| ABC | Airways, Breathing, Circulation (Priority in First Aid Treatment) |
| ACE | Association of Canadian Ergonomists |
| APR | Air Purifying Respirator |
| ASA | American Standards Association |
| ACGIH | American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
| BBB | Better Business Bureau |
| BBS | Behaviour Based Safety |
| BCRSP | Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals |
| BEI | Biological Exposure Index |
| BP | Boiling Point |
| B.Sc. | Bachelor of Science |
| CAS | Chemical Abstracts Service |
| CCOHS | Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety |
| CDC | Centres of Disease Control |
| CEPA | Canada Environmental Protection Act |
| CEPA | Canadian Environmental Protection Agency |
| CHFP | Certified Human Factors Professional |
| CHRP | Certified Human Resources Professional |
| CIH | Certified Industrial Hygienists |
| CMA | Canadian Medical Association |
| CMC | Certified Management Consultant |
| CO | Carbon Monoxide |
| CPE | Certified Professional Ergonomist |
| CPR | Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation |
| CRBOH | Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists |
| CRSP | Canadian Registered Safety Professional |
| CSA | Canadian Standards Association |
| CSAO | Construction Safety Association of Ontario |
| CSSE | Canadian Society Safety Engineers |
| CTD | Cumulative Trauma Disorder |
| dB | Decibel |
| DFM | Dust, Fumes, and Mists (Found on Respirator Cartridges) |
| DIH | Diploma in Industrial Hygiene |
| DOHS | Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety |
| EAP | Employee Assistance Program |
| EHS | Environmental, Health & Safety |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Act |
| ERP | Emergency Response Plan |
| ESAO | Education Safety Association of Ontario |
| ESL | English as a Second Language |
| EUSA | Electrical & Utilities Safety Association |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
| GTA | Greater Toronto Area |
| H&S | Health & Safety |
| HAZMAT | Hazardous Materials |
| HCHSA | Health Care Health & Safety Association |
| HR | Human Resources |
| HRDC | Human Resource Development Canada |
| HRPAO | Human Resource Professional Association of Ontario |
| HSA | Health & Safety Association |
| IAPA | Industrial Accident Prevention Association |
| IAQ | Indoor Air Quality |
| IDLH | Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (found on MSDS) |
| IRS | Internal Responsibility System |
| IS | Information Systems |
| ISO | International Standards Organization |
| IWH | Institute for Work & Health |
| JHSC | Joint Health & Safety Committee |
| JHA | Job Hazard Analysis |
| LC50 | Lethal Concentration |
| LD 50 | Lethal Dose |
| LEL | Lower Exposure Limit (found on MSDS) |
| LOTO | Lock Out Tag Out |
| LTD | Long Term Disability |
| LTI | Loss Time Injury |
| MASHA | Mines & Aggregates Safety & Health Association |
| MIPP | Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Program |
| MOH | Ministry of Health |
| MOL | Ministry of Labour |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet |
| MSI | Musculo-Skeletal Injury |
| MTO | Ministry of Transportation of Ontario |
| NAOSH | North American Occupational Health & Safety Week |
| NFPA | National Fire Protection Association |
| NIH | National Institute of Health |
| NIHL | Noise Induced Hearing Loss |
| NIOSH | National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
| NLTI | No Lost-Time Injury |
| NRR | Noise Reduction Rating (found on Hearing Protection) |
| OBC | Ontario Building Code |
| OEA | Office of the Employer Adviser |
| OFC | Ontario Fire Code |
| OFSWA | Ontario Forestry Safe Workplace Association |
| OHAO | Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario |
| OHCOW | Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers |
| OHRN | Occupational Health Registered Nurse |
| OHS | Occupational Health & Safety |
| OHSA | Occupational Health & Safety Act |
| OSHA | Occupational Health & Safety Administration |
| OSSA | Ontario Service Safety Alliance |
| OT | Occupational Therapist |
| OWA | Office of the Worker Adviser |
| PEMEP | People, equipment, materials, environment, process |
| PEng | Professional Engineer |
| Ph.D. | Doctorate |
| PIN | Product Identification Number |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment |
| PPHSA | Pulp & Paper Health & Safety Association |
| PT | Physical Therapist |
| QA | Quality Assurance |
| QC | Quality Control |
| QI | Quality Improvement |
| RAC | Recognize, Assess, Control |
| RMI | Repetitive Motion injury |
| ROH | Registered Occupational Hygienist |
| RSI | Repetitive Strain Injury |
| RTK | Right To Know |
| SCBA | Self Contained Breathing Apparatus |
| SCF | Safe Communities Foundation |
| SCIP | Safe Communities Incentive Program |
| SIG's | Sector Interagency Groups |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure |
| SPC | Statistical Process Control |
| SWA | Safe Workplace Association |
| SWAG | Scientific Wild Ass Guess |
| TDG | Transportation of Dangerous Goods |
| THSAO | Transport Health & Safety Association of Ontario |
| TLV | Threshold Limit Value (found on MSDS) |
| TQM | Total Quality Management |
| TSSA | Technical Standards and Safety Authority |
| TWA | Time Weighted Average |
| UEL | Upper Exposure Limit (Found on MDSD) |
| UL | Underwriters Laboratory |
| UV | Ultra Violet |
| WBGT | Wet Builb Globe Temperature |
| WHMIS | Workplace Hazardous Material Information System |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| WHSC | Worker's Health & Safety Centre |
| WSIB | Workplace Safety & Insurance Board |
| YWAP | Young Worker Awareness Program |
This glossary provides a quick reference to common Health & Safety terms used throughout this on-line Guide.
An unexpected event or an unintended outcome that results in harm to people and/or damage to or loss of property
A serious personal injury that places life in jeopardy, produced unconsciousness, serious loss of blood, fracture of a leg or arm, amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot, burns to most of the body, or loss of sight in one or both eyes
Steps taken to eliminate or reduce hazards or exposure to them. Hazards can be controlled at the source, along the path and at the personal level
Refers to the design of equipment, machinery and workstations to suit people
Includes repetition, force, posture and duration of activities that go beyond a person's physical abilities
A condition, practice or substance with the potential for accidental loss or harm to life, health or property
Short for Joint Health & Safety Representative
An accident causing property damage or loss and with the potential to cause personal injury
Short for Joint Health & Safety Committee
A means of physically disabling and flagging unsafe machines, equipment, tools and electrical devices to prevent them from being used
Short for Ministry of Labour
Short form for Material Safety Data Sheets. These contain detailed information about the health hazards, safe handling and storage, and medical treatment of hazardous materials
An ill health condition caused by exposure to a health hazard in the workplace. May also be called industrial disease
Short for Occupational Health & Safety
Short for Ontario Service Safety Alliance - a not-for-profit Health & Safety organization designated as a Safe Workplace Association to Ontario's service based industries: Retail and Wholesale Distribution, Restaurant and Foodservice, Vehicle Sales and Services, Tourism and Hospitality, and Office and Related Services
Short for Personal Protective Equipment. Includes gloves, eye and face shields, breathing and filtering masks, aprons, body covering and safety footwear that must be worn when handling hazardous materials and chemicals. See MSDS, see WHMIS
The likelihood that a hazard will cause an accident, injury, illness, damage or loss
A hazard with a known history or identified high potential of causing accident, injury, illness, damage or loss
Short for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
Short for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board