Construction Safety Glossary: 36 Terms (United States)

29 CFR 1926: The part of the Code of Federal Regulations that holds OSHA's construction standards. It is split into subparts by topic, such as Subpart L for scaffolds, Subpart M for fall protection and Subpart P for excavations. Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1926 construction standards.
811: The free national before-you-dig service in the United States. You contact 811 a few business days before digging so utilities can mark their buried lines with paint or flags, and you wait until every utility has responded before you dig. Source: 811: Before you dig.
Accident prevention program (Washington): A written safety program that Washington State requires construction employers to develop, tailored to their own operations and hazards (WAC 296-155-110). It includes crew leader and crew safety meetings at the start of each job and at least weekly, with minutes kept for at least one year. Source: WAC 296-155-110: Accident prevention program (Washington).
Aerial lift: A vehicle-mounted device used to raise workers to an elevated job site, such as an extensible or articulating boom platform, aerial ladder or vertical tower (29 CFR 1926.453). Workers in a boom lift basket must wear a body belt or harness with a lanyard attached to the boom or basket. Source: 29 CFR 1926.453: Aerial lifts.
AHA (activity hazard analysis): A documented process, required on US Army Corps of Engineers contracts under EM 385-1-1, that outlines the steps of a work activity, identifies the hazards of each step and sets controls for them. A contractor AHA also lists equipment, training, inspections and the named competent or qualified persons, and must be accepted before the work starts. Source: USACE EM 385-1-1, Section 01.A.13 (2008 edition; current edition March 2024).
Assured equipment grounding conductor program: The alternative to GFCIs for temporary power on construction sites (29 CFR 1926.404(b)(1)(iii)). It must be written and kept at the job site, run by a competent person, and include a daily visual check of cords and tools. Grounding tests are done before first use, after repairs or damage, and at least every 3 months, with the results recorded. Source: 29 CFR 1926.404: Wiring design and protection.
Competent person: Someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions, who also has the authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them (29 CFR 1926.32(f)). Excavation, scaffold and silica rules all require one. Source: 29 CFR 1926.32: Definitions.
EPA RRP (Renovation, Repair and Painting rule): The EPA rule that requires anyone paid to disturb paint in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 to be a lead-safe certified firm. The work must follow lead-safe work practices and be done by a certified renovator or by workers trained on the job by one. Source: EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program.
Excavation: Any man-made cut, cavity, trench or depression in an earth surface formed by removing earth (29 CFR 1926.650). Excavation rules are in Subpart P of the construction standards. Source: 29 CFR 1926.650: Excavations, definitions.
Exposure control plan (silica): The written plan the silica standard requires (29 CFR 1926.1153(g)). It describes the tasks that create silica dust, the controls and respirators for each, housekeeping methods and how access is restricted. It must be reviewed at least once a year and be available to workers on request. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1153: Respirable crystalline silica.
Fall protection plan: A written, site-specific plan allowed under 29 CFR 1926.502(k) in place of guardrails, nets or personal fall arrest, only for leading edge work, precast concrete erection and residential construction. The employer must show that conventional fall protection is infeasible or creates a greater hazard. It must be prepared by a qualified person and kept at the job site. Source: 29 CFR 1926.502: Fall protection systems criteria and practices.
Focus Four: OSHA's name for four major construction hazards: falls, caught-in or -between, struck-by, and electrocution. Each has its own lesson in the OSHA construction Outreach courses. Source: OSHA: Focus Four Hazards.
Frequent and regular inspections: The duty in 29 CFR 1926.20(b)(2) for employers to have competent persons inspect job sites, materials and equipment frequently and regularly. It is part of the safety programs every construction employer must run to comply with OSHA standards. Source: 29 CFR 1926.20: General safety and health provisions.
General Duty Clause: Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, which requires every employer to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA uses it for serious hazards that no specific standard covers. Source: OSH Act of 1970, Section 5: Duties.
GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter): A device that cuts power quickly when current leaks to ground, protecting workers from shock. On construction sites, 120-volt, single-phase, 15 and 20 amp receptacles that are not part of permanent wiring need GFCI protection unless the employer runs an assured equipment grounding conductor program (29 CFR 1926.404(b)(1)). Source: 29 CFR 1926.404: Wiring design and protection.
HazCom (hazard communication): The OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) that requires employers to tell workers about the hazardous chemicals they use. It requires a written program at each workplace with a list of hazardous chemicals, container labels, safety data sheets and worker training. Source: 29 CFR 1910.1200: Hazard communication.
JHA (job hazard analysis): A technique that focuses on job tasks to identify hazards before they cause harm, looking at the worker, the task, the tools and the work environment. The job is broken into steps, the hazards in each step are listed, and controls are chosen to remove or reduce them. OSHA explains the method in publication OSHA 3071. Source: OSHA 3071: Job Hazard Analysis.
JSA (job safety analysis): Another name for a job hazard analysis. The method is the same: break the job into steps, identify the hazards in each step and set controls for each hazard. Source: OSHA 3071: Job Hazard Analysis.
