Health, Safety, Environment, Employment, and Business Core Concepts Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core health & safety, environmental, employment, ethics, and business management concepts.

Primary Legislation

The highest form of law, created directly through acts of parliament.

Secondary Legislation

Legally binding rules created under primary legislation, split into regulations, orders, and rules.

Codes of Practice

Documents that provide legal guidance on how to comply with health, safety, and legal requirements.

Industry Guidance

Detailed advice relevant to a specific industry or sector to assist with operational compliance.

Hazard

Something dangerous that has the potential to cause harm.

Risk

The likelihood that a hazard will cause harm, taking into account severity and affected individuals.

Hierarchy of Controls

A system for controlling workplace hazards, ordered from most effective to least effective: elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering controls, and PPE.

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Equipment worn to protect individuals against hazards; categorized as the least effective measure in the hierarchy of controls.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Key legislation requiring employers to protect the health, safety, and welfare of workers, and workers to follow safety protocols and procedures.

RIDDOR 2013

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, requiring specified workplace incidents to be reported to the HSE and records maintained.

Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

Legislation mandating risk assessments to prevent back pain and muscle strains during manual handling tasks.

Fire Safety Act 2021

Legislation designating who is responsible for fire safety in specific buildings and requiring risk assessments for structures and doors.

COSHH

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations, utilizing hygiene, PPE, cleaning, and biosecurity to reduce risks from chemical burns and zoonoses.

Weather

Atmospheric conditions at a specific location that can change over minutes, hours, days, or weeks.

Climate

The long-term weather pattern characteristic of a large geographical area.

Climate Change

A long-term shift in global temperatures and weather patterns caused by human activities trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Carbon Footprint

The total amount of greenhouse gases released by an organization or business.

Internal Dynamics

Interactions between connected Earth systems, such as the atmosphere, that affect the global climate.

Forcings

Factors originating outside the climate system, such as volcanic activity, that affect climate.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat, such as carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$) and methane.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets present needs without damaging the environmental, social, and economic needs of future generations.

Circular Economy

An economic system designed to eliminate pollution and waste through continuous reuse and recycling.

Kyoto Protocol (2005)

An international signed treaty aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Paris Agreement (2016)

An international accord where participating countries agreed to reduce waste and limit global warming to well below $2^\text{o}\text{C}$.

Environment Act 2021

Legislation enacted to protect the environment by eliminating pollution and waste, making better use of natural resources, increasing biodiversity, and improving air and water quality.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Protected land or water areas recognized for their importance regarding rocks, wildlife, or natural landforms.

Employment Contract

A legally binding agreement between an employer and employee comprising express terms, incorporated terms, and implied terms.

Express Terms

Terms in an employment contract explicitly written down, such as salary details.

Incorporated Terms

Contractual terms referenced from external sources, such as disciplinary procedures in an employee handbook.

Implied Terms

Unwritten terms in an employment contract that are assumed or legally required, such as statutory sick pay.

Employment Rights Act 1996

Legislation enabling employees to request flexible working, statutory sick pay, maternity leave, and reasonable notice before contract termination.

National Minimum Wage Act 1998

Legislation regulating legal minimum pay rates updated annually on April 1st based on age and apprenticeship status.

Working Time Regulations 1998

Regulations entitling workers to $5.6$\,weeks of holiday, an $11$\,hour rest period between shifts, and a $20$\,minute break for shifts exceeding $6$\,hours.

Trade Union

An organization that gives employees a voice, supports workplace development, and negotiates pay and working conditions.

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Legislation that prohibits and punishes human trafficking, forced labor, and slavery.

CPD (Continuous Professional Development)

Ongoing learning activities, such as workshops or articles, that maintain an individual's occupational proficiency.

Soft Skills

An individual's internal awareness of how they manage and express their behavior and emotions, such as problem solving and persuasion.

Interpersonal Skills

Skills governing how an individual communicates and interacts with others, such as active listening and teamwork.

Honesty

Being clear, open, and truthful regardless of the consequences.

Transparency

Providing detailed and accurate information to stakeholders.

Equality

Providing every individual with the exact same resources or opportunities.

Equity

Providing specific, tailored support to individuals to achieve fair outcomes, such as appropriately fitted PPE.

Whistleblowing

The act of exposing internal organizational wrongdoing, such as illegal acts, fraud, or safety breaches, to external authorities.

Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

Legislation providing legal protection to workers who expose organizational wrongdoing through whistleblowing.

Equality Act 2010

Key legislation protecting individuals against discrimination in the workplace and wider society.

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

A non-profit structure with limited company status that focuses on community benefit and is permitted to generate profit to reinvest.

Community Interest Company (CIC)

A limited company established to focus on achieving social objectives rather than generating private profit.

Social Enterprise

A business structure operating to achieve clear community benefits while using commercial business models.

Revenue

The total gross amount of money brought in by a business through sales before expenses are deducted.

Income

The net money earned by a business remaining after all operational expenses are paid.

Productivity

A measure of performance comparing the volume of input resources or effort against the total services or products generated.

KPI (Key Performance Indicators)

Measurable targets established to track performance and determine the operational success of a team or business.

Benchmarking

The process of measuring a business's operational metrics against competitors to identify areas for performance improvement.

ISO 9000

A quality management framework providing guidelines across seven principles to help businesses improve operational performance.

Risk Register

A detailed document used to record, assess, and monitor potential operational setbacks and risks within an organization.

Internal Stakeholders

Entities within an organization who work directly inside the business and are impacted by its daily decisions, such as managers and employees.

External Stakeholders

Entities outside a company that affect or are affected by its operations, such as customers, suppliers, and government regulators.