Whether you’re a frontline worker, safety officer, team lead, HR manager or senior leader, shared understanding of core safety terminology is critical. It helps reduce confusion, improve compliance, and empower people to make safer, more confident decisions every day.
Here’s a breakdown of 10 essential safety terms with plain definitions, examples, and links to support safer work.
Risk tolerance is the willingness of a worker or an organisation to take safety risks i.e. the level of risk or uncertainty a worker or organisation is willing to accept to achieve a desired result. It shapes decisions on hazard controls and incident responses – for example, deciding whether additional safety measures are justified for tasks with moderate risk.
Example:
On one site, a company with low risk tolerance chooses to eliminate ladder use above two metres entirely, requiring mobile scaffolding or elevated work platforms instead. While not always legally required, this goes beyond compliance to reduce fall risk wherever possible.
On another site, a company with higher risk tolerance allows the use of ladders for short-duration tasks above two metres, provided workers are trained, supervised, and follow strict procedures. Both approaches are compliant, but reflect different levels of acceptable risk based on organisational values and controls.
Risk assessment is the process of identifying hazards, evaluating the risk they pose, and implementing control measures. It’s the foundation of proactive safety management. Example: Before introducing a new piece of equipment, a warehouse supervisor leads a risk assessment to identify hazards like pinch points or collision risks, evaluates how likely injuries could occur, and implements safety controls such as signage, staff training, and clear operating zones.
A hearts and minds approach to safety focuses on winning both the emotional commitment (“hearts”) and logical understanding (“minds”) of workers. It goes beyond procedures and rules and aims to shift how people think and feel about safety, so they take personal ownership of their actions.
Example:
A supervisor shares a personal story about a serious workplace injury they witnessed, explaining how it shaped their attitude toward PPE. This kind of storytelling connects emotionally, prompting workers to engage more deeply with safety.
Learn how this approach improves engagement and culture: https://ldn.com.au/safety-programs-hearts-and-minds/
A psychosocial hazard is anything that could cause psychological harm to someone’s mental health. The can include bullying, isolation or excessive job demands.
Find out more: https://ldn.com.au/visible-and-invisible-risks-in-the-workplace-managing-psychosocial-hazards-at-work/
A Lost Time Injury is a statistic that represents a loss of productive work time doe to an injury that is sustained at work. It is calculated when the injury results in the injured person being unable to return to their next scheduled work shift for one day/shift or more. This helps organisations benchmark safety performance and identify trends.
For example: A worker strains their back while lifting and takes two days off to recover. This is logged as an LTI and included in reporting to support continuous improvement.
Reasonably practicable means it is what a reasonable person in the same situation would do to ensure health and safety considering factors like the likelihood of a hazard occurring, the potential harm it could cause, and the availability and cost of control measures. This is a key legal standard under WHS law that means doing what is reasonably able to be done at the time to ensure health and safety, by considering:
- The likelihood of the risk occurring
- The potential severity of harm
- What is known, or ought reasonably be known, about the hazard
- The availability and suitability of risk controls
- The cost of control measures versus the level of risk
For more, read the Safe Work Australia guidelines:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/interpretive_guideline_-_reasonably_practicable.pdf
Due diligence is a legal and ethical obligation and refers to the proactive and reasonable steps an organisation or individual takes to identify, assess, and mitigate risks to health and safety in the workplace.
For example, a director reviews incident data monthly, checks safety training records, and asks leaders how they are addressing high-risk areas. This demonstrates due diligence in action.
Watch this video on six key questions that demonstrate due diligence in action: https://ldn.com.au/6-due-diligence-questions-every-safety-leader-must-ask/
Safety culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours within a workplace that determine how safety is prioritised and practiced. A strong safety culture empowers individuals to take initiative and reinforces that safety is everyone’s responsibility.
A safe work method statement (SWMS) is a legally required document under Australian WHS regulations for high-risk work – for example working at heights, operating heavy machinery, construction or mining. It outlines in detail all the steps involved in completing the specific task, the potential hazards, and the control measures used to reduce risk.
Example: Each day before demolition begins, a crew prepares a SWMS that details the job steps, risks like falling debris, and safety measures such as exclusion zones and PPE and any change to the working conditions. Each worker must read, understand and sign the SWMS before starting the task, making it a legally binding agreement. This confirms that everyone understands the risks and how to undertake the work safely.
A positive duty is a legal obligation that requires organisations to take proactive steps to eliminate or reduce risks before anyone is harmed. Unlike reactive duties that respond to incidents after they happen, positive duties are about actively creating safe, inclusive, and fair workplaces from the outset. These duties apply not only to safety, but also to areas like discrimination, bullying, and harassment.
Example: An employer introduces upstander training to help employees recognise and respond to early signs of exclusion or harassment. This is a proactive step to meet their positive duty to prevent psychosocial hazards like bullying or isolation—before it escalates into harm.
Read more here: https://ldn.com.au/what-are-positive-duties-organisational-culture/
