US Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions

SHEMS 1006.9000.02D
January 5, 2016
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US Environmental Protection Agency Region 7
Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions
The following terms and their definitions apply to the US EPA Region 7 Environmental Management
System (EMS) and/or Safety & Health Management System (SHMS). Definitions identified with a * are
taken from the definition list in ISO 14001:2004; similarly, definitions marked with a ^ are derived from
OHSAS 18001:2007. All other definitions are derived from text in ISO 14001:2004, ISO 14004:2004,
OHSAS 18001:2007, Region 7 documents, or from discussions among individuals knowledgeable of the
conditions, activities, processes, etc. to which the term applies.
1. Acceptable Risk^ - Risk that has been reduced to a level that can be tolerated by the organization
having regard to its legal obligations and its own OH&S policy.
2. Accident - An undesired event that results in personal injury or property damage.
3. Activity, Product, or Service - Broadly covers all the possibilities for an organization to have an
influence on the environment, both positive and negative, and may be referred to simply as activities
or processes. Examples of activities could include fieldwork, working in the office, driving to work,
or any other activity that occurs at the organization. In addition, EPA may provide services, such as
environmental sampling, relating to external stakeholders, including industry, communities, or
individuals. Although EPA generally does not make products in the conventional sense, there may
be instances where the concept of products can be applied (e.g., the development of publications for
mass distribution). Note: May also be referred to as tasks and/or processes.
4. ANSI/ISO 14001:2004 - American National Standards Institute/International Organization for
Standardization. An American national standard for environmental management systems developed
in 1996 and modified in 2004 in collaboration with the international version titled ISO 14001. The
ISO 14001 standard is entitled "Environmental Management Systems - Requirements with
Guidance for Use" and provides the overall requirements for developing and sustaining an EMS that
may be objectively audited for certification/registration purposes or for self-declaration. A
companion document in the ISO 14000 series is ISO 14004, "Environmental Management Systems -
General Guidelines on Principles, Systems and Support Techniques", which provides guidance on
how to establish, implement, maintain, and improve an EMS.
5. Audit' - Systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining "audit evidence" and
evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which "audit criteria" are fulfilled.
6. Auditor* - A person with the competence to conduct an audit.
7. Awareness - An understanding of the importance of conforming with the organization's
environmental and health & safety policies and the requirements of the management system, and of
complying with all legal and other requirements to which the organization subscribes.
8. Calibrate - To check, adjust, or systematically standardize the graduations of a quantitative
measuring instrument.
9. Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) - A written plan, the requirements of which are detailed in 29 CFR
1910.1450 that provides guidelines and policies that will promote a safe and healthy work
environment for all personnel, for all visitors, and for all persons who have a reason to be working in
laboratories. The intent is that the policies and guidelines presented in the plan will ensure
compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. The plan references other regulations,
procedures, and chemical safety and training requirements.
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10. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) - Codification of the general and permanent rules published
by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government.
11. Competence - Possessing the knowledge, understanding, skills, and abilities necessary to complete
assigned activities within certain performance standards specified by the organization.
12. Continual Improvement* - A recurring process of enhancing the environmental management
system in order to achieve improvements in overall environmental performance consistent with the
organization's environmental policy. (Continual Improvement is defined similarly in OHSAS
18001:2007 - environmental is substituted with OH&S)
13. Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP) - A document for emergency response, back-up
operations, and disaster recovery for information technology systems and installations in the event
normal operations are interrupted.
14. Corrective Action* - An action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity.
15. Corrective Action^ - An action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity or other
undesirable situation.
16. Critical to Safety - Those specific tasks within an operation with hazard(s) characterized with an
extreme or high level of residual risk.
17. Deviation - A variation from accepted practices.
18. Document*^ - Information and its supporting medium, which can include paper, magnetic,
electronic or optical computer disc, photograph or master sample, or a combination thereof. Note:
May also be referred to as EMS Document or a SHMS Document.
19. Document Control - A systematic procedure for indexing documents by number, date, and revision
number for archiving, storage, and retrieval. Document control procedures ensure
Documents are approved for adequacy prior to issue;
Documents are reviewed and updated as necessary;
Changes and the current revision status of documents are identified;
Relevant versions of applicable documents are available at points of use;
Documents remain legible and readily identifiable;
Externally generated documents necessary for the planning and operation of the management
system are identified and properly controlled; and
The use of obsolete documents is prevented.
