IDRL 308 UNIT 2 DEFINITIONS | STUDY GUIDE
Workplace hazard - Answers - anything that might harm, damage, or adversely affect
any person or thing under certain conditions at work
Hazard recognition - Answers - is the systematic task of identifying all hazards present,
or potentially present, in a workplace
Hazard assessment - Answers - workers and employers determine which of the hazards
needs to be addressed most urgently
Hazard control - Answers - sees preventive and corrective measures implemented to
eliminate or mitigate the effect of the hazard(s)
Physical hazards - Answers - typically entail a transfer of energy from an object
Ergonomic hazards - Answers - Occur as a result of the interaction of work design and
the human body
Chemical hazards - Answers - Cause harm to human tissue or interfere with normal
physiological functioning
Biological hazards - Answers - Organisms, or the products of organisms that harm
human health
Psycho-social hazards - Answers - Social, environmental, and psychological factors that
can affect human health and safety
Probability - Answers - the likelihood that the hazard will result in an incident
Consequences - Answers - refers to the severity of injury or ill health that will result from
an incident
Exposure - Answers - refers to how often or regularly workers come in contact with the
hazard
Precautionary principle - Answers - calls for action to be taken even if the negative
consequences of inaction are not fully understood
Elimination - Answers - removes the hazard from the worksite
Substitution - Answers - replacing something that produces a hazard with something
that does not
, Engineering controls - Answers - modifications to the workplace, equipment, materials,
or work processes that reduce workers' exposure to hazards
Administrative controls - Answers - changes to work process, policies, training, or rules
designed to reduce exposure to hazards
Personal protective equipment - Answers - equipment worn by workers that is designed
to protect them should they come into contact with a hazard
Control at the source - Answers - addresses the hazard where it first occurs
Control along the path - Answers - addresses the hazard at some point between its
source and when workers encounter the hazard
Control at the worker - Answers - implements controls over the hazard only after it
reaches the worker
Noise - Answers - sound energy that moves through the medium of the air
Frequency - Answers - vibration of the medium - air molecules - through which sound
energy moves; measured in Hz
Duration - Answers - the length of time a worker is exposed to noise
Loudness - Answers - the amount of energy that is being carried through the medium;
measured in dB
Temporary threshold shift - Answers - Temporary hearing loss from short-term exposure
to noise
Acoustic trauma - Answers - caused by a short, intense exposure to noise, usually of
high frequency
Time-weighted average - Answers - an exposure model that factors in duration and
loudness
dB(A) - Answers - used by government regulations; a weighted measure of loudness
that factors in the frequency of the noise
Vibration - Answers - the oscillating movement of a particle around its stationary
reference position
Whole-body vibration - Answers - occurs when a worker's entire body experiences
shaking caused by contact with the vibration
Workplace hazard - Answers - anything that might harm, damage, or adversely affect
any person or thing under certain conditions at work
Hazard recognition - Answers - is the systematic task of identifying all hazards present,
or potentially present, in a workplace
Hazard assessment - Answers - workers and employers determine which of the hazards
needs to be addressed most urgently
Hazard control - Answers - sees preventive and corrective measures implemented to
eliminate or mitigate the effect of the hazard(s)
Physical hazards - Answers - typically entail a transfer of energy from an object
Ergonomic hazards - Answers - Occur as a result of the interaction of work design and
the human body
Chemical hazards - Answers - Cause harm to human tissue or interfere with normal
physiological functioning
Biological hazards - Answers - Organisms, or the products of organisms that harm
human health
Psycho-social hazards - Answers - Social, environmental, and psychological factors that
can affect human health and safety
Probability - Answers - the likelihood that the hazard will result in an incident
Consequences - Answers - refers to the severity of injury or ill health that will result from
an incident
Exposure - Answers - refers to how often or regularly workers come in contact with the
hazard
Precautionary principle - Answers - calls for action to be taken even if the negative
consequences of inaction are not fully understood
Elimination - Answers - removes the hazard from the worksite
Substitution - Answers - replacing something that produces a hazard with something
that does not
, Engineering controls - Answers - modifications to the workplace, equipment, materials,
or work processes that reduce workers' exposure to hazards
Administrative controls - Answers - changes to work process, policies, training, or rules
designed to reduce exposure to hazards
Personal protective equipment - Answers - equipment worn by workers that is designed
to protect them should they come into contact with a hazard
Control at the source - Answers - addresses the hazard where it first occurs
Control along the path - Answers - addresses the hazard at some point between its
source and when workers encounter the hazard
Control at the worker - Answers - implements controls over the hazard only after it
reaches the worker
Noise - Answers - sound energy that moves through the medium of the air
Frequency - Answers - vibration of the medium - air molecules - through which sound
energy moves; measured in Hz
Duration - Answers - the length of time a worker is exposed to noise
Loudness - Answers - the amount of energy that is being carried through the medium;
measured in dB
Temporary threshold shift - Answers - Temporary hearing loss from short-term exposure
to noise
Acoustic trauma - Answers - caused by a short, intense exposure to noise, usually of
high frequency
Time-weighted average - Answers - an exposure model that factors in duration and
loudness
dB(A) - Answers - used by government regulations; a weighted measure of loudness
that factors in the frequency of the noise
Vibration - Answers - the oscillating movement of a particle around its stationary
reference position
Whole-body vibration - Answers - occurs when a worker's entire body experiences
shaking caused by contact with the vibration