Leading edge: The edge of a floor, roof or formwork that moves as more sections are added during construction. When it is not actively and continuously under construction, it is treated as an unprotected side or edge. Source: 29 CFR 1926.500: Scope, application, and definitions (fall protection).
Lockout and tagging of circuits: The construction rule for de-energized electrical work (29 CFR 1926.417). Controls that are deactivated during the work must be tagged, de-energized equipment or circuits must be made inoperative with tags at every point where they could be energized, and tags must clearly identify the equipment or circuits being worked on. Source: 29 CFR 1926.417: Lockout and tagging of circuits.
OSHA: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency in the US Department of Labor that sets and enforces workplace safety standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Under the Act, employers must comply with OSHA standards and keep the workplace free of recognized serious hazards. Source: OSH Act of 1970, Section 5: Duties.
OSHA 10 / OSHA 30: The 10-hour and 30-hour OSHA Outreach Training Program courses for construction and other industries. They are voluntary under federal OSHA, but some states, employers, unions and contracts require them. The cards are not a certification or license, and construction cards do not expire. Source: OSHA Outreach Training Program FAQs.
OSHA 300 log: The Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, where employers record each recordable case. It must be kept for 5 years after the year it covers, along with the 300A summary and 301 incident reports. Employers with 10 or fewer employees all last year are generally exempt unless OSHA or BLS asks in writing. Source: 29 CFR 1904.1: Partial exemption for employers with 10 or fewer employees.
OSHA 300A summary: The annual summary of the injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 log. It must be certified by a company executive and posted from February 1 to April 30 of the following year. Source: 29 CFR 1904.32: Annual summary.
PACM (presumed asbestos-containing material): Under OSHA's construction asbestos standard, thermal system insulation and sprayed or troweled surfacing material in buildings built no later than 1980. These are treated as asbestos unless testing proves otherwise. Asphalt and vinyl flooring installed no later than 1980 must also be treated as asbestos-containing unless shown otherwise. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1101: Asbestos.
PEL (permissible exposure limit): The highest airborne level of a substance OSHA allows a worker to be exposed to, usually averaged over an 8-hour shift. For example, the construction PEL for respirable crystalline silica is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour average. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1153: Respirable crystalline silica.
Permit-required confined space: A confined space (big enough to enter, with limited ways in and out, and not designed for continuous occupancy) that also has at least one serious hazard. Those hazards are a hazardous atmosphere or the potential for one, material that could engulf an entrant, a shape that could trap or suffocate an entrant, or any other recognized serious hazard (29 CFR 1926.1202). Source: 29 CFR 1926.1202: Confined spaces in construction, definitions.
PFAS (personal fall arrest system): A system used to stop a worker in a fall from a working level, made up of an anchorage, connectors and a full body harness, and possibly a lanyard, deceleration device or lifeline. Anchorages must hold at least 5,000 pounds per worker attached, or be designed as part of a complete system under a qualified person. Source: 29 CFR 1926.500: Scope, application, and definitions (fall protection).
Protective system: A method of protecting workers in an excavation from cave-ins, from material falling or rolling into it, or from the collapse of nearby structures. Protective systems include support systems such as shoring, sloping and benching, and shield systems such as trench boxes. Source: 29 CFR 1926.650: Excavations, definitions.
Qualified person: Someone who, by a recognized degree, certificate or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has shown the ability to solve problems related to the subject matter, the work or the project (29 CFR 1926.32(m)). For example, a written fall protection plan must be prepared by a qualified person. Source: 29 CFR 1926.32: Definitions.
Recordable injury: A work-related injury or illness that must be entered on the OSHA 300 log. It is recordable if it causes death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or is a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a licensed health care professional. Source: 29 CFR 1904.7: General recording criteria.
SDS (safety data sheet): A document from the chemical maker or importer that describes a hazardous chemical's hazards and safe handling in a standard 16-section format. Employers must keep an SDS for each hazardous chemical they use, readily accessible to workers during every shift. Source: 29 CFR 1910.1200: Hazard communication.
State plan: A workplace safety and health program run by a state or US territory and approved by OSHA. State plans must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and can have stricter rules. Some cover private and public employers, while others cover only state and local government workers. Source: OSHA: State Plans.
Table 1 (silica): The table in OSHA's construction silica standard (29 CFR 1926.1153(c)) that lists common tasks, such as cutting with saws, drilling and grinding, with the engineering controls, work practices and respirators required for each. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1153: Respirable crystalline silica.
Toolbox talk: A short safety meeting held with the crew on site, usually about one hazard or task, with attendance recorded. Federal OSHA does not require toolbox talks by name, but some states require regular crew safety meetings, such as Washington's weekly crew leader and crew meetings with minutes kept for one year. Source: WAC 296-155-110: Accident prevention program (Washington).
Trench: A narrow excavation, made below the surface of the ground, that is generally deeper than it is wide and no more than 15 feet wide at the bottom (29 CFR 1926.650). Trenches 5 feet deep or more need a protective system unless they are in stable rock. Source: 29 CFR 1926.650: Excavations, definitions.

Construction safety terms explained