20. Emergency - A situation in which a medical condition or injury or illness occurs that requires
assistance beyond self-help/first-aid, or any condition that has caused or is causing significant harm
or damage to the environment, the laboratory and its infrastructure, or other property. A situation
where no harm has yet occurred, but that presents the potential to cause significant harm to people,
property, or the environment, is also considered an emergency.
21. Environment* - Surroundings in which an organization operates including air, water, land, natural
resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelation.
22. Environmental Aspect* - Element of an organization's activities, products, or services that can
interact with the environment.
23. Environmental Impact* - Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly
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or partially resulting from an organization's environmental aspects.
24. Environmentally Preferable - A designation given to products or services that have a lesser or
reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or
services that serve the same purpose.
25. Environmental Management System* - The part of an organization's management system used to
develop and implement its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects. It is a set of
interrelated elements (organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices,
procedures, and resources) used to establish and achieve environmental performance objectives.
26. Environmental Management System Audit - See the definition for Internal Audit.
27. EMS Coordinator - A member of the EPA Region 7 staff assigned with the responsibility for
overall management of the EMS, to include reporting to the Region's Senior Management on the
performance of the EMS and providing them with recommendations to improve upon its
performance.
28. EMS Document - See the definition for Document.
29. EMS File - This is the file maintained by the EMS coordinator which contains all of the current
documents listed in SHEMS 006.7210.02.
30. EMS Implementing Procedures - Those procedures developed and implemented by Region 7 that
identify the key elements of the EMS, as well as any attachments to those procedures.
31. EMS Record - See the definition for Record.
32. Environmental Objective* - An overall environmental goal, consistent with the environmental
policy, that an organization sets itself to achieve.
33. Environmental Performance* - Measurable results of an organization's management of its
environmental aspects. Results can be measured against the organization's environmental policy,
environmental objectives, environmental targets, and/or other environmental performance
requirements.
34. Environmental Policy* - The overall intentions and direction of an organization related to its
environmental performance as formally expressed by senior management. It provides a framework
for action and for the setting of environmental objectives and targets.
35. Environmental Target* - Detailed performance requirements, applicable to the organization or
parts thereof, that arises from the environmental objectives and that needs to be set and met in order
to achieve those objectives.
36. Environmental Work Conditions - The interior/exterior climate conditions that can impact the
staff including humidity, temperature, air quality, glare, and solar load.
37. Evaluation - The process of assessing the adequacy of one or more safety, health, or environmental
programs, systems, procedures, or records (or components of programs, systems, procedures, or
records) to determine the extent to which specified properties are present.
38. Exposure - Contact with or proximity to a hazard, taking into account duration and intensity.
39. External Communications - Communication to parties or organizations external to the physical
site boundaries of the facilities and activities on or off-site.
40. External Stakeholder - Those individuals or groups, who are designated as an Interested Party, but
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function external to the Region's EMS and/or SHMS scope.
41. Facility-Related Goods and Services - Materials provided for use within, and activities performed
on behalf of, a Region 7 facility by or through a contract.
42. Federal Register - A daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of the federal
government.
43. Hazard^ - Source, situation, or act with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill health,
or a combination thereof.
44. Hazard Identification^ - Process of recognizing that a hazard exists and defining its characteristics.
45. Hazard Type - A grouping representing hazards of various origins and/or manifestations that have
similar severities of harm. For example, the hazard type "Corrosive Chemicals" would include
exposures to all acids and base chemicals capable of causing tissue damage.
46 111 Health^ - Identifiable, adverse physical or mental condition arising from and/or made worse by a
work activity and/or work-related situation.
47. Incident^ - Work-related event(s) in which an injury or ill health (regardless of severity) or fatality
occurred, or could have occurred.
48. Inherent Risk - The risk that an activity would pose if no controls or other mitigating factors were
in place (the gross risk or risk before controls).
49. Injury or Illness - A situation where an employee is physically harmed or becomes sick while at
work.
50. Interested Party* - A person or group concerned with or affected by the environmental
performance of an organization.
51. Interested Party ' - Person or group, inside or outside the workplace, concerned with or affected by
the OH&S performance of an organization.
