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Radiation:
The emission of radiant energy in the form of particles or waves. See Ionising Radiation and Non-ionising Radiation.
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Radiation Protection Advisor:
A person appointed by a radiation employer to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
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Radiation Protection Supervisor:
A person appointed by a radiation employer to oversee compliance with local rules.
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Radical:
A frame of reference usually associated with a basic power imbalance which is permanent rather than transitory. Those without power always seeking to overthrow those with power.
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Radioactive:
Possessing the property of radioactivity.
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Radioactive Waste:
Useless material containing radionuclides which is categorised in the nuclear power industry according to activity (and other criteria) as low level, intermediate level, and high level waste.
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Radioactivity:
The property of radionuclides of spontaneously emitting ionising radiation.
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Radiofrequency Radiation (RF):
Electromagnetic radiation used for telecommunications and found in the electromagnetic spectrum at longer wavelengths than infrared radiation.
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Radiological protection:
The science and practice of limiting the harm to human beings from radiation.
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Radionuclide:
An unstable nuclide that emits ionising radiation.
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Rasmussen :
Author of “Skills, Rules & Knowledge: Signals, signs & symbols, and other distinctions in human performance models” which identified three important types of behaviour: skill-based behaviour, knowledge-based behaviour and rule-based behaviour.
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Ratio Decidendi:
The reasoning in a particular case which was essential to reaching the decision and forms the binding judicial precedent.
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Raynaud’s Disease:
Medical description of naturally occurring white finger resulting from exposure to cold, in this sense also referred to as Primary Raynaud’s disease. See Vibration White Finger.
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RCD:
Residual Current Device.
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Reactive Monitoring:
Activity directed towards detecting and analysing failures in an organisation’s OH&S management system.
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Reactive Silencer:
An expansion box for pressure waves whose size, length and cross section area, can be chosen so as to selectively attenuate at certain frequencies. The larger the area, the higher the attenuation whilst the length generally dictates the frequencies attenuated.
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Reasonable Care:
The common law standard of care expected by the reasonable man. It combines the processes of reasonable foresight (was the defendant’s behaviour a reasonably foreseeable cause of loss); and reasonable alternative (were there reasonable precautions open to the defendant that would have prevented the loss).
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Reasonable Man:
Archaic description given to a hypothetical being who is neither imprudent nor overcautious. A judge adopts this role impartially when determining whether or not the defendant has been negligent.
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Reasonably Practicable:
The legal standard classically defined in the case of Edwards v NCB 1949 where the quantum of risk involved is placed upon one scale and the cost of the measures necessary for averting the risk are placed upon the other. Where the costs far outweigh the risks involved it is not reasonably practicable to do more. See Practicable.
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Recurrence Potential:
The inherent potential of an accident to repeat itself.
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Reduced Voltage Transformer:
A device used to reduce mains (UK:230 volts) voltage to a lower level eg 110 volts. The earth is fixed to the centre of the 110v side giving a maximum voltage of 55v in the event of a fault occurring.
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Reductionism:
A scientific procedure which reduces the complexity of a system to simpler and more manageable components with the objective of isolating a single component to control it or eliminate all the factors except the one that influences it. The basic assumption is that the response of the component to variations in its influencing factor is representative of the component when it is in the system.
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Reductionist Approach:
See Reductionism.
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Redundancy:
A reliability engineering technique which involves duplicating parts in a system so that if one part fails the other is capable of maintaining the integrity of the system on its own.
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Reference Group:
A group to which an individual does not belong but nevertheless has attributes, facilities and conditions which an individual finds desirable. The individual makes reference to these things in the process of setting demands and aspirations.
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Referent Power:
The ability to influence the behaviour of people because one has characteristics that are desirable and that they should follow. Sometimes known as charisma.
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Regulation:
A statutory device approved by Parliament made under a general provision in an Act of Parliament, sometimes called delegated or subordinate legislation. Regulations often identify specific risks and set out specific action that must be taken. Regulations often contain absolute legal standards not qualified by the term reasonably practicable. See European Regulation and Statutory Instrument.
