offer medical surveillance. Documenting silica plans and linking them to your respiratory protection program keeps audits straightforward.
- Root Cause Analysis
- Root cause analysis is the structured process of identifying the fundamental reasons an incident or near miss occurred. Techniques such as the Five Whys or fishbone diagrams help teams move beyond blame and focus on system gaps. OSHA references root cause analysis in several enforcement memoranda because it drives meaningful corrective actions. Documenting the findings and linking them to program updates keeps auditors confident that problems will not recur, and it arms leaders with a prioritized action list.
- Safety Committee Charter
- A safety committee charter defines the membership, meeting cadence, authority, and documentation requirements for your cross-functional safety team. Some states mandate written charters, but even where optional, a charter shows OSHA that employees participate in program reviews, TRIR discussions, and policy updates. Include details on how agenda items feed into corrective actions, who tracks open items, and how decisions tie back to OSHA programs. Publishing the charter helps maintain continuity when leaders change.
- SDS
- A Safety Data Sheet is the standardized, 16-section document required by 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) for every hazardous chemical. SDS packets outline ingredients, hazard classifications, PPE requirements, first-aid steps, and disposal instructions under the GHS system. SMB teams should maintain digital and paper access, track the revision date, and tie the sheet back to their inventory list so auditors see nothing missing. We also reference SDS numbers in our training LMS so employees can prove they reviewed the correct document.
- TLV vs PEL
- Threshold Limit Values come from ACGIH and represent best-practice exposure limits, while Permissible Exposure Limits are OSHA’s enforceable numbers. Many PELs are decades old, so industrial hygienists compare monitoring data to both to determine whether additional controls or respirators are warranted. Documenting TLV vs PEL decisions helps justify respiratory protection requirements and demonstrates due diligence when inspectors ask why you selected certain cartridges. We keep comparison tables with each air sample so leaders can see why additional engineering controls were funded.
- TRIR
- Total Recordable Incident Rate is the OSHA metric that normalizes injury counts using 200,000 labor hours. You add every recordable case from your OSHA 300 log, multiply by 200,000, and divide by the total hours worked across employees and temporary labor. TRIR gives executives an at-a-glance view of how you stack up against BLS averages, but it also reveals whether corrective actions from programs such as HazCom, LOTO, or PPE are sticking. We compare TRIR to DART monthly to confirm that severity is trending with frequency and to determine where refresher training or engineering controls should land first. The metric also influences insurance premiums, so sharing it with finance leaders keeps safety budgets realistic. We use TRIR to decide which industries or branches need extra coaching, and we publish the number in safety committee minutes so transparency builds trust.
Turning the terms into a program
WorkSafely SMB builds the safety programs, training records and inspection logs these terms describe, and keeps them current.
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