A familiar safety term can carry a precise meaning in an OSHA standard. Use these 40 plain-language definitions to start the discussion, then open the linked provision for the full rule and its context. Each entry also links to a practical guide for the related work.
This glossary is general information, not legal advice.
Anchorage
A secure attachment point for a lifeline, lanyard or deceleration device. It is one component of a fall protection arrangement. Identifying an attachment point does not establish that the complete system meets the design and use requirements for the task.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program
A construction ground-fault protection program with a written description, designated competent persons, equipment inspections, grounding-conductor tests and records. It is an alternative provided in the construction ground-fault rule. Having grounded tools alone does not establish that the program is implemented.
Source: 1926.404(b)(1)(iii). Related: Electrical Safety.
Authorized Person
A person the employer approves or assigns to perform a particular duty or be in a particular jobsite location. This describes the employer's authorization. It should not be used interchangeably with the separate definitions of competent person and qualified person.
Source: 1926.32(d). Related: Construction Safety.
Benching
A method of excavating the sides into horizontal steps or levels to protect workers from cave-ins. The steps usually have vertical or nearly vertical surfaces between them. Selecting this method still requires a protective-system design suited to the excavation.
Source: 1926.650(b). Related: Excavation Safety.
Cave-In
A sudden movement of soil or rock into an excavation that can trap, bury, injure or immobilize a person. It can involve material separating from a side or soil loss beneath a shield or support system. Protection addresses more than falling surface debris.
Source: 1926.650(b). Related: Excavation Safety.
Competent Person
Someone able to identify existing and predictable hazards and authorized to take prompt corrective action to eliminate them. Both capability and authority matter. A job title by itself does not explain whether the person meets the definition for the work.
Source: 1926.32(f). Related: Construction Safety.
Construction Work
Work involving construction, alteration or repair, including painting and decorating, under the construction regulation's definition. The activity being performed matters when identifying applicable standards. A company's name or the presence of a construction site does not replace that assessment.
Source: 1926.32(g). Related: Construction Safety.
Days Away From Work
Calendar days after an injury or illness that a worker cannot work because of the case, counted under OSHA's recordkeeping rules. The incident day is excluded. Scheduled days off may count when the worker would have been unable to work.
Source: 1904.7(b)(3). Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Excavation
A human-made cut, cavity, trench or depression in the earth created by removing material. Trenches are included within excavations, but not every excavation has the narrow geometry of a trench. The applicable safety review needs the actual conditions and work.
Source: 1926.650(a), (b). Related: Excavation Safety.
First Aid
For OSHA recordkeeping, the treatments specifically listed as first aid in Part 1904, such as surface-wound cleaning and certain bandages. This is a defined recording category. A first-aid treatment does not rule out other criteria that can make a case recordable.
Source: 1904.7(b)(5)(ii). Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Focus Four
OSHA's construction training grouping for falls, struck-by incidents, caught-in or caught-between hazards, and electrocution. These categories help organize hazard recognition and prevention discussions. They are a starting point for training, not an exhaustive list of every construction exposure.
Source: OSHA Focus Four Training. Related: Focus Four Guide.
Form 300
The OSHA Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. Covered employers use it to enter and classify recordable cases, including the case description and relevant day counts. It serves a different purpose from the annual summary and the detailed incident report.
Source: 1904.29(a), (b)(1). Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Form 300A
The Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, prepared from the annual log information. Covered employers review and certify the summary and post it under the annual-summary requirements. It is a summary document, distinct from the individual case details on the log.
Source: 1904.32. Related: OSHA Reporting Guide.
Form 301
The OSHA Injury and Illness Incident Report. Covered employers complete it, or an equivalent form, for each recordable case entered on the OSHA 300 Log. It captures incident details beyond the shorter description used in the log itself.
Source: 1904.29(a), (b)(2). Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
A device used for personnel ground-fault protection. OSHA's construction rule specifies covered temporary-power receptacles and provides an assured-grounding-program alternative. The presence of a GFCI is one electrical protection question; it does not establish that the entire installation is safe.
Source: 1926.404(b)(1). Related: Electrical Safety.
Guardrail System
A barrier intended to prevent workers from falling to a lower level. The construction fall protection rules specify its components and performance criteria. Seeing a rail is only the beginning of checking the arrangement, including height, openings and the work area.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Hazard Communication
The system for communicating chemical hazards through a workplace program, labels and warnings, safety data sheets, and employee information and training. It helps workers understand the chemicals they encounter and the protective measures for their work. It is more than maintaining a binder.
Source: 1910.1200(a), (b). Related: Construction Safety.
Hole
In the construction fall protection definitions, a gap at least two inches in its smallest dimension in a floor, roof or other walking or working surface. A hole is distinct from a wall opening. The protection requirement depends on the specific exposure.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Housekeeping
Keeping work areas, passageways and stairs clear of construction debris, including scrap or form lumber with protruding nails. For a practical site review, examine the routes people actually use and revisit them as material staging and the work layout change.
Source: 1926.25(a). Related: Construction Safety.
Injury Tracking Application (ITA)
OSHA's online system for electronic submission of injury and illness data by covered establishments. Submission duties depend on the applicable coverage rules. The ITA is distinct from directly reporting a fatality or specified severe injury to OSHA.
