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Glossary
Accident
Uncontrolled event capable of producing damage.
Activity
Series of operations or tasks that may give rise to accidents or events that lead to situations of emergency.
AEGL (Acute Exposure Guideline Levels)
Concentration of a substance in the air that causes a specific level of biological effects in a population following a defined period of exposure. Its purpose is to represent biological exposure boundaries for the general public.
- AEGL-1: The level of an airborne compound at which or below which the public may experience severe discomfort.
- AEGL-2: The public may experience irreversible or other serious long-term effects.
- AEGL-3: The public may experience adverse effects to the health and even death.
Alarm
Warning or signal informing people to follow specific instructions in the event of a situation of emergency.
Area
Set or grouping of installations or facilities with substances classified in accordance with annexe 1 of RD 1254/1999, that are geographically in close proximity and which may contribute to the external risk.
Autoignition temperature
The minimum temperature required to initiate or cause sustained combustion in the air.
Bleve (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion)
Explosion produced by the external rupture of a recipient that contains pressurized liquid, when the housing material suddenly loses its mechanical and water resistance. The explosion is particularly violent, given the high degree of overheating of the internal liquid, resulting in boiling caused by the instantaneous homogeneous nuclearisation of much of said liquid.
Boilover
This is a term used to describe a phenomenon that may occur during a fire in an open-top tank (when, for example, the roof has been blown off by an explosion) which contains certain types of mineral oils. After a long period of combustion, the heat generated transfers to the bottom of the tank, where it comes into contact with decanted water or a water and oil emulsion. Boiling occurs and causes part of the crude oil located above the water to overflow.
Capacity
Maximum capacity of people permitted at a venue or building used for entertainment or recreational purposes.
Checklist
Exhaustive list of possible indicators/accidents to consider in risk identification. It is usually built on one's own experience and constitutes a very useful tool.
Combustion
An exothermic chemical reaction in which a substance is combined with an oxidant and produces energy. Part of the energy produced is used to maintain the reaction.
Confinement
Measure of protection for people following an accident, which entails remaining within an interior location protected and remote from the exterior.
Damage
The loss of human life, corporal injury, material damage and serious environmental damage, as the direct, indirect, immediate or deferred result of toxic, inflammable, explosive or oxidant property of hazardous substances, to other physical or physical-chemical effects as a consequence of the undertaking of industrial activities.
Domino effect
The linking of causal risk effects that multiply the consequences, owing to the fact that hazardous phenomena may affect, in addition to vulnerable exterior elements, other recipients, pipe installations, equipment or installations of the same establishment or other nearby ones, in such a manner that in turn produces new hazardous phenomena.
Dosage
The quantity of a substance introduced into an organism by any means of exposure, normally in proportion to the unit of mass of the recipient organism (mg of substance/kg of specific weight).
Emergency action plan
Document that belongs to the self-protection plan in which it is envisaged that the organisation will provide a response to classified emergency situations, the measures of protection and intervention to adopt, and the procedures and sequences of action to provide a response to possible emergencies.
EEGL (Emergency Exposure Guidance Levels)
Limit of tolerable exposure during 1-24 hours. Developed by military installations and is therefore addressed to young and healthy military personnel. Makes it possible to plan emergency situations such as spillages, fires and other incidents.
ERPG (Emergency Response Planning Guidelines)
Aims to estimate the ranges of concentration at which it is reasonably possible to forecast observable adverse effects as a consequence of exposure to a specific substance.
- ERPG-3: The maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing or developing life-threatening health effects.
- ERPG-2: The maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing or developing irreversible or other serious health effects or symptoms which could impair an individual’s ability to take protective action.
- ERPG-1: The maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing other than mild, transient or adverse health effects or without perceiving a clearly defined objectionable odour.
Establishment
The total area under the control of an industrial plant in which hazardous substances are located in one or several installations, including shared or connected infrastructure or activities.
Evacuation
The planned transfer of persons affected by an emergency, from one location to another provisional and secure one.
