Safety Slides Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary review flashcards covering plant safety, WHMIS 2015, fire theory and classes, fire protection and sprinkler systems, hazard analysis, and lockout/tagout procedures.

Combustion

An exothermic, self-sustaining chemical reaction that can occur even in an inert atmosphere.

Reducing Agent (Fuel)

The component of combustion that acts as fuel and supplies combustible vapors when heated past its flash point; examples include hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and combustible metals.

Oxidizing Agent (Oxygen)

The substance in the fire tetrahedron that supports burning through oxidation, including atmospheric oxygen, acids, or hydrogen peroxide.

Fire Tetrahedron

A four-sided geometric model illustrating the four essential elements required for flaming combustion: fuel (reducing agent), oxygen (oxidizing agent), heat energy, and an uninhibited chain reaction.

Uninhibited Chain Reaction

A self-perpetuating reaction mechanism in fire chemistry where heat energy is continuously produced by ongoing reactions, sustaining combustion.

Oxygen Depletion (at $17\%$)

The atmospheric oxygen concentration at which human cognitive thinking becomes impaired and muscular coordination is reduced.

Oxygen Depletion (at $10\%$ to $14\%$)

The atmospheric oxygen concentration range that causes abnormal fatigue upon physical exertion and impaired judgment.

Oxygen Depletion (at Less Than $10\%$)

The critical atmospheric oxygen threshold resulting in unconsciousness, requiring immediate administration of fresh air or oxygen.

Class A Fire

A fire involving ordinary solid combustibles such as plastics, rubber, paper, cloth, wood, and coal, most commonly extinguished by the cooling action of water.

Class B Fire

A fire involving flammable and combustible liquids such as solvents, greases, gasoline, and oil (excluding cooking oils and grease), best extinguished by smothering.

Class C Fire

A fire involving energized (live) electrical equipment where non-conductive extinguishing agents like $\text{CO}_2$ must be used to eliminate electrocution hazards.

Class D Fire

A fire fueled by combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, and uranium, requiring specialized dry powder agents, graphite powder, or granular sodium chloride.

Class K Fire

A fire involving high-temperature commercial cooking oils and greases, extinguished by wet chemical agents that cool the liquid and form a smothering blanket.

Spontaneous Combustion

Ignition resulting from internal self-heating due to exothermic reactions, followed by thermal runaway to high temperatures, culminating in auto-ignition.

Electrically Classified Areas (Class I, II, III)

Designated hazard zones for electrical installations: Class I contains flammable gases; Class II contains combustible dusts; Class III contains easily ignitable airborne fibers.

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)

Canada's national hazard communication system established in October 1988 to inform and protect workers handling dangerous materials in the workplace.

Globally Harmonized System (GHS)

An internationally standardized framework for classifying and labelling chemicals that was incorporated into Canada's WHMIS 2015 regulations.

WHMIS 2015 Employer Transition Deadline

December 1, 2018, the date by which all Canadian employers were legally required to fully complete the transition from WHMIS 1988 to WHMIS 2015.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

A 16-section standardized document under WHMIS 2015 supplied by manufacturers to convey chemical hazard, safe handling, storage, and emergency data.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

The legacy 9-section chemical safety document mandated under the WHMIS 1988 regulatory standard prior to the implementation of WHMIS 2015.

Supplier Label

A label affixed by a product manufacturer or importer displaying product identifiers, pictograms, a signal word ('Danger' or 'Warning'), hazard statements, precautionary measures, and supplier identity.

Workplace Label

A simplified label prepared and attached by employers or workers when a supplier label becomes damaged or when a chemical is transferred to a secondary container.

WHMIS 2015 Hazard Pictograms

Standardized graphical symbols framed within red diamond borders indicating specific physical, health, or environmental chemical hazards.

Gas Cylinder Safety Relief Valve

A protective valve engineered strictly to vent vapor during overpressure, which malfunctions if submerged in liquid when a cylinder is laid horizontally.

LP Gas Cylinder Foot Ring

A cylindrical base collar on an LP gas container that maintains it in an upright, level orientation and prevents direct ground contact that causes corrosion.

