Glossary of Workplace Injury Law Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
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Faces: The vertical or inclined earth surfaces formed as a result of excavation work.
Failure: The breakage, displacement, or permanent deformation of a structural member or connection so as to reduce its structural integrity and its supportive capabilities.
Fabricated frame scaffold: A scaffold consisting of platforms supported on fabricated end frames with integral posts, horizontal bearers, and intermediate members.
Failure: Load refusal, breakage, or separation of component parts. Load refusal is the point where the ultimate strength is exceeded.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): A federal law that provides certain employees with serious health problems or those who need to care for a child or other family member with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. It also requires that group health benefits be maintained.
Fatal accident is an accident that results in one or more deaths within one year.
Fault: An insulation failure that exposes electrified conductors, causing current to leak and possibly resulting in electric shock.
Free fall: The act of falling before a personal fall arrest system begins to apply force to arrest the fall.
Free fall distance: The vertical displacement between onset of the fall and just before the fall arrest system begins to apply force to arrest the fall. This distance excludes deceleration distance, and lifeline/lanyard elongation, but includes any deceleration device slide distance or self-retracting lifeline/lanyard extension before they operate and fall arrest forces occur.
Filing: Sending or delivering a document to an employer or a government agency as part of a legal process. The date of filing is the date the document is received.
Final order: A decision or award made by a workers’ compensation judge.
Findings & award: A written decision by a judge about a case. This decision is final unless an appeal is filed.
Fraud: Any knowingly false statement made for the purpose of obtaining workers’ compensation benefits.
Formwork: The total system of support for freshly placed or partially cured concrete, including the mold or sheeting (form) that is in contact with the concrete as well as all supporting members including shores, re-shores, hardware, braces, and related hardware.
Fuse: A protective device which allows a piece of metal to become part of a circuit. The metal melts under heat created by excessive current, thereby interrupting the circuit and preventing the flow of electricity from exceeding the circuit’s current-carrying capacity.
Future medical: On-going right to medical treatment for a work-related injury.
Follow-Up: The term used to indicate an action (usually corrective action) that is supposed to take place after some kind of occurrence and based on an accident or incident report.
