Competent Person - one who is capable, by way of training and/or experience, of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
Confined Space: A space that:
- Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work;
- Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits); and
- Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
Contractor – A person or company contracting with AECC or AECI to supply products or services.
Contractor Pre-qualification – This process is an assessment of contractors wishing to work for AECC or AECI. The process is independent of individual contracts and is carried out to ensure that only contractors with acceptable past safety performance and appropriate safety programs are awarded work.
Contractor Safety Orientation – A meeting at the start of each contract involving all contractor employees to discuss AECC or AECI safety standards and the specific safety requirements for the contracted work.
Enclosed Space – A working space, such as a manhole, vault, tunnel, or shaft, that has a limited means of egress or entry, that is designed for periodic employee entry under normal operating conditions, and that under normal conditions does not contain a hazardous atmosphere, but that may contain a hazardous atmosphere under abnormal conditions.
High-Risk Contractor – A Contractor whose employees perform High-Risk Work.
High-Risk Sub-Contractor – A Sub-Contractor whose employees perform High-Risk Work.
High-Risk Work – Work that exposes contractor’s employees to hazards that, should an incident occur, may result in a fatality or permanent disability; examples include but are not limited to, line construction, line clearing (trees), high voltage electrical work, confined space entry, exposure to asbestos, work around water, diving operations, working aloft >10 ft., craning & rigging, scaffolding & shoring.
High Voltage – Over 600 volts, nominal, to ground.
Hot Work - any work that involves burning, welding, using fire- or spark-producing tools, or that produces a source of ignition.
Hot Work Permit – The written authorization to perform hot work operations.
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) – The placement of a locking device along with a Do Not Operate tag (card) on an energy-isolating device or the placement of a Do Not Operate tag where the device is not lockable.
Low-Risk Work – Work that exposes contractor’s employees to hazards that, should an incident occur, may result in a minor injury but not a lost time injury; examples include but are not limited to, training, consulting, office equipment maintenance, office cleaning.
Low Voltage - 600 volts, nominal, or less to ground.
Medium-Risk Work – Work that exposes contractor’s employees to hazards that, should an incident occur, may result in a temporary disability; examples include but are not limited to, plant and facility maintenance, minor excavation, welding, carpentry, civil work.
Near Miss – An unintended, unplanned and unexpected event that could have but did not result in personal injury or property damage. Occurrences in which an incident was averted only due to the last safety barrier (physical or human) shall be treated as a Near Miss.
Occupational Injury/Illness – An injury/illness caused or contributed by an Incident in the work environment. A pre-existing injury or illness significantly aggravated or exacerbated by an Incident or conditions in the work environment is also considered an Occupational Injury/ Illness.
OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is the federal agency charged with assuring safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.
Permit-Required Confined Space (Permit Space) – A confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
- Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere;
- Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant;
- Has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section; or
- Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard
Pre-Job Safety Briefing – A discussion, led by the employee in charge, amongst all workers involved in a job, which includes a description of the work to be completed, assignment of tasks to individual workers, work procedures to be used, hazards associated with the work, hazard controls for the hazards identified and emergency plans. Pre-Job Briefings are also commonly known as tailboard meetings, toolbox discussions, tailgate meetings.
Project Manager – An AECC or AECI employee or agent who is given the overall responsibility and authority for the successful completion of a project.
Safe Work Plan – A process to identify and document the sequence of tasks to complete a project and to analyze the safety issues for each task.
Qualified Person – one who, “by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.
Scaffolding – any temporary elevated platform (supported or suspended) and its supporting structure (including points of anchorage), used for supporting employees or materials or both.
Sub-Contractor – A person or company employed by the prime or general contractor who is contracting with AECC or AECI to supply products or services.
Work – Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
Worker – An individual who works part-time or full-time under a contract of employment, whether oral or written, express or implied, and has recognized rights and duties.
Unsafe Condition – A workplace or equipment condition which is contrary to accepted safety standards and introduces a risk of injury to a Cooperative employee(s), a co-worker, a Contractor or a member of the public.
Workplace Hazard – A non-Incident oriented condition or behavior that if left unaddressed could result in an Incident.