The document defines key terms relevant to participating in the management of occupational health and safety information and data systems. It provides definitions for over 20 terms including agency, breakdown agency, data, key person, lag indicator, lead indicator, lost time injury and diseases, mechanism of incident or injury, medical treatment injury, negative performance indicators, occurrence, performance indicator, positive performance indicators, qualitative data, quantitative data, total recordable injuries, work related injury, work related disease, reliability of data, statistic, validity of data, and stakeholders. The glossary is intended to ensure the reader has a basic understanding of important OHS terminology.

1. Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety

2. BSBOHS502B PARTICIPATE IN THE MANAGEMENT
OF OHS INFORMATION AND DATA SYSTEMS
Glossary of Occupational Health and Safety Terms
The criteria for this unit of competency include
understanding certain OHS terms. Developing a glossary of
terms is a useful way to ensure you have the basic
terminology correct. It is strongly recommended that you
add to your glossary throughout this unit and the rest of
your study.

3. Some terms relevant to this unit are defined below. Make
sure that you are familiar with the Glossary of terms before
going any further.
Agency
The object, substance, or circumstance which was the direct
cause of the most serious injury or disease (Safe Work
Australia, formerly ASCC/NOHSC, 2004c).

4. Breakdown agency
The object, substance, or circumstance that was principally
involved in, or most closely associated with, the point at
which things started to go wrong and which ultimately led to
the most serious injury or disease (Safe Work
Australia, formerly ASCC/NOHSC, 2004c).
Data
Raw information which may be numerical or non-numerical.
Key person
Person, not a stakeholder, who influences decisions on OHS
or may be affected by OHS decisions.

5. Lag indicator
Refer to negative performance indicator.
Lead indicator
Refer to positive performance indicator.
Lost time injury and diseases (LTI/D)
Fatality, permanent disability or injury involving time lost
from work of one day/shift or more.
Mechanism of incident or injury
The process that best describes the circumstances in which
the injury/disease occurred (Safe Work Australia, formerly
ASCC/NOHSC, 2004c).

6. Medical treatment injury
Injury or condition requiring medical treatment but no time
lost from work.
Negative performance indicators
Typically focus on measurement of loss such as LTI/D, and
costs of injury. Also called outcome or lag indicators as the
time required for trends to become apparent usually ‘lag’
well behind implementation of initiatives.
Occurrence
Process(es) which give(s) rise to damage, injury or ill-
health.

7. Performance indicator
A statistic or other unit of information which reflects directly
or indirectly the extent to which an anticipated outcome is
achieved or the quality of processes leading to that outcome
(New South Wales Health Department in (Safe Work
Australia, formerly ASCC/NOHSC, 1999).
Positive performance indicators (PPI)
Focus on monitoring the processes that should produce
good OHS outcomes. Also called lead indicators or ‘drivers’
as they measure the activities that drive good OHS
performance.

8. Qualitative data
Is ‘non quantifiable’. It attempts to explain the ways people
come to account for, take action and otherwise manage their
day to day situations. With qualitative research, most
analysis is done with words. Some typical methods of
qualitative data sources are observation, open ended or
unstructured interviews and conversational analysis.
Quantitative data
Can be measured or a number applied and variables
correlated (eg, through use of statistics). Some typical
sources of quantitative data are injury
statistics, measurements of airborne contaminants and noise
surveys. Questionnaires also give quantitative results.

9. Total recordable injuries
Are all injuries that are recorded in the workplace. This
usually includes first aid treatments, medical treatment
injuries and lost time injuries/diseases.
Work related injury
The result of a single traumatic event where the harm or
hurt is immediately apparent, for example a cut resulting
from an incident with a knife or burns resulting from an
acid splash (Safe Work Australia, formerly
ASCC/NOHSC, 2004c).

10. Work related disease
Usually results from repeated or long-term exposure to an
agent or event − for example, loss of hearing as a result
of long-term exposure to noise; from a single exposure to
an infectious agent; or from multiple or uncertain causes
(Safe Work Australia, formerly ASCC/NOHSC, 2004c).
Reliability of data
The consistency or repeatability of the information.
Statistic
A number calculated from data that quantifies a particular
set of data.

11. Validity of data
Whether the information or the measure actually
addresses what it is intended to measure.
Stakeholders
Those people or organisations who may be affected by, or
perceive themselves to be affected by, an activity or
decision. In workplace OHS, stakeholders include:
• managers;
• supervisors;
• health and safety and other employee representatives;
• OHS committees;
• employees and contractors; and
• the community.

12. Read More OHS Terms
LMIT delivers the Certificate IV in OHS and
the Diploma in Occupational Health &
Safety Completely Online in
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and
Canberra. The Advanced Diploma in OHS is also
available via RPL only.