Evacuation height
The measured difference between the height of the origin of the evacuation and that of a secure exterior location.
Flammable limits
A mixture will only be considered flammable when its airborne concentration is between the lower and upper flammable limits.
Flash point
The lowest temperature at which sufficient vapour is produced to form a mixture with air that could burn in the presence of an ignition source.
Hazard
The intrinsic capacity of a hazardous substance of the potential nature of a physical situation to cause damage to persons, materials and the environment.
Hazardous substances
The substances, mixtures or preparations listed in annexe I or which meet the criteria established in annexe II of Royal Decree 1254/1999, of 20 July, and which are present in the form or raw materials, products, subproducts, waste or intermediate products, including those which may justifiably be considered to form in the event of an accident.
HAZOP
Hazard and operability analysis. An inductive technique for critical analysis carried out by a multidisciplinary team in order to identify hazards that may cause accidents.
High risk establishment
Establishments in which hazardous substances are present in quantities equal to or greater than those specified in column 3 of parts 1 and 2 of annexe 1 of RD 1254/1999, or as a consequence of applying the rule of addition with regard to the highest threshold of the same annexe.
Historical Analysis
Consists of the most comprehensive study possible of accidents that occurred previously at the installation and/or with products similar to those studied.
Ignition
Can occur when an inflammable mixture comes into contact with an ignition source with sufficient energy or when gas reaches a temperature sufficiently high to self-ignite.
IDHL (Immediately Dangerous for Health and Safety)
Maximum airborne concentration of a chemical agent to which an employee may be exposed for 30 minutes without suffering irreversible damage or reducing his/her ability to escape in an emergency.
Individual risk
The probability, during a period of one year, that a person located permanently in a certain location and without specific protection will become the fatal victim of an accident. It is expressed as year-1.
Initiating Event
Internal or external anomalous event that may cause an accident.
Installation
A technical unit inside the establishment where hazardous substances are produced, used, handled or stored. Includes all types of facilities, structures, pipe networks, machinery, instruments, private railways, docks, loading/unloading bays for installation use, piers, deposits or similar structures, irrespective of whether they are necessary or not for the operation of the installation.
LD50
Lethal dose for 50% of a sample population.
LC50
Lethal concentration for 50% of a sample population.
Low risk establishment
Establishments in which hazardous substances are present in quantities equal to or greater than those specified in column 2 of parts 1 and 2 of annexe 1 of RD 1254/1999, or as a consequence of applying the rule of addition with regard to the lowest threshold of the same annexe.
Lower flammable limit
The lowest concentration of an airborne substance that is capable of starting combustion.
Manufacturer
Any physical or legal person that operates or owns the establishment or installation or, if envisaged in the national legislation, any person who has been delegated a certain economic power, with regard to the technical function.
Means
Group of persons, machinery, equipment and systems used to reduce or eliminate risks and control any emergencies that may arise.
Occupation
Maximum number of persons that can be contained within a building, area, establishment, venue, installation or premises, in accordance with the activity or use carried out. Occupation is calculated taking into consideration the occupation densities indicated in the current legislation. However, whenever a real occupation greater than the result of said calculation is forecast, this will be taken as the reference value. Similarly, if an occupation lower than the one that results from said calculation is required by law, this will be taken as the reference value.
Planning
The preparation of courses of action to deal with emergency situations.
Preliminary Risk Analysis
Inductive method which systematically analyses the associated causes, principal effects and preventative/corrective measures.
Resources
Natural and technical aspects whose habitual function is not associated with the tasks of self-protection and whose availability enables or improves the tasks of protection or action in the event of emergencies.
Rehabilitation
The return to normality or the recovery of the activity.
Risk
The probability of a specific effect occurring within a certain period of time or under certain circumstances.
Risk Analysis
Systematic use of the information available to identify the hazards and the risks.
