STS | Training Glossary

AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) - a portable defibrillator designed to be automated such that it can be used by persons without substantial medical training who are responding to a cardiac emergency.

Aerial Lift - An aerial device mounted on a vehicle such as truck, trailer, or all-terrain vehicle.

Aerial Device - A vehicle-mounted device, telescoping or articulating, or both, which is used to position personnel.

AWP (Aerial Work Platform) - A mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment to inaccessible areas, usually at height.

Air Monitor - A device used to continuously measure air (and pollutants therein) by various particular industries. Included but not limited to oxygen or carbon dioxide.

Air Technician - A specialized person trained with the purpose of operating/maintaining on-site supplied air systems and equipment usage.

Air Trailer (or Supplied Air Trailer) - Mobile trailer with supplied air systems mounted inside with the intent of keeping your employee/team working all day without needing to refill or change out air bottles.

Asbestos - A fibrous mineral formerly used for making incombustible or fireproof articles and in building insulation. Or a fabric woven from asbestos fibers, formerly used for theater curtains, firefighters' gloves, etc.

Biohazard - An infectious agent or biological material that presents a risk or potential risk to the health of humans, animals or the environment. The risk can be direct through infection or indirect through damage to the environment.

Bloodborne Pathogen - A pathogenic microorganism that is transmitted via human blood and causes disease in humans.

Confined Space - A dangerous or potentially dangerous work area, large enough and configured so that an employee can enter but with only restricted openings for entry and exit that would make an emergency escape difficult and is not intended for continuous occupancy. 

Confined Space Attendant - An individual stationed outside one or more permit spaces who monitors the authorized entrants and who performs all attendant's duties assigned in the employer's permit-required confined space program.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) - An emergency procedure in which the heart and lungs are made to work by manually compressing the chest overlying the heart and forcing air into the lungs. CPR is used to maintain circulation when the heart stops pumping.

CSE (Confined Space Entry) - The action by which a person passes through an opening into a permit-required confined space. Entry includes ensuing work activities in that space and is considered to have occured as soon as any part of the entrant's body breaks the plane of an opening into the space.

DOT (Department of Transportation) - A United States federal department, created in 1966, that institutes and coordinates national transportation programs.

EAP (Emergency Action Plan) - A set of procedures designed to provide guidance for employers & employees in the event of an emergency or incident in the workplace.

Ergonomics - The concept of identifying and correcting factors in the workplace focusing on maximizing productivity by minimizing operator fatigue and discomfort.

Fall Protection - This is seemingly misinterpreted as exclusive to "pre-fall," yet it should be noted that "fall protection" by most, is thought to protect us from a "fall" but the hardware in many cases is to protect us "post fall." This is usually described as a safety (fall) harness and a lanyard. Essentially, fall protection does not exclusively protect from "falling," it protects you from injury/a fatality after you have fallen.

Fall Protection Systems - Employers must have a "system" in play to prevent employees from being injured from falls. This may include: guarding floor holes, guard rails and toe-boards around elevated open sided platforms, floors, runways and over potentially dangerous machines or equipment. Also included are safety and harness lines, safety nets, stair railings and hand rails.

Field (Rescue) Services - Services include stand-by rescue teams (trained to review site hazards and to respond appropriately to an emergency), confined space attendants (to ensure the safety of a client's employee in a confined space), fire watch services (ensure areas are as free as possible from fire hazards) and air technician services (to operate and maintain on-site supplied air systems), and safety watch.

Fire Watch - Fire watch inspects any area designated as hazardous for any type of welding, burning, sparks, or open flame. They check the hot work permit and permit tags and ensure the area is as free as possible from fire hazards and that proper precaution has been taken to prevent igniting combustible materials. They also inspect the fire-extinguishing equipment, limit unauthorized use of flame or spark-producing equipment, and communicate with and coordinate the departments concerned with fire protection.

First Responder - This has two definitions: a person who is certified to provide medical care in emergencies before more highly trained medical personnel arrive on the scene or a person who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance.

Fit Testing - The use of a protocol to qualitatively or quantitatively evaluate the fit of a respirator on an individual. (See also qualitative fit test, QLFT; and quantitative fit test, QNFT)

Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) - HAZCOM stands for the Hazard Communication Standard (U.S.), 29 CFR 1910.1200 which states that "the purpose of this section is to ensure that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are classified, and that information concerning the classified hazards is transmitted to employers and employees."

HAZWOPER - Acronym for 'Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response' found at 29 CFR 1910.120.

Incident Commander - This is the person responsible for all aspects of an emergency response. This includes developing objectives, managing operations, the application of resources and of course, the responsibility for persons involved.

Industrial Safety - This is the management of activities within a certain industry for the purpose of reducing risks and injuries in a certain occupational function. 

Lockout Tagout (LOTO) - This is the practice and procedure necessary to disable machinery or equipment, thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees perform servicing and maintenance activities.

Mayday Training - This firefighter training is designed to reduce the incidence of firefighter death and injury common in fighting structure fires.

Mental Health - This is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.

MSDS (now SDS) - See 'SDS'

Occupational Noise - A hazard to worker safety and health in many places of employment and by a variety of means. Can cause hearing impairment, acts as a causal factor for stress and raises systolic blood pressure, and can be a causal factor in work accidents, both by masking hazards and warning signals, and by impeding concentration.

OSHA - The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. This law created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards. OSHA also provides information, training, and assistance to employers and workers.

PAWA - Protecting America's Workers Act, is a bill to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 by expanding its coverage to public-sector workers and contractors, increasing whistle-blower protections, and significantly raising employer civil and criminal penalties for violations.

Powered Industrial Trucks (PITs) - Commonly called forklifts or lift trucks, are used in many industries, primarily to move materials. They can also be used to raise, lower, or remove large objects or a number of smaller objects on pallets or in boxes, crates, or other containers. PITs can either be ridden by the operator or controlled by a walking operator. 

Qualitative Fit Test (QLFT) - A pass/fail test to assess the adequacy of respirator fit relies on the individual's response to the test agent.

Quantitative Fit Test (QNFT) - An assessment of the adequacy of respirator fit by numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the respirator.

Safety Harness - A system of belts or restraints to hold a person to prevent falling or injury.

Safety WatchA safety watch person should be positioned near the working area and whose only duties should be observing the work and communicating with the workers to ensure total safety of everyone involved.

SDS - Safety data sheets, are used to communicate the hazards of hazardous chemical products. New format includes a new uniform 16-section format.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) - An atmosphere-supplying respirator for which the breathing air source is designed to be carried by the user.

Stand-By Team Rescue team with the ability to respond to an emergency in a timely manner and possesses the equipment and skills necessary to rescue personnel from any confined space on-site. A stand-by rescue team is required to respond and reach any victim within a time appropriate to the workplace hazard and make immediate entry if workers are in a life-threatening atmosphere. 

Technical Rescue - Refers to those aspects of saving life or property that employ the use of tools and skills that exceed those normally reserved for disciplines such as rope rescue or confined space rescue.