Oxygen and Acetylene Cylinder Separation Distance

The minimum separation distance of at least $6\,\text{m}$ required between stored oxygen and acetylene cylinders to prevent explosive mixtures in case of a leak.

Hydrocarbon

An organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon, existing across physical states from gaseous chains to volatile liquids, waxy oils, and heavy tar.

Flammable Range (Explosive Limits)

The percentage range of fuel vapor mixed in air between the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) and Upper Explosive Limit (UEL) capable of burning.

Flash Point

The minimum temperature at which a liquid gives off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily at its surface upon contact with an external ignition source.

Ignition Temperature

The minimum temperature to which a fuel-air mixture must be heated to initiate and sustain self-supporting combustion without an external spark or flame.

PASS Acronym

The four-step sequence for operating a portable fire extinguisher: Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep at the base of the fire.

Extinguisher Ring Pin

A locking pin secured with an inspection seal that immobilizes the operating lever to prevent inadvertent discharge of a fire extinguisher.

Stored Pressure Extinguisher

A portable extinguisher permanently pressurized at $12\,\text{kPa}$ to $17\,\text{kPa}$ containing extinguishing agent mixed with propellant gas ($\text{N}_2$), requiring hydrostatic retesting every $5\,\text{years}$.

Cartridge-Operated Extinguisher

An extinguisher containing unpressurized agent until an internal or external propellant gas cylinder ($\text{N}_2$ or $\text{CO}_2$) is punctured, requiring pressure testing every $12\,\text{years}$.

Self-Expelling Extinguisher

A cylinder containing agents like carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$) or Halotron that possess sufficient inherent vapor pressure at normal ambient temperatures to expel themselves without added propellants.

Water Pump Tank Extinguisher

A non-pressurized floor-standing or backpack extinguisher holding $7\,\text{dm}^3$ to $25\,\text{dm}^3$ of water or antifreeze solution, operated via a manual trombone-style hand plunger.

Dry Chemical Monthly Inversion

The monthly maintenance procedure of holding dry chemical extinguishers upside down and shaking them to prevent the powder agent from settling into a dense cake.

Class I Standpipe System

A high-pressure, high-volume fire suppression riser designed strictly for trained firefighters, featuring $65\,\text{mm}$ ($2.5\,\text{inch}$) hose connections.

Class II Standpipe System

A building standpipe riser system intended for immediate occupant fire attack prior to fire department arrival, equipped with $40\,\text{mm}$ ($1.5\,\text{inch}$) hose stations.

Class III Standpipe System

A dual-capacity standpipe riser supplying both $40\,\text{mm}$ occupant hose connections and $65\,\text{mm}$ connections for trained firefighting personnel.

Automatic Wet Standpipe

A standpipe piping network permanently charged with pressurized water, requiring installation only where environmental temperatures stay strictly above $5^{\circ}\text{C}$.

Wet Pipe Sprinkler System

The most common automatic sprinkler system, continuously filled with water under pressure, requiring installation in ambient environments maintained above $4^{\circ}\text{C}$.

Dry Pipe Sprinkler System

An automatic sprinkler system filled with pressurized air or nitrogen held back by a dry pipe valve, utilized in unheated spaces subject to temperatures below $4^{\circ}\text{C}$.

Deluge Sprinkler System

A fire protection system with open sprinkler heads that floods an entire zone simultaneously upon opening of a deluge valve triggered by heat or smoke sensors.

Jockey Pump

A small auxiliary pump installed to maintain static header pressure in a fire suppression sprinkler system and prevent primary fire pumps from cycling due to minor pressure fluctuations.

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

A Canadian federal agency providing guidance on federally and provincially legislated occupational health and safety acts, codes, and regulations.

Stop Work Order

A formal legal order issued by a jurisdictional safety inspector or investigator suspending plant operations following an incident until all risks of injury are rectified.

Hierarchy of Hazard Control

A prioritized framework of hazard mitigation ranking Elimination and Substitution as most effective, followed by Engineering Controls, Administrative Controls, and PPE as least effective.

Engineering Controls

Hazard mitigation measures involving physical alterations to the work environment or installation of barriers, such as fences or machine guards, to isolate workers from hazards.