Risk Prevention and Control
The study an implementation of the required and appropriate measures in order to keep under observation, prevent or reduce situations of potential risk and the damage they may cause. The preventative actions must be established before the occurrence of the incident, emergency or accident, or as a consequence of the experience acquired following analysis of the same.
Safeguarding technology to mitigate an accident
Technical system that makes it possible to reduce the quantity of the classified substance emitted once the initiating event has occurred. This category includes, for example, gas detectors, blockage valves, dilution and foam filters, etc.
Safeguarding technology to prevent an initiating event
Technical system that makes it possible to reduce the frequency of a certain initiating event occurring.
Safety Zone
The area delimited by the surface limits occupied by installations with a high risk of serious accident, irrespective of the property limits, in which existing or planned highly vulnerable or vulnerable elements cannot exist, irrespective or the individual risk criteria. The extension of this zone is defined by high risk establishments and is dependent on the risk characteristics.Serious accident
An event such as a major release, fire or explosion, which results from an uncontrolled process during the operation of any establishment to which Directive 96/82/CE applies, which supposes grave, immediate or deferred risk to human health or the environment, in or outside the establishment, involving one or several hazardous substances.
Self-protection
Self-protection is understood to mean the system of actions and measures aimed at preventing and controlling the risks to people and property, in order to provide an adequate response to possible situations of emergency and guarantee the integration of such actions with the public civil protection system.
Self-protection plan
Organic and functional framework envisaged for an activity, centre, establishment, area, installation or premises, in order to prevent and control the risks to people and property, and provide an adequate response to possible situations of emergency, in the area under the responsibility of the owner, guaranteeing the integration of such actions with the public civil protection system.
Social risk
Defined as the probability, during a period of one year, that an accident originating in an establishment will cause N number or more of fatal victims at the same time.
Storage
The presence of a determined quantity of hazardous substances confined to storage, deposited for safekeeping or in reserve.
Substance
Chemical element and its natural compounds or those obtained by any industrial process, including the necessary additives to preserve its stability and impurities that the process inevitably produces, excluding all solvents that may be separated without affecting the stability of the substance or modifying its composition.
Toxic risk
The probability of damage to a biological organism based on exposure to an agent or to other factors. The toxic risk of a substance may be reduced by the application of industrial hygiene techniques and other disciplines and/or methodologies.
Threshold
Value of the hazardous physical magnitude from which the application of a determined measure of protection is justified, and which is used to define the limits of areas subject to planning.
TEEL (Temporary Emergency Exposure Limits)
When applying these limits, it is recommended that the concentration in the above point are calculated as the average within a period of 15 minutes. These are default values, which are obtained in accordance with a determined methodology.
- TEEL-3: Idem ERPG-3
- TEEL-2: Idem ERPG-2
- TEEL-1: Idem ERPG-1
- TEEL-0: Threshold concentration below which the majority of persons would not experience notable health effects.
TLV-C: Ceiling Limit
The concentration that should not be exceeded, even instantaneously.
Toxicity of a chemical or physical agent
A property of the agent that describes its effects in biological organisms. Cannot be altered.
Upper flammable limit
The highest concentration of an airborne substance that is capable of starting combustion.
VLA-ED: VLA-Daily Exposure (TLV- Time weighted)
The airborne concentration of a chemical agent which most employees could be exposed to for eight hours a day and 40 hours a week for the rest of their working lives, without suffering negative health effects. Measured by ml/m3 (ppm) or mg/m3 at 20ºC and 101.3 kPa.
VLA-EC: VLA (TLV-Short-term exposure limit)
It is the average concentration of the chemical agent in the breathing apparatus of the employee, which cannot be exceeded, measured or calculated for any period of 15 minutes throughout the working day, except for those chemical agents for which a 15 minute period is specified throughout the working day, and except for those chemical agents for which a lower reference period is specified in the Limit Values list.
Vulnerable element
Persons, the environment and property that may suffer damage as a consequence of serious accidents.
Vulnerability
Capacity to suffer damage.
What if...?
Inductive method which systematically analyses the consequences of certain events.
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