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Reinforcement:
A necessary component in the learning process which rewards required behaviour (positive reinforcement) or punishes inappropriate behaviour (negative reinforcement).
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Relative Humidity:
The ratio of the vapour pressure existing to the saturated vapour pressure for the same dry bulb temperature.
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Relativistic Risk Assessment:
An assessment which ranks a risk in relation to other risks.
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Reliability:
The probability that an item will perform a required function under stated conditions for a stated period of time. (See Human Reliability).
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Reliability Data:
Data used to define the sustained performance achieved by components in a system, or an entire system, and their propensity to break down.
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Reportable Disease:
A disease specified in schedule 3 of the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
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Representative of Employee Safety:
A person elected to represent fellow employees for the purposes of consultation with the employer in matters of health and safety. Statutory provisions are housed in the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations. See Safety Representative.
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Res Ipsa Loquitur:
‘The thing speaks for itself’ – a legal phrase applied in circumstances where there can be no other explanation for the occurrence of an event other than the defendant’s negligence.
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Residual Current Device:
This is an electro-mechanical protective system, it provides physical isolation of the live and neutral conductors when a sensor detects a different current flowing along the neutral compared with the live.
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Resistance (R):
The ‘frictional’ opposition to a flow of electric current measured in ohm's.
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Respirable Dust:
Dust of less than 10 microns which is capable of penetrating deep into the alveoli, (source BSEN 481). See Total Inhalable Dust and Thoracic Dust.
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Respirator:
Respiratory protective device which purifies air by drawing it through a filter medium which removes most of the contaminant. Not to be used in oxygen deficient atmospheres.
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Respiratory Protective Device:
A device falling into the category of respiratory protective equipment. See Respirator and Breathing Apparatus.
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Respiratory P+A831rotective Equipment:
Generic name given to any equipment to be worn by a worker which prevents or reduces the inhalation of airborne contaminants.
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Respiratory Sensitiser:
A substance which can induce changes in the immune system of susceptible workers such that respiratory symptoms will present themselves on future exposure to the substance even at very low doses. This may lead to occupational asthma.
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Responsible Person1:
In the context of a permit to work system, the person undertaking the work in question who is bound by the conditions and requirements of the permit.
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Responsible Person2:
The manufacturer or importer of a product into the European Economic Community.
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Retinal Burns:
Eye injury caused by exposure to infrared radiation and lasers. Retinal burns and tears produce irreversible damage to that area of vision (blind spots).
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Reveal Tie:
A method of fixing a scaffold to a permanent or existing structure which involves wedging or jacking a tube tightly into the opposing faces of a window opening.
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Review:
The final component of a safety management system which involves the periodic revisiting of previous activity in health and safety in order to determine whether or not the standards set and achieved are still appropriate, eg a review of risk assessments.
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Reward Power:
The ability to influence the behaviour of people because they believe you are able to provide the benefits they desire. See also Coercive Power and Expert Power.
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RIDDOR:
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences.
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Ring Tie:
A method of fixing a scaffold to a permanent or existing structure which involves fixing a ring to the outside of the structure and securing the scaffold with wire or steel ties.
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Risk Analysis:
The process of discovery of predisposing risk, associated with disciplines (eg ergonomics) where individual susceptibility is an overriding factor.
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Risk Assessment:
The process of identifying and evaluating the risks associated with exposure to a particular hazard. Process now prescribed by various legislation including the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. See Generic Risk Assessment and Quantified Risk Assessment.
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Risk Avoidance:
The conscious decision on the part of an organisation to avoid a particular risk by discontinuing the hazardous operation which gives rise to it.
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Risk Control:
The application of technical, procedural and behavioural measures to reduce risk.
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Risk Control Systems:
Systems put in place to ensure the provision and continued operation of workplace safety precautions, eg (for PPE) purchasing standards, issue, training, maintenance and storage arrangements.
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Risk Estimation:
A component of risk assessment based upon objective or quantitative data such as failure rates, reliability data, experience etc.
