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Health and Safety Definitions

ACM
Asbestos-containing material

Administrative Controls
The provision, use, and scheduling of work activities and resources in the workplace, including planning, organizing, staffing, and coordinating, for the purpose of controlling risk.

AIHA
American Industrial Hygiene Association

ALARA
As low as reasonably achieveable

APR
Air-purifying respirator

Building-Related Hazardous Exposure Management Program (BRHEMP)
The Vancouver Airport Authority program designed to:

  • Identify and assess suspect building-related hazardous materials (BRHM) throughout Airport Authority holdings
  • Educate employees, tenants, contractors, and project managers on BRHM within their working environment
  • Ensure that BRHM are not inadvertently disturbed or released during construction, maintenance, and tenant activities

BRHEMP Conditional Report
After a Request for Information (RFI) is submitted, a Conditional Report will be issued. The Conditional Report is used to communicate all known information on hazardous materials within the project location. All known results from the Airport Authority will be shared in the Conditional Report and must be incorporated into the contractor’s risk assessments and safe work procedures as required. Work cannot start until the Conditional Report has been obtained. RFIs should therefore be submitted early in the planning stage of a project to avoid schedule delays.

BRHEMP Qualifier
To determine if an RFI is required, consider the following excerpt:
For each project, the following questions should be asked by project managers, contractors, tenants, and Airport Authority Maintenance to determine whether an RFI is required:

  1. Is work being conducted in B pier?
  2. Are mechanical systems involved in the scope of work?
  3. Has a Facility Alteration Permit (FAP) been issued for the work?
  4. Will building materials be disturbed by the work?
    1. Building materials will be disturbed by hot work, demolition, tile removal, etc.
    2. Building materials include paint, ceilings, walls, flooring, etc.
    3. “Disturbing materials” refers to work that requires going beneath the surface of a painted/coated material.

If the answer to ANY of these questions is YES, an RFI must be submitted to the BRHEMP Administrator.

BRHEMP Request for Information (RFI)
Project managers are expected to submit an RFI when required (see BRHEMP qualifier). The RFI should be issued during the planning stage of the project whenever possible. This allows for the identification of costs and schedule implications associated with BRHM, which can then be incorporated into the project budget and schedule.
[document description="Building-Related Hazardous Materials Request for Information" pages="3"]BRHEMP RFI[/document]

BRHMs
Building-related hazardous materials

CALA
Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories

Clearance Letter
A clearance letter is obtained from WorkSafeBC and states whether a contractor is registered with WorkSafeBC and is making payments on time.

Competent
Properly qualified, suitably trained, and having sufficient experience to perform the task with limited supervision.

Confined Space
A space in the workplace with configurations that hinder the activities of employees who must enter, work in, or exit it. A confined space has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.

Contract Owner
Anyone who is selecting a contractor and signing off on the contracted work.

Contractor
A company or person engaged in providing work with or on behalf of another company for the purpose of compensation under terms specified in an agreement. As defined by WorkSafeBC, there are five distinct types of contractors: independent contractors, independent operators, labour contractors, prime contractors, and subcontractors.

Contractor Safe Work Plan (CSWP)
Outlines the project scope and H&S plan for the contractor. The CSWP must be completed before the contracted work begins.

Contractor Safety Management Program (CSMP)
A process that is focused on identifying, assessing, and managing hazards and applying appropriate controls throughout the life cycle of any contractor work, to reduce risk at each step of the life cycle.

Danger
Any hazard, condition, or activity that could reasonably be expected to be an imminent or serious threat to the life or health of a person exposed to it before the hazard or condition can be corrected or the activity altered.

DTB
Domestic Terminal Building

Due Diligence
The level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances. Applied to occupational health and safety, due diligence means that employers will take all reasonable precautions under the particular circumstances to prevent injuries or incidents in the workplace.

Employer
A person or company who employs one or more workers—including contractors, apprentices, and trainees—on a full-time, part-time, or casual basis. An employer may be a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity. A sole proprietor who employs his or her spouse is not considered an employer.