Source: OSHA ITA. Related: OSHA Reporting Guide.
Ladder
Equipment for moving between levels, with selection and use requirements addressed in the construction ladder standard. A ladder review considers condition, intended use, setup, landing access and climbing. The applicable questions change with the ladder type and the task.
Source: 1926.1053. Related: Ladder Safety.
Leading Edge
An edge of a floor, roof or formwork that changes location as additional sections are placed or built. When it is not actively and continuously under construction, the definition treats it as an unprotected side and edge. Identify the actual operation before selecting protection.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Near Miss
An incident that could have caused serious injury or illness but did not. OSHA also calls it a close call. Investigating one can identify hazards and underlying causes before a similar event hurts someone; it is useful information for prevention.
Source: OSHA Incident Investigations Guide. Related: Focus Four Guide.
Opening
Under the construction fall protection definitions, a wall or partition gap at least 30 inches high and 18 inches wide through which workers can fall to a lower level. It differs from a hole in a walking or working surface.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Personal Fall Arrest System
A connected system that stops a worker's fall from a working level. It includes an anchorage, connectors and a body harness, with suitable connecting and deceleration components. A harness alone is not the whole system; body belts are prohibited for fall arrest.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Equipment selected to protect workers from hazards that make it necessary, including protection for the head, eyes, face and body. Construction PPE must be safely designed, maintained in reliable condition and selected to fit each affected worker properly.
Source: 1926.95(a), (c). Related: PPE Requirements.
Qualified Person
Someone whose recognized degree, certificate or professional standing, or extensive knowledge, training and experience, demonstrates the ability to resolve problems related to the subject, work or project. Qualification is tied to the relevant work. It is a separate definition from competent person.
Source: 1926.32(m). Related: Scaffolding Rules.
Recordable Case
A new, work-related injury or illness meeting OSHA's general recording criteria or a specific recording provision. General criteria include death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness and certain significant diagnosed conditions.
Source: OSHA Recording Criteria. Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Respirator
Equipment protecting against inhalation of hazardous airborne contaminants when selected for the exposure. Required use involves a respiratory protection program, with applicable medical evaluation and fit-testing duties. A visible face covering alone does not establish that those requirements are met.
Source: 1910.134(c), (d), (e), (f). Related: PPE Requirements.
Restricted Work
For injury recordkeeping, a case-related limitation affecting a routine job function or the full workday the employee would otherwise work. Routine functions are activities performed at least weekly. Restrictions only on the incident day are treated differently under the rule.
Source: 1904.7(b)(4). Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
The document providing structured information about a hazardous chemical, including its hazards and protective measures. Employers need the required sheets readily accessible to workers during their shifts. An SDS supports chemical-specific decisions and complements workplace labels and training.
Source: 1910.1200(g). Related: Construction Safety.
Scaffold
A temporary elevated platform and its supporting structure used to support workers, materials or both. Different scaffold types have different design, access and fall protection requirements. The review needs the actual scaffold type, its use and its condition.
Source: 1926.450(b). Related: Scaffolding Rules.
Shoring
A structure that supports the sides of an excavation to help prevent cave-ins, such as a hydraulic, mechanical or timber system. It has a different protective function from a shield, which protects workers inside against the forces of a cave-in.
Source: 1926.650(b). Related: Excavation Safety.
Sloping
Protecting against cave-ins by cutting excavation sides back at an incline away from the work. The suitable angle depends on conditions such as soil, environmental exposure and surcharge loads. Selecting a slope requires the applicable design approach, not a visual guess.
Source: 1926.650(b). Related: Excavation Safety.
Toeboard
A low barrier intended to keep materials and equipment from falling to lower levels and to provide protection for personnel. Its role differs from a top rail. Consider the complete falling-object and fall protection arrangement for the task.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Trench
A narrow excavation below ground level, generally deeper than it is wide, with a bottom width no greater than 15 feet. The definition also addresses excavations narrowed by forms or structures. Depth and width are not the only protection questions.
Source: 1926.650(b). Related: Excavation Safety.
Trench Box
A common name for a shield used in a trench. It is designed to withstand cave-in forces and protect employees within it. It does not have the same function as shoring, and workers need protection appropriate to the entire work arrangement.
Source: 1926.650(b). Related: Excavation Safety.
Unprotected Sides And Edges
Sides or edges of walking or working surfaces without a wall or guardrail at least 39 inches high, excluding entrances to access points under the definition. The applicable protection requirement then depends on the activity, location and height above the lower level.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Walking Or Working Surface
A surface on which workers must be located to perform their duties, including floors, roofs, ramps, runways and formwork. The Subpart M definition excludes ladders, vehicles and trailers. Identifying the surface helps determine which fall protection provisions apply.
Source: 1926.500(b). Related: Fall Protection.
Work-Relatedness
The recordkeeping determination that a workplace event or exposure caused or contributed to an injury or illness, or significantly aggravated a preexisting condition. OSHA lists specific exceptions. This assessment is one step in deciding whether a case belongs on the log.
Source: 1904.5(a), (b). Related: OSHA 300 Log.
Put The Terms To Work
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