HSEQ glossary.
HSEQ is full of letters — acronyms come at you fast on site. Here are the fifteen you’ll hear most often. Tap any term to see what it means. Reading at least five will unlock your stamp.
HSEQ
Health, Safety, Environment & Quality.
HSE
Health and Safety Executive — the UK government regulator.
RAMS
Risk Assessment & Method Statement.
COSHH
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.
RIDDOR
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
PPE
Personal Protective Equipment — last line of defence, not the first.
LOTO
Lock-Out Tag-Out — physically locking equipment OFF.
ALARP
As Low As Reasonably Practicable.
CDM
Construction Design & Management Regulations.
EMS
Environmental Management System — usually ISO 14001.
WEEE
Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment.
Hierarchy of Controls
Eliminate → Substitute → Engineering → Administrative → PPE.
Near miss
An event that could have caused injury but didn’t.
Toolbox talk
A short safety briefing at the start of a shift.
Permit to Work
Formal authorisation for a high-risk task.
Got the lay of the land?
Expand at least five terms to enable Mark complete — you don’t need to memorise them all now. This stays here as a reference, so come back whenever an acronym shows up on site that you don’t recognise.
Five expanded — you’re good to go.