52. Internal Audit* - A systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining audit evidence
and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the environmental management system
audit criteria set by the organization are fulfilled. Note: May also be referred to as EMS Audit.
53. Internal Communications - Communications that are intended for all members of the Region 7
work force including EPA employees (both those assigned to Region 7 and other parts of the
Agency) and on-site grantees, contractors, and volunteers.
54. Job Hazard Analysis - A technique or process that focuses on job tasks as a way to identify hazards
before they occur by analyzing the relationships between the worker, the tasks, the tools, and the
work environment.
55. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Performance (LEED) - A series of voluntary standards
developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) through which facilities can be third party
certified as high performing "green" buildings in several categories including energy and water
conservation, employee commuting, and purchasing.
56. Legal and Other Requirements - See the definitions for Legal Requirement and Other
Requirement.
57. Legal Requirement - A requirement promulgated by federal, state, or local authorities.
58. Management Program - A program that is created/maintained to achieve specific objectives and
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targets within the management system to obtain/maintain compliance with legal and other
requirements and/or achieve levels of performance "above and beyond" compliance with legal and
other requirements. They include relevant and existing operational controls and activities (including
their time lines, required resources, and delegated roles and responsibilities) that lead to the
achievement of the objectives and targets.
59. Near Miss - Incidents where no property was damaged and no personal injury sustained, but where,
given a slight shift in time or position, damage and/or injury easily could have occurred.
60. Noncompliance - The failure to act according to accepted standards, orders, or regulations.
61. Nonconformance* - The nonfulfillment of a requirement. Nonconformances include the failure to
conform to EMS programmatic standards and the failure to comply with legal and other
requirements (noncompliance).
62. Nonconformity^ - Non-fulfillment of a requirement. A nonconformity can be any deviation from
relevant work standards, practices, procedures, legal requirements, etc. or OH&S management
system requirements.
63. Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP) - A document to establish a crisis management program in the
event of emergencies that may arise at the Regional Office or the Science & Technology Center.
The OEP is as comprehensive as possible to help prevent injury, loss of life, loss of property,
damage to EPA facilities and environmental impacts in times of crisis or emergency.
64. Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)' - Conditions and factors that affect, or could affect, the
health and safety of employees or other workers (including temporary workers and contractor
personnel), visitors, or any other person in the workplace.
65. OH&S Management System^ - Part of an organization's management system used to develop and
implement its OH&S policy and manage its OH&S risks. It is a set of interrelated elements
(organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and
resources) used to establish policy and objectives and to achieve those objectives. Note: May also be
referred to as the Safety & Health Management System (SHMS).
66. OH&S Objective^ - OH&S goal, in terms of OH&S performance, that an organization sets itself to
achieve. Note: May also be referred to as a safety & health objective.
67. OH&S Performance^ - Measureable results of an organization's management of its OH&S risks.
OH&S performance measurement includes measuring the effectiveness of the organization's
controls. Note: May also be referred to as Safety & Health performance.
68. OH&S Policy^ - Overall intentions and direction of an organization related to its OH&S
performance as formally expressed by to management. The OH&S Policy provides a framework for
action and for the setting of OH&S objectives. Note: May also be referred to as the Safety & Health
Policy.
69. OHSAS 18001:2007 - The Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) standard
developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) as an ISO 14001-compatible document for the
development and maintenance of a robust health and management system.
70. Operational Controls - Broadly defined to include engineering (e.g., water reclamation tanks),
physical (e.g., dikes and berms), and administrative (e.g., standard operating procedures) controls
that are applied to activities, products and services to minimize the occurrence of adverse impacts
associated with the significant environmental aspects and to prevent deviations from the
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environmental policy or from legal and other requirements.
71. Organization*^ - A company, corporation, firm, enterprise, authority or institution, or part or
combination thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and
administration.
72. Other Requirement - Mandatory or voluntary codes of conduct and performance standards, either
externally or internally created, to which an organization subscribes.
73. Personal Protective Equipment - Equipment worn to minimize exposure to a hazard.
74. Preventive Action* - An action to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity.
75. Preventive Action^ - An action to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity or other
undesirable potential situation.
76. Prevention of Pollution* - The use of processes, practices, materials, products, services or energy
to avoid, reduce or control (separately or in combination) the creation, emission or discharge of any
type of pollutant or waste, in order to reduce adverse environmental impacts. Synonymous with
pollution prevention.
