The Most Popular Acronyms and Phrases in the Field of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
Many of the terms introduced directly from the English language have their equivalents in Polish legislation, for example, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), equivalent to ŚOI (Środki Ochrony Indywidualnej) (but we should not include work clothing in this broad category). Another example is KPI (Key Performance Indicators), in Poland referred to as accident frequency indicators. These are calculated differently and according to different standards, for instance, in the UK, Italy, and Poland. For global standards, the statistical process is often unified (within a given organization) according to the correct assumption that valuable data are those that can be widely compared.
RWC (Restricted Work Case) is not present in Polish legislation. It is a statistical norm that defines the number of employees who, due to an event that occurred while performing their work, cannot perform that particular work for a specified period (they are able to work, but not in their previous role). An example would be musculoskeletal system strain caused by lifting. Overexertion discomfort does not qualify for sick leave, but it does qualify for temporarily reassigned work, such as a driver/operator in internal transport.
See the table below:
| Industry Acronyms/Concepts in OHS | Definitions (based on the Guidelines for Contractors carrying out work for PSE S.A. concerning safety and health management system, fire protection regulations, environmental protection, and quality) |
| OHS | Occupational Health and Safety. A set of legal norms and research, organizational, and technical measures aimed at creating working conditions where employees can perform their work productively, without exposing them to unnecessary risks of accidents or occupational diseases, and excessive physical and mental strain. |
| Corrective and Preventive Action | Action taken to eliminate the cause of nonconformities. |
| FAC | From English: first aid case, a minor injury or illness related to work that does not require qualified medical assistance. Comment: However, simple first aid is required, e.g., dressing a cut, removing a splinter from a finger, etc. |
| FAT | From English: fatality, a fatal accident or death due to an injury or illness related to work. |
| HSEQ | From English: Health Safety Environment Quality, a set of tasks related to the implementation of safety and health regulations, environmental protection, and quality concerning the working environment. |
| HSEQ Control | Control of compliance with OHS regulations, fire protection, or environmental protection; an audit confirming the conformity of implemented regulations and principles with the Client’s requirements. |
| KPI’s | From English: Key Performance Indicators, operational indicators used as a measure of the degree of achievement of set goals. They provide objective feedback regarding the degree of compliance with established parameters. They are a tool for control, allowing quick decision-making, prioritizing actions, and reacting to problems early. They support continuous improvement processes and efficient use of available resources. |
| KSE | National Power Grid System. |
| LTI | From English: lost time injury, an injury or illness related to work that prevents the employee from performing any work the day after the event. |
| LOTO | From English: lock out tag out, a safety system related to securing the work area and marking the work zone. |
| MTC | From English: medical treatment case, a situation where the injured or ill person requires qualified medical assistance. |
| NM – Near Miss | From English: near miss, an event that is potentially accident-related, but no harm occurred, e.g., no injury, illness, environmental contamination, or damage to property. |
| BiOZ Plan | Safety and Health Protection Plan, required according to the Act of July 7, 1994 – Building Law, drawn up in accordance with the Minister of Infrastructure Regulation of June 23, 2003, concerning safety and health information and the safety and health protection plan. |
| ERP Plan | From English: emergency response plan, a plan for responding to emergency situations. |
| HSEQ Plan | A document describing the preparation for the execution of the contract, the way it will be implemented, and readiness for potential emergency situations during the execution of the contract concerning safety issues such as work safety, fire protection, environmental protection, and quality, prepared in accordance with the requirements contained in these regulations. |
| PPE | From English: personal protective equipment, workwear, work shoes, personal protective equipment. PPE (personal protective equipment) includes items worn or held by an employee to protect against harmful chemical contaminants and dust in the working environment, including all accessories and attachments intended for this purpose (Minister of Labor and Social Policy Regulation of September 26, 1997, regarding general occupational health and safety regulations, Journal of Laws of 2003, No. 169, item 1650, amended Journal of Laws of 2007, No. 49, item 330) |
| RWC | From English: restricted work case, a situation where an employee cannot perform their work the day after an event in which they were injured or fell ill, but is able to take on different tasks or work in their position, though not full-time or without performing all duties. This term has no equivalent in Polish legislation. |
| SDS | From English: safety data sheet, a safety data sheet for hazardous substances or mixtures. |
| UA – Unsafe Acts | From English: unsafe act, an action that deviates from the generally accepted safe way of performing work, increasing the likelihood of an accident occurring. |
| UC – Unsafe Conditions | From English: unsafe condition, work conditions that differ from a safe state, which can lead to an accident, such as causing bodily injury, death, environmental contamination, or damage to property. |
| Potential Incidents | A group of incidents consisting of unsafe working conditions (UC) and unsafe acts (UA). These are events with the potential to cause harm to people, the natural environment, or equipment. |
| Actual Incidents | A group of incidents consisting of accident-related events with no damage (NM) and with damage (AC), occurring during work and related to the work being performed. |
| Hazard Identification | The process of recognizing the presence of a hazard and defining its characteristics. |
| Main Contractor (GC) | A business entity that has entered into a contract to execute the entire construction project with the client. |
| Subcontractor/Contractor | A company designated to perform part of the work assigned to the contractor, according to the terms of the contract. |
| Failure | An unexpected (unplanned), sudden event that causes or may cause injury to people or damage to buildings, factories, materials, or destruction of the environment. |
