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.

Party: Generally includes anyone who has an interest in your claim (i.e. the insurance company, your employer, attorney, etc.)

Penalty: An amount of money you receive because something wasn't done correctly in your claim.

Permanent and stationary (P&S): Your medical condition has reached maximum medical improvement. Once you are P&S, a doctor can assess how much, if any, permanent disability resulted from your work injury.

Permanent disability: Any lasting disability that results in a reduced earning capacity after maximum medical improvement is reached.

Permanent disability advance: A voluntary lump sum payment of permanent disability you are entitled to in the future.

Permanent disability benefits: Payments you receive when your work injury permanently limits the kinds of work you can do or your ability to earn a living.

Permanent disability payments: A mandatory bi-weekly payment based on the portion of permanent disability received before and/or after an award is issued.

Permanent disability rating: A percentage that estimates how much a job injury permanently limits the kinds of work you can do. It is based on your medical condition, date of injury, age when injured, occupation when injured, how much of the disability is caused by your job, and your diminished future earning capacity. It determines the number of weeks you are entitled to permanent disability benefits.

Permanent partial disability benefits: Payments you receive when your work injury partially limits the kinds of work you can do or your ability to earn a living.

Permanent total disability benefits: Payments you receive when you are considered permanently unable to earn a living.

Personal fall arrest system: A system used to stop an employee in a fall from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these. As of January 1, 1998, using a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited.

Petition for reconsideration: A legal process to appeal a decision issued by a judge.

Phase: In AC power systems, load current is drawn from a voltage source which typically takes the form of a sine wave. Ideally, the current drawn by the loads in the system is also a sine wave. With a simple, resistive load such as a light bulb, the current sine wave is always aligned with the voltage sine wave. This is called single-phase. A single-phase power system normally uses three wires, called hot, neutral, and ground, and the voltage is typically 120/240. Most home and office outlets operate in this manner. With some loads, such as motors, and in high voltage systems, the current sine wave is purposely delayed and lags behind the voltage sine wave. The amount of this lag is expressed in degrees and is called a phase difference. A common example is three-phase power, where the system has three "hot" wires, each 120 degrees out of phase with each other.

Physical Hazard: A hazard that is neither biological nor chemical but that exists around us, or because of the things we do. Eg.: weather and personal work habits.

Platform: A work surface elevated above lower levels. Platforms can be constructed using individual wood planks, fabricated planks, fabricated decks, and fabricated platforms.

Plug: A device to which the conductors of a cord are attached, which is used to connect to the conductors permanently attached to a receptacle.

Positioning device system: A body belt or body harness system rigged to allow an employee to be supported on an elevated vertical surface, such as a wall, and work with both hands free while leaning.

Protective system: A method of protecting employees from cave-ins, from material that could fall or roll from an excavation face or into an excavation, or from the collapse of adjacent structures. Protective systems include support systems, sloping and benching systems, shield systems, and other systems that provide the necessary protection.

Pre-cast concrete: Concrete members (such as walls, panels, slabs, columns, and beams) which have been formed, cast, and cured before final placement in a structure.

Pre-designated physician: A physician that can treat your work injury if you advised your employer in writing, before the injury occurred. You can pre-designate your personal doctor or a doctor of osteopathy (D.O.).

Plaintiff: The party who initiates a lawsuit by filing a complaint with the clerk of the court against the defendant(s).

Polarity: The relationship between poles of positive and negative charge, particularly with regard to wiring of conductors where the ungrounded (hot) conductor and grounded (neutral) conductor form a circuit.

Potential Incident: A condition (such as an unidentified hazard), or an event (such as a near miss), or sequence of events that does not have actual consequences, but that could, under slightly different circumstances, have unwanted consequences.

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment): Protective wearing apparel, when used properly, designed to reduce or eliminate injuries to a worker.

PPM (Parts Per Million): Parts Per Million, a term often used to describe the intensity of a contaminant in an area. Often used in relation to H2S and other gases. Preponderance of the evidence: The greater weight of evidence that persuades a judge or jury to lean to one side as opposed to the other during the course of litigation. In civil trials, evidence is required only by preponderance, not beyond a reasonable doubt. The side with the most persuasive or impressive evidence wins the case.

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.