Resources
Compliance glossary.
Every regulation, standard and acronym a UK inspection firm runs into, defined in plain English.
- ACoP L8
- The Approved Code of Practice for the control of legionella bacteria in water systems. Sets out the duty holder’s responsibilities for assessing and managing legionella risk.
- ACS
- Accredited Certification Scheme, the assessment route through which gas engineers prove competence for specific appliances and categories of gas work.
- ATEX
- The directives and regulations covering equipment and protective systems used in potentially explosive atmospheres.
- BS 5266
- British Standard for emergency lighting, covering the design, installation and maintenance of escape-route and emergency lighting.
- BS 5306
- British Standard for the commissioning and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers and fixed firefighting systems.
- BS 5839
- British Standard for fire detection and fire alarm systems in buildings, covering design, installation and maintenance.
- BS 7671
- The IET Wiring Regulations, the national standard for electrical installations in the UK. Compliance is demonstrated through certificates such as the EICR and EIC. What is BS 7671? ›
- BS 8580
- British Standard for legionella risk assessments, setting out how to assess the risk of legionella in water systems.
- BS EN 13155
- European standard for non-fixed load-lifting attachments such as lifting beams, clamps and slings.
- Calorifier
- A vessel that heats and stores hot water, a key control point in legionella management and water-temperature monitoring.
- CDM 2015
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, governing health and safety duties across construction projects. What is CDM 2015? ›
- Competent person
- A person with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to carry out a statutory examination or task safely and correctly.
- COSHH
- The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, requires employers to assess and control the risks from hazardous substances. What is COSHH? ›
- CP12
- The Landlord Gas Safety Record (often called a CP12), confirming gas appliances and flues in a rented property have been checked annually by a Gas Safe engineer. What is CP12? ›
- CSCS
- Construction Skills Certification Scheme, the card scheme that records a worker’s training and qualifications for construction sites.
- DSEAR
- The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, requiring control of risks from substances that can cause fire or explosion.
- Duty holder
- The person or organisation legally responsible for managing a particular risk or compliance obligation, such as legionella control or electrical safety.
- EAWR
- The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, requiring electrical systems to be maintained, so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent danger.
- EIC
- Electrical Installation Certificate, issued for new electrical installations or additions to confirm the work meets BS 7671.
- EICR
- Electrical Installation Condition Report, records the condition of a fixed electrical installation against BS 7671, with observations coded C1, C2, C3 and FI. What is EICR? ›
- F-Gas Regulation
- Rules governing fluorinated greenhouse gases, requiring leak checks and record-keeping for refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. What is F-Gas Regulation? ›
- Gas Safe Register
- The official register of businesses and engineers qualified to work safely and legally on gas appliances in the UK.
- GSIUR
- The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, governing the safe installation, maintenance and use of gas appliances.
- HASAWA
- The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the primary piece of UK health and safety legislation. What is HASAWA? ›
- HSG274
- HSE technical guidance on controlling legionella in hot and cold water systems, cooling towers and other plant, supporting ACoP L8.
- IOSH
- The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, a professional body for health and safety practitioners and a common training standard.
- LEEA
- The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, the trade body whose qualifications underpin competence for LOLER thorough examinations.
- LEV
- Local Exhaust Ventilation, engineering controls that capture airborne contaminants at source, which must be thoroughly examined and tested at least every 14 months under COSHH.
- LOLER
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, requires thorough examination of lifting equipment, typically every 6 or 12 months. What is LOLER? ›
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
- Regulations requiring employers to avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling.
- Method statement
- A document describing, step by step, how a task will be carried out safely. Combined with a risk assessment it forms RAMS.
- MEWP
- Mobile Elevating Work Platform, such as a cherry picker or scissor lift, which falls within scope of both LOLER and PUWER.
- NEBOSH
- The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, awarding widely recognised health and safety qualifications.
- Observation codes
- The classification codes used on an EICR: C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended) and FI (further investigation required).
- PAT
- Portable Appliance Testing, in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment under the IET Code of Practice, on a risk-based frequency. What is PAT? ›
- Periodic inspection
- A scheduled inspection at recommended intervals, such as the periodic inspection and testing of a fixed electrical installation recorded on an EICR.
- PSSR
- The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, requires a written scheme of examination for pressure systems and examination by a competent person. What is PSSR? ›
- PUWER
- The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, requires work equipment to be suitable, maintained and inspected at suitable intervals. What is PUWER? ›
- RAMS
- Risk Assessment and Method Statement, documents that demonstrate a task has been assessed for risk and planned to be carried out safely. What is RAMS? ›
- RCD
- Residual Current Device, a protective device that disconnects a circuit quickly to reduce the risk of electric shock.
- Responsible person
- Under the Fire Safety Order, the person with control of premises (often the employer, owner or managing agent) who must carry out the fire risk assessment.
- RIDDOR
- The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, which require certain workplace incidents to be reported to the HSE. What is RIDDOR? ›
- Risk assessment
- A systematic look at what could cause harm, who might be harmed and the controls needed, required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
- RRO 2005
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, places a duty on the responsible person to carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire safety provisions. What is RRO 2005? ›
- Safe working load
- The maximum load that lifting equipment is certified to lift safely, marked on the equipment under LOLER.
- Safety data sheet
- A document from a substance supplier setting out the hazards, handling, storage and emergency measures, used to build a COSHH assessment.
- Sentinel outlet
- The outlets nearest to and furthest from each water-system loop, used as representative points for legionella temperature monitoring.
- Thorough examination
- A systematic and detailed examination of equipment by a competent person, required under regimes such as LOLER and PSSR.
- TM44
- The statutory energy inspection of air-conditioning systems above 12 kW, carried out by an accredited assessor at intervals not exceeding five years.
- TMV
- Thermostatic Mixing Valve, which blends hot and cold water to a safe temperature and requires regular servicing as part of water-hygiene control.
- WEEE
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, a regulated waste stream with its own duty-of-care and recycling requirements.
- Work at Height Regulations 2005
- Regulations requiring work at height to be properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people using suitable equipment.
- Workplace exposure limit
- The maximum concentration of a hazardous substance in the air, averaged over a period, that workers may be exposed to under COSHH.
- Written scheme of examination
- A document, required under PSSR, that specifies which parts of a pressure system are examined, by whom and at what intervals.