Glossary

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Allergen - A substance which reacts with the body's immune system to produce a type of irritation known as an allergic reaction.
Allergic Reaction - A response to exposure to an allergen.
Acute - Occurring immediately or very soon after exposure.
Bacteria - Microorganisms associated with plants and animals.
Canada Labour Code - Part II of the Code provides the health and safety law that applies to federally regulated workplaces. It’s enforced by Human Resources Development Canada.
Certified member - A member of a joint committee who has received special training in occupational health and safety and has been certified by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Chronic - Occurring long after exposure.

Dusts - Solid particles suspended in air produced by agitation, crushing, grinding, abrading or blasting. Dust ranges in size from 0.1 to 50 micron and larger.
Designated Substance Regulation (DSR) - A biological, chemical or physical agent or combination thereof prescribed as a designated substance to which the exposure of a worker is prohibited, regulated, restricted, limited or controlled in Ontario.
Employer - A person who employs one or more workers or contracts for the services of one or more workers and includes a contractor or subcontractor who performs work or supplies services and a contractor or subcontractor who undertakes with an owner, constructor, contractor or subcontractor to perform work or supply services.
Fumes - An airborne dispersion consisting of minute solid particles arising from the heating of a solid (such as molten metal).

Gas - A formless substance that expands to occupy the space of its container.
Guard - Mechanical, physical and electrical devices that protect workers from moving parts on machinery.
Hazard - Anything in the workplace that can hurt workers or make them ill.
Health and safety representatived - A health and safety representative selected under the OHSA.
Internal Responsibility System (IRS) - A system by which workers, supervisors, employers, and worker representatives all have legal duties to keep their workplace safe and healthy.

Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) - An advisory group of worker and management representatives established under the OHSA.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) - Provides detailed hazard and precautionary information for hazardous materials.
Ministry of Labour (MOL) - The Ontario Government ministry that develops and enforces labour legislation.
Noise - Any unwanted sound which can damage the nerves in the ear.
Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) - The health and safety law that applied to provincially regulated workplaces in Ontario. The MOL enforces it.
Ontario Labour Relations Board - An independent quasi-judicial tribunal that is responsible for a wide variety of matters including determining bargaining units and bargaining agents, trade union certification and unfair labour practices.

PPE - Personal protective equipment.
Radiation - Energy that is emitted, transmitted or absorbed in wave, or energetic particle, form.
Regulations - Specific health and safety regulations made under the OSHA.
Solvent - A substance, usually a liquid, capable of dissolving another substance.
Supervisor - A person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker.
Supplier label - Product label required under WHMIS for hazardous material supplied to a workplace.

Viruses - Simple submicroscopic parasites of plants, animals, and bacteria that often cause disease.
Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS) - A Canadian system of identifying hazardous materials through product labeling, material safety data sheets and worker training.
Worker - A person who performs work or supplies services for monetary compensation but does not include an inmate of a correctional institution or like institution or facility who participates inside the institution or facility in a work project or rehabilitation program.
Work related musculoskeletal disorders - Injuries that affect muscles, tendons and nerves. These injuries develop when the same muscles are used over and over again, usually while applying force, and with little recovery time between repetitions.
Workplace label - Product label, used in place of a supplier label, required under WHMIS for hazardous material used in the workplace.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) - Oversees Ontario's workplace safety education and training system, provides disability benefits, monitors the quality of health care, and assists in early and safe return to work.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) - Sets out Ontario’s no-fault accident insurance system for work-related injuries or illness.