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Risk Evaluation:
A component of risk assessment based upon subjective or qualitative data influenced heavily by the perceptions and experience of the observer.
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Risk Management1:
The systematic process of identification, evaluation and subsequent control of risks. The object is to reduce the impact of risk on the business as a whole.
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Risk Management2:
The process which achieves the most efficient combination of controls necessary to provide reassurance that business objectives can be achieved reliably. – Turnbull Report.
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Risk Phrase:
A concept introduced by the Chemicals (Hazard, Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations. Chemicals possessing specified risk characteristics must be labelled with the relevant risk information (phrase) eg R45; may cause cancer.
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Risk Reduction:
A strategy applied after techniques of risk avoidance, risk transfer, and risk retention have been undertaken. Involves application of safety and loss prevention techniques to protect company from indirect and uninsured costs.
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Risk Retention:
Usually a conscious decision on the part of a company to retain a risk within its financial operations. This may involve the formation of a captive insurance company or, more usually, the acceptance of a voluntary excess.
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Risk Transfer:
Conventional use of third party to take risk on one’s behalf. eg use of insurance company or by contract.
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Risk1:
The probability of a consequence of particular severity arising out of exposure to a hazard, usually associated with adverse outcomes (John Gilbertson). See Acceptable Risk, Assessed Risk, Estimated Risk, Tolerable Risk and Unacceptable Risk.
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Risk2:
The likelihood that a specified undesired event will occur due to the realisation of a hazard (HSG65).
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Robens Report:
Watershed report of a Government committee of inquiry into health and safety at work chaired by Lord Robens. Its findings and recommendations in 1972 were immediately followed by the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
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Role:
The way individuals express themselves within the context of those around them. Specific behaviour patterns which conform to the expectations of others, eg father/husband; wife/mother; boss/subordinate; teacher/students.
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Role Ambiguity:
A condition experienced when the role offered to us does not match our expectation of it.
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Role Conflict:
A condition experienced when an individual is confronted with the simultaneous existence of two or more sets of role expectations where compliance with one makes it difficult to comply with others eg boss/friend.
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Role Culture:
Euphemism for the more pejorative expression bureaucracy offered by management guru Charles Handy. A culture bound by rules and procedures and managed by officialism.
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Root Cause:
The underlying cause or causes of an accident which exist as weaknesses or failures in a company’s management system, described in some texts as basic causes.
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Rotameter:
A float type measuring device used for the on site calibration of a sampling train immediately prior to and after the sampling period.
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Rotating Vane Anemometer:
Instrument used for measuring air velocity comprising a disc of angled vanes attached to a rotating spindle. The speed at which the vane assembly rotates when placed in the airflow is a measure of the air velocity acting upon it.
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Route of Entry:
In occupational hygiene, the route of entry into the body of a substance hazardous to health. The routes of entry in order of importance are inhalation, ingestion, absorption and injection.
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Routine Monitoring:
Regular sampling programme applied in conditions where employee exposures are significant but below the exposure limit and rising, or not as low as is reasonably practicable.
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Routine Violation:
A violation which, through custom and practice, has become the norm. A disastrous example of this (Herald of Free Enterprise) was the leaving open of the bow doors on cross channel ferries until the journey was underway so as to reduce the time in port. See Situational Violation and Exceptional Violation.
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RPE:
Respiratory Protective Equipment.
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RSI:
Repetitive strain injury. An out of favour expression coined in the 80’s to describe conditions now included in the collective description work related upper limb disorders.
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Rule-based Behaviour:
On recognition of certain cues indicating the environmental state(s) a worker will use learned rules or procedures. These rules may be derived through experience (trial and error) or may be communicated through training. See Rule-based Mistakes.
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Rule-based Mistakes:
Where the operator is familiar with the situation (or believes that they are) and evokes a plan of action to deal with it. The choice of the rule(s) follows an ‘if...then’ logic. If their understanding of the environment or conditions matches the ‘if’ part of the rule or when the rule has been used successfully in the past, the ‘then’ part is activated, sometimes in the wrong circumstances.
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