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 #

Click on the first letter of the word from the list above to go to the appropriate section of the glossary. Contact us if you would like more information about personal injury law terms.

Carve-out: Carve-out programs allow employers and unions to create their own alternatives for workers' compensation benefit delivery and dispute resolution under a collective bargaining agreement.

Cases without lost workdays: Cases that do not involve lost workdays but result in medical treatment other than first aid, restriction of work or motion, loss of consciousness, transfer to another job, or diagnosis of occupational illness.

Cave-in: The separation of a mass of soil or rock material from the side of an excavation, or the loss of soil from under a trench shield or support system, and its sudden movement into the excavation, either by falling or sliding, in sufficient quantity so that it could entrap, bury, or otherwise injure and immobilize a person.

Certified: Equipment is "certified" if it (a) has been tested and found by a nationally recognized testing laboratory to meet nationally recognized standards or to be safe for use in a specified manner, or (b) is of a kind whose production is periodically inspected by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, and (c) it bears a label, tag, or other record of certification.

Chemical Hazard: A nonliving hazard that results from substances, including solids, liquids or vapors that could potentially interact. Some chemicals can damage the human body if people inhale, ingest or absorb them. Eg: chemicals are lead, alcohol and hydrocarbons.

Circuit: The path along which electric current flows from start to finish is called a circuit. The circuit includes the generator or battery which starts the current, the wires, and any electrical device that the current operates. If any part of the circuit is removed, the current cannot flow. The circuit is then broken or open. Because electric current seeks to complete its circuit, it will travel along any path that is presented (path of least resistance), which is why humans are at risk of electrocution when they handle damaged tools or cords, or contact un-insulated wires. In effect, they become part of the circuit.

Circuit breaker: A protective device which automatically opens, or trips, a circuit, without damage to itself, when the current exceeds a predetermined level.

Claim form: The form used to report a work injury or illness to your employer. The form is filed out and turned in at your place of business.

Claims Administrator: The term for insurance companies and others that handle your workers' compensation claim. Most claims administrators work for insurance companies or third party administrators handling claims for employers. Some claims administrators work directly for large employers that handle their own claims.

Claim: A demand for money or relief. 

Class action: A type of lawsuit filed by one or more plaintiffs on behalf of themselves and a larger group of people "who are similarly situated." While allowing one judge to hear all the cases at the same time, the resulting decision is binding on all parties. Cleat: A structural block used at the end of a platform to prevent the platform from slipping off its supports. Cleats are also used to provide footing on sloped surfaces such as crawling boards.

Closing statement: The final argument in a trial by an attorney on behalf of his/her client after all evidence has been produced for both sides.

Cold Work: Low-risk work in a non-restricted area (outside a 50 meter radius of a live surface facility).

Commutation: An order by a workers' compensation judge for a lump sum payment for all or part of your permanent disability award.

Company Rules: An internally developed set of standards regarding company policies and requirements for safety and general conduct.

Company Worker or Person: This is a person whose knowledge, training and experience qualified him or her to perform the work properly and safely.

Competent person: One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate such hazards.

Conductor: A substance or body that allows a current of electricity to pass continuously along it. Metals, such as copper or aluminum, are good conductors. In a circuit, current-carrying wires are termed "conductors", as in a flexible cord.

Confined Space: Any space which has restricted access; egress where hazardous, gases vapors, dusts, or fumes may accumulate; or where oxygen may be deficient.

Connector: A device that is used to couple (connect) parts of the personal fall arrest system and positioning device systems together. It may be an independent component of the system, such as a carabiner, or it may be an integral component of part of the system, such as a buckle or D-ring sewn into a body belt or body harness, or a snaphook spliced or sewn to a lanyard or self-retracting lanyard.

Consultant: A professional individual or firm hired by a company solely to give professional advice with respect to the planning of specified tasks.

Controlled access zone (CAZ): An area in which certain work (e.g., overhand bricklaying) may take place without guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, or safety net systems, and access to the zone is controlled.

Construction work: Work for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating.

Critical Work: Any work that falls in the medium or higher risk area of the Risk Assessment Matrix. Work that may be considered critical include:

• critical lift in a non-restricted area
• tasks done during major turnarounds that affect other workers
• maintenance work in an area where toxic-gas amounts are likely to exceed

occupational exposure limits

• welding in a hydrocarbon production facility
• confined space entry

Cross braces: The horizontal members of a shoring system installed perpendicular to the sides of the excavation, the ends of which bear against either uprights or wales.

Cross braces: Two braces which cross each other in the form of an X.

Cross examination: The opportunity for the attorney for one party to ask questions in court of a witness who has testified in a trial on behalf of the opposing party.

Cumulative injury: An injury that was caused by repeated events at work.

Current: The flow of electrons through a conductor, measured in amperes (amps). If the current flows back and forth through a conductor, it is called alternating current (AC). If the current flows in one direction only, as in a car battery, it is called direct current (DC). AC is most widely used because it is possible to increase ("step up") or decrease ("step down") the current through a transformer. For example, when current from an overhead power line is run through a pole-mounted transformer, it can be stepped down to normal household current. Also, alternating current can travel enormous distances with little loss of voltage, or power.

Cycle: When alternating current flows back and forth through a conductor, it is said to cycle. In each cycle, the electrons flow first in one direction, then the other. In the United States, the normal rate for power transmission is 60 cycles per second, or 60 Hertz (Hz).

DISCLAIMER: The information contained within this personal injury site is of a general nature and is not meant to be a restatement of any rules of law. Your use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. You should hire an attorney to obtain legal advice for your specific case.