Administrative Controls

Managerial procedures and safe work methods—including SOPs, lockout/tagout programs, alarms, and warning signage—that govern worker behaviors to reduce hazard exposure.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Wearable safety equipment, such as hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, and respirators, functioning as the last and least reliable line of defense against workplace hazards.

Safety Goggles (Monogoggles)

Eye protection equipment providing a continuous, tight facial seal around the eyes to guard against liquid chemical splashes, mists, and fine particulates.

Plant Hearing Protection Threshold

The workplace noise level threshold of $80\,\text{dB}$, above which power plant workers are required to wear hearing protection.

Fire-Resistant (FR) Clothing

Protective apparel made from flame-resistant textiles such as Nomex, designed to resist ignition and prevent secondary burn injuries from burning garments.

Fall Protection Working Height

The elevation threshold of $3\,\text{m}$, at or above which workers are legally required to wear fall arrest systems such as full-body harnesses.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

An independent atmospheric air-supplying respirator providing a positive-pressure mask seal and a $30\,\text{minute}$ cylinder supply, with a warning bell triggering at $25\,\text{minutes}$.

Supplied Air Breathing Apparatus (SABA)

A breathing unit connected via an umbilical hose to external air banks, equipped with a small $5\,\text{to }15\,\text{minute}$ auxiliary escape cylinder for tight spaces.

Scaffold Safety Tags

Visual status placards placed on scaffolding: Green indicates safe for use, Yellow denotes safe for use only with fall arrest harnesses, and Red warns that the scaffold is unsafe.

Caution Tape

Yellow perimeter tape indicating minor to moderate hazards, allowing worker entry provided the warning tag is read and listed precautions are observed.

Danger Tape

Red barricade tape demarcating high-risk physical hazards (such as overhead work, open holes, or confined spaces) where entry is prohibited under any circumstances.

Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

A formal four-step hazard evaluation method that ranks jobs, breaks them down into task steps (ideally ten maximum), identifies potential hazards, and establishes preventative controls.

Field Level Hazard Assessment (FLHA)

A point-of-work hazard evaluation performed by workers at the job site immediately before commencing work as part of the permitting process.

Right to Refuse Unsafe Work

A fundamental worker right embedded in Canadian OH&S legislation permitting employees to refuse dangerous assignments without fear of reprisal or termination.

Joint Workplace Health and Safety Committee

A mandatory joint employer-employee committee established to evaluate health and safety issues, resolve complaints, conduct inspections, and review incident reports.

Emergency Response Plan (ERP)

A formalized facility plan providing protocols for worker evacuation, muster points, emergency wardens, equipment locations, and regular drills to safeguard lives and assets.

Muster Point

A designated exterior assembly location where workers congregate following a plant evacuation to allow for a full personnel headcount.

Confined Space

An enclosed or partially enclosed area large enough for a person to enter that is not engineered for continuous worker occupancy and features restricted access or egress.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG)

Canadian federal legislation and regulations that govern the safe classification, documentation, labelling, and handling of hazardous materials during transit, excluding on-site storage.

Hydrogen Sulfide ($\text{H}_2\text{S}$)

A toxic, flammable gas characterized by a rotten egg odor at low concentrations that rapidly paralyzes olfactory nerves and settles in low-lying plant areas.

Ground Disturbance Permit

A specialized authorization required prior to digging, trenching, drilling, or tunneling exceeding $30\,\text{cm}$ in depth, accompanied by underground utility drawings.

Asbestos Abatement

Strict, specialized procedures carried out by trained insulation technicians to safely contain or remove fibrous asbestos minerals without dispersing toxic, barbed fibers.

Safe Work Permit (SWP)

A legally binding written operational agreement between operations and maintenance detailing authorized work scope, associated hazards, PPE requirements, and testing parameters for up to $12\,\text{hours}$.

Hot Work Permit

A safe work permit required for any activity capable of producing sparks, heat, or open flames (such as welding, torch cutting, or drilling) in potentially explosive atmospheres.

Bump Test (Equipment Isolation)

The procedural step of attempting to start equipment locally using control switches to verify that electrical power has been successfully isolated before work commences.

Group Lock Box

A central, lockable enclosure that holds the keys to all primary energy isolating locks on a complex system, requiring every worker on the crew to attach their personal padlock to its exterior.