Exposure Assessment:
For occupational health and environmental purposes, exposure assessment is the multidisciplinary field that identifies and characterizes workplace exposures, develops estimates of exposure‐response and makes risk assessment studies, and evaluates the significance of exposures and effectiveness of intervention strategies. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
The process of measuring or estimating the exposure profiles of workers, including the relevant characteristics of the exposures such as the duration and intensity. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Failure Mode:
A failure mode is the manner in which the item or operation potentially fails to meet or deliver the intended function and associated requirements. Failure modes may include functions that fail to perform within defined limits, inadequate or poor performance, intermittent performance, or performing an unintended or undesired function. (Carlson 2012)
Financial Risks:
Risks that arise from the effect of market forces on financial assets or liabilities and include market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, and price risk. (The Institutes)
Frequency:
Number of events or outcomes per defined unit of time. (ISO Guide 73/ANSI/ASSP Z690.1‐2011)
“Frequency” is a rate measure and needs a denominator such as a unit of time [e.g. per hour/ per year], the number of tasks performed [e.g. per 1000 miles driven/per 100 drill holes completed], units produced [e.g. per million tons of coal], of life cycle of equipment, process, or product. Note: “Likelihood” is a general term that can be expressed specifically as a “Frequency” or “Probability” of the future occurrence of the chosen consequence scenario. (Whiting 2013)
Future State Risk:
When additional control measures are proposed, a “future state” risk level is estimated considering their effect in reducing risk. Future state residual risk assessments are performed to also validate and support the proposed risk reduction measures. (Authors)
Harm:
Physical injury or damage to health of people. (ANSI B11.0‐2020)
Hazard:
The potential for harm. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
Source of potential harm. (ISO Guide 73/ANSI/ASSP Z690.1‐2011)
A condition, set of circumstances, or inherent property that can cause injury, illness, or death. (ANSI/ASSP Z10.0‐2019)
Source with a potential to cause injury and ill health. (ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001‐2018)
A potential source of harm. (ANSI B11.0‐2020)
A source of possible injury or damage to health. (NFPA 70E‐2018)
Any real or potential condition that can cause injury, illness, or death to personnel; damage to or loss of a system, equipment, or property; or damage to the environment. (MIL‐STD‐882E‐2012)
Hazard – Insurance Context:
Condition or situation that creates or increases chance of loss in an insured risk, separated into two kinds. (1) Physical hazard: physical environment which could increase or decrease the probability or severity of a loss. It can be managed through risk‐improvement, insurance policy terms, and premium rates. (2) Moral hazard: attitude and ethical conduct of the insured. It cannot be managed but can be avoided by declining to insure the risk. (Adapted from Businessdictionary.com)
Hazard Analysis:
A process that commences with the identification of a hazard or hazards and proceeds into an estimate of the severity of harm or damage that could result if the potential of an incident or exposure occurs. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
It includes an analysis of severity level, but does not consider probability of occurrence. Examples might include Maximum Foreseeable Loss or Maximum Probable Loss used by insurance underwriting practices. (Manuele 2013)
Hazard Identification:
Process of recognizing that a hazard exists and defining its characteristics. (BS OHSAS 18001‐2007)
The act of anticipating, detecting, and identifying existing and potential hazards and their characteristics. (Authors)
Hazard Risks:
Risks arising from property, liability, or personnel loss exposures which are generally the subject of insurance. (The Institutes)
Hazard/Risk Avoidance:
Prevent entry of hazards into a workplace by selecting and incorporating appropriate technology and work methods criteria during the design processes. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
Hazard/Risk Elimination:
Eliminate workplace and work methods risks that have been discovered. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))Author’s Cautionary Note: In risk management, care must be taken when using absolute terms such as “eliminate” or “stop” or “prevent” as they imply the false confidence belief that zero risk is achievable. Risk management can never reduce risk to zero. Usually, only some risk factors which form parts of a risk scenario can be absolutely removed or eliminated. More often than not, risk treatment is usually about substituting a lower risk ‐ risk factor rather than completely eliminating a risk. For example, a highly toxic solvent may be replaced by a less toxic solvent. So in some respects the exposure to the highly toxic solvent has been eliminated but there has been essentially a reduction in risk by substitution not elimination. Also be careful with believing that simply declaring a rule that a particular solvent is not to be used, is no guarantee that the chances of further use and exposure has been completely eliminated. (Whiting 2013)
Hazardous:
Involving exposure to at least one hazard. (NFPA 70E‐2018)
Hazardous Event:
An event that can cause harm. (ANSI B11.0‐2020)
Hazardous Situation:
A circumstance in which a person is exposed to a hazard(s). (ANSI B11.0‐2020)
Hierarchy of Controls:
A systematic approach to avoiding, eliminating, controlling, and reducing risks, considering steps in a ranked and sequential order, beginning with avoidance, elimination, and substitution. (ANSI/ASSP Z590.3‐2011(R2016))
Human Factors:
Human factors is concerned with the application of what we know about people, their abilities, characteristics, and limitations to the design of equipment they use, environments in which they function, and jobs they perform. (Human Factors and Ergonomics Society)
Applied human factors engineering is “the designing of systems with the user in mind.” (Authors)