77. Procedure*^ - A specified way to carry out an activity or process.
78. Purchase Card - A government charge card used for small purchases not requiring competition or
other detailed requirements of larger procurement actions.
79. Qualitative Analysis - The examination of non-measurable data.
80. Quantitative Analysis - The examination of measurable and verifiable data.
81. Record*^ - A document stating results achieved or providing evidence of activities performed.
Note: May also be referred to as EMS Record or SHMS Record.
82. Regional Incident Coordination Team (RICT) - A team established to assist the EPA Federal On-
Scene Coordinator (FOSC) and to coordinate Regional response actions and communication during
extraordinary emergency situations that:
Have national or international significance in terms of broad-based interest by the public,
Congressional offices, or national or international media;
Involve an oil discharge or hazardous substance release that crosses state or regional boundaries;
Overwhelm the response capability of one or more states; and/or
Involve a significant threat to population, substantial amounts of property, or natural resources.
83. Regional Safety & Health Manager - The Region's safety and health technical expert with overall
day-to-day responsibility for administration of the Region's various Safety & Health Programs and
for achieving the objectives associated with them. They work with the SHMS Coordinator and the
ARA to achieve the desired level of safety and health performance articulated by the Senior Staff
through the Health & Safety Management Policy statement.
84. Regional Training Officer - The individual assigned oversight responsibility for the management
and leadership of the Region 7 Training/Workforce Development Program.
85. Residual Risk - Risk remaining after protective measures (risk reduction measures) have been
taken.
86. Responsible Manager - The manager of the affected area.
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87 Risk^ - Combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event or exposure(s) and the
severity of injury or ill health that can be caused by the event or exposure(s).
88.	Risk Assessment^ - Process of evaluating the risk(s) arising from a hazard(s), taking into account
the adequacy of any existing controls, and deciding whether or not the risk(s) is acceptable.
89.	Safety & Health Committee - An advisory group of employees who assist in the administration
and operation of the Region's safety & health programs. Members of the Team consist of individuals
whose positions include safety and health duties as an integral part of their functions (i.e., the SHMS
Coordinator, STC Chemical Hygiene Officer, and Region Radiation Safety Officer); individuals
appointed by division/office directors to represent their organizations; and individuals representing
the employee unions (at the discretion of the union).
90.	Safety & Health Management Policy - See OH&S Management System definition.
91.	Safety & Health Management System - See OH&S Management System definition.
92.	Safety & Health Management System Coordinator - A member of the EPA Region 7 staff
assigned with the responsibility for overall management of the SHMS, to include reporting to the
Region's Senior Management on the performance of the SHMS and providing them with
recommendations to improve upon its performance.
93.	Senior Management - The Region 7 Senior Staff including the Regional Administrator, the Deputy
Regional Administrator, division directors, and other program managers that are designated as
members of Senior Staff by the Regional Administrator.
94.	Significant Environmental Aspect - An environmental aspect that an organization determines has,
or has the potential to have, a significant impact on the environment.
95.	Site Manager - Depending on the issue at hand, the site manager may be any one of the following:
the building facility manager from the Security, Safety & Facility Management Branch (SSFM) or
the building owner's on-site engineer or representative.
96.	Suppliers and Contractors - Organizations or individuals that provide supplies, materials, services
and other tangible goods to the Regional Office or Science & Technology Center. Contractors are
more likely than suppliers to provide services on or off site to the Region 7 offices.
97.	Sustainability - A holistic approach that considers environmental, economic, and societal
implications in determining potential solutions to an issue. It is defined in the United Nations
General Assembly's 1987 document titled Report of the World Commission on Environment and
Development: Our Common Future as decisions the "meet the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."
98.	Target - Detailed performance requirements, applicable to the organization or parts thereof, that
arises from the safety & health objectives and that needs to be set and met in order to achieve those
objectives.
99.	Training - Acquiring knowledge, skills, and abilities that promote maximum proficiency in the
performance of official duties.
100. Workplace^ - Any physical location in which work related activities are performed under the
control of the organization. When giving consideration to what constitutes a workplace, the
organization should take into account the OH&S effects on personnel who are, for example,
traveling or in transit (e.g., driving, flying, on boats or trains), working at the premises of a client or
customer, or working at home.
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