Engineering Controls
The physical arrangement, design, or alteration of workstations, equipment, materials, production facilities, or other aspects of the physical work environment, for the purpose of controlling risk.

Facility Alteration Permit (FAP)
A permit required when any alterations or modifications will be done to the building. A FAP must be sent to the Airport Authority Engineering Services office and approved before the project can start.

Federal legislation
The following health and safety legislation apply to companies under federal regulation:

  • Canadian Labour Code Part II
  • Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations
  • Hazardous Products Act and Regulations
  • Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Hazards (GHS) – known in Canada as WHMIS 2015

Final Closure Document (Abatement)Must be submitted to Airport Authority Health & Safety for projects involving an Airport Authority pre-qualified abatement contractor.

  • Short summary of work completed
  • All third-party daily reports (monitoring results, inspections)
  • Confirmation from abatement contractor that work has been completed
  • Airport Authority confirmation of completion document
  • Waste manifest

Foreign Object Debris (FOD)
Materials such as paper, plastic, garbage, mud, metal, etc. that pose a danger to aircraft and that must be controlled when working airside.

Hazard
A thing or condition that may expose a person to a risk of injury or occupational disease

Hazard Identification
An inspection process used to find conditions in the workplace that could endanger the health and safety of workers. Once hazards have been identified, the next step is to assess the risks associated with them.

Hazardous Substance
A hazardous product and a chemical, biological, or physical agent that, by reason of a property that the agent possesses, is hazardous to the safety or health of a person exposed to it.

Incident
An accident or other occurrence that resulted in or had the potential for causing a death, injury, occupational disease, or damage to equipment or property. Incidents include:

  • Accidents in which a worker is injured or killed
  • Accidents in which no one is hurt but equipment or property is damaged
  • Near misses (see near miss)

Incident Investigation
A formal process that helps determine the contributing factors that led to an incident. Investigators examine the findings of the investigation and make recommendations to help ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.

Independent Contractor
An independent business that performs work under a contract with another person or contractor and exists as a business outside of that contract. Depending on the nature of the contract and the relationship with the other contractor, an independent contractor may be required to register with WorkSafeBC.

Independent Operator
A proprietor or a partner in a partnership who has an independent business existence but does not employ a worker, and is not employed by another person or entity. Independent operators are generally not required to register with WorkSafeBC as employers but can get voluntary Personal Option Protection (POP) insurance.

Inspection
The careful examination of workers, equipment, property, materials, or the environment, conducted to compare the findings against stated program requirements.

Joint Health and Safety Committee
A committee that helps create a safer work environment by recommending ways to improve the health and safety program and promoting compliance with the regulation and the act. All workplaces that regularly employ 20 or more workers must establish and maintain a joint health and safety committee. (Regularly employed means employed for at least one month, whether full time or part time.) The committee must include at least four members—usually two employer representatives and two worker representatives.

Labour Contractor
A sole proprietor or partner who:

  • Has workers and supplies labour to only one employer at a time
  • Does not have workers or supply major materials or major revenue-producing equipment, but who contracts a service to two or more employers on an ongoing or simultaneous basis
  • May or may not have workers but who contracts a service, including one piece of major revenue-producing equipment to an employer

A labour contractor can choose whether or not to register with WorkSafeBC. A labour contractor who chooses not to register is automatically considered a worker of the prime contractor or employer.

Lockout
The use of a lock or locks to render machinery or equipment inoperable or to isolate an energy source. Lockout ensures that machinery or equipment will not be started accidentally, causing injury to a worker.

Lock-out/De-energization
Specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
A technical bulletin that provides specific hazard information, safe handling information, and emergency procedures for a hazardous material (controlled product).

National Building Code (NBC)
The model building code of Canada that sets out technical provisions for the design and construction of new buildings as well as the alternation and demolition of existing buildings.

National Fire Code of Canada (NFCC)
Regulates activities related to the construction, use, or demolition of buildings and facilities, the design/condition of specific elements of buildings, and the protection measures for the intended use of the buildings.

Near Miss
An incident in which there is no injury or damage but that could have resulted in an injury, death, or damage to equipment or property. Near-misses should be treated seriously because they may indicate hazardous conditions or acts that need to be corrected. See incident.

Occupational Exposure
Reasonably anticipated, harmful contact with potentially hazardous material that may result from the performance of a worker’s duties.

Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR)
The document that describes the work-related legal requirements that must be met by owners, employers, workers, supervisors, managers, and suppliers. The requirements of the regulation are adopted under the authority of the Workers Compensation Act.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Equipment worn by workers to minimize exposure to specific occupational hazards. Examples include respirators, gloves, fall protection, hard hats, safety glasses, earplugs, and foot protection.

Prime Contractor
Also referred to as the principal contractor. A person or group of persons who, through a contract, agreement, or ownership, directs the activities of one or more persons engaged in work at a worksite. On a worksite where workers of two or more employers are working, the prime contractor is responsible for coordinating health and safety activities and establishing a system that will help ensure that workers comply with the regulation.

Provincial Legislation
The following health and safety legislation apply to companies under provincial regulation:

QAQC
Quality assurance/quality control

Qualified
Knowledgeable of the work, the hazards involved, and the means to control the hazards, by reason of education, training, experience, or a combination of these.

Risk
The combination of the likelihood of the occurrence of harm and the severity of that harm.

Risk Assessment
A process in which the risks associated with a particular workplace hazard are analyzed or evaluated. A risk assessment helps determine what actions are necessary to control (eliminate or minimize) the hazard.

Safe Job Procedures
A series of specific steps that guides a worker through a task from start to finish in chronological order. They are designed to reduce risk by minimizing potential exposure.

Safe Work Practices
Generally written methods outlining how to perform a task with minimal risk to people, equipment, materials, environment, and processes. They should be developed as a result of completing a hazard assessment and should closely reflect the most common activities in the company’s type or sector.

Scope of Work for Abatement Document
Written by the Airport Authority representative environmental consultant. Depending on size and complexity of the project, the document may be one page or a multi-page specification document that includes:

  • Scope of work
  • Recommendations for removal
  • Location of identified hazardous materials
  • Risk level

Serious Injuries
Injuries that are life-threatening or that could cause permanent injury, including:

  • Traumatic injuries such as major fractures, amputations, and serious burns
  • Incidents such as exposure to chemicals and heat and cold stress, as these could result in life-threatening conditions or cause permanent impairment

Site-Specific Safety Plan (SSP)
Required as a condition of a Facility Alteration Permit; covers basic project safety aspects as well as the construction emergency response plan. It may also be required when the Airport Authority has deemed that a plan is necessary.

Sub Contractor
A person operating an independent business who does work or provides services for a contractor in exchange for some form of predetermined remuneration.

TCLP
Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. An analytical test of which sampling will be performed by a YVR Representative Environmental Consultant.

TWA
Time-Weighted Average

Unsafe Act
An unsatisfactory behaviour that is not in compliance with a required standard or legislation, and that increases the risk of injury or occupational disease.

Unsafe Condition
A physical condition that is not in compliance with a required standard, and that increases the risk of injury or occupational disease. Examples include poor housekeeping, inadequate ventilation, and defective tools or equipment.

Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA)
The community-based, not-for-profit organization that manages and operates the airport.

Vancouver International Airport / Aéroport international de Vancouver (YVR)
Located on the Sea Island in the City of Richmond. YVR is managed and operated by the Airport Authority.

Vancouver Airport Property Management (VAPM)
Subsidiary to the Vancouver Airport Authority.

Weekly Summary Reports (Abatement)
For high-rish abatement work, the Airport Authority Representative Environmental Consultant must submit weekly summary reports to the Airport Authority Project Manager. These reports include air sampling results, inspections, and any other requested information.

WHMIS
Provides information about hazardous materials (controlled products) used in the workplace. WHMIS uses labels, Material Safety Data Sheets, and education and training programs to help reduce worker exposure to hazardous materials.

YVR Online Orientation
An online orientation that must be completed by all contractors working for the Airport Authority.

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