The accepted ontology
Browse accepted Systema Constructum entries: human-made tools, institutions, methods, practices, works, and their definitions.
100 entries in this page
A safety-knowledge-base is a structured repository system that captures, organizes, and provides access to safety-related information — procedures, incident reports, risk assessments, lessons learned, and best practices — maintained by organizational safety t…
A safety-assurance is a human-made institutional practice that verifies and validates that safety measures are functioning as designed and that required safety standards are being met. It carves a closed-loop process: establishing safety performance indicator…
A safety-traceability is a human-made system for maintaining a documented, unbroken chain of evidence linking safety-related decisions, actions, and outcomes back to their requirements, sources, and justifications. It is a constructed information-management p…
A safety-incident is a human-made classification of an event that has actual or potential to cause harm to people, property, or the environment. It is a constructed category used in occupational health and safety management systems to record, track, and learn…
Safety-monitoring is a human-made system of observation and measurement designed to track safety performance indicators, detect hazards, and verify compliance. Its parameters are: (1) the metrics and indicators selected for tracking (e.g. incident rates, expo…
A safety target is a human-made, measurable goal established by an organization to reduce risk or improve safety performance over a defined period. Its parameters are: (1) the specific hazard or performance area it addresses, (2) the quantifiable metric and t…
A safety control is a human-made measure, device, or procedure deployed to eliminate, reduce, or mitigate a hazard to an acceptable level. Its parameters are: (1) the hazard or risk it addresses, (2) the mechanism of control (engineering, administrative, or p…
A safety signoff is a formal, documented authorization gate where designated individuals or committees certify that all applicable safety requirements, inspections, and test results for a given phase or product have been satisfied, thereby permitting progress…
A safety-maturity-model is a human-made framework that stages the evolution of organizational safety capabilities across a sequence of levels, each describing progressively more disciplined and integrated practices for identifying, assessing, and controlling…
A safety-dashboard is a visual interface that aggregates safety metrics, indicators, and operational data into a single display surface for situational awareness and decision-making. It is carved by its visual (non-textual) presentation of multiple safety dat…
Safety metrics are human-made measurement instruments: quantified indicators collected, calculated, and reported to assess the state of safety performance within an organization. They include lagging indicators (incident rates, lost-time injury frequency) and…
An incident report is a human-made documentation artifact that records the details of a safety-relevant event: what happened, when and where it occurred, who was involved, what immediate causes and contributing factors were identified, and what corrective or…
Safety-automation is a class of engineered control systems that automatically execute safety-enforcing actions when predefined conditions are detected. It comprises sensor-triggered devices (interlocks, safety instrumented systems, emergency shutdown actuator…
Safety-data is the structured collection and management of information relating to safety performance, hazards, incidents, inspections, and risk assessments. It is created through systematic recording, categorized for retrieval, and maintained to support ongo…
Safety-learning is the structured organizational practice of capturing, analyzing, and institutionalizing knowledge derived from safety events, near-misses, audit findings, incident investigations, and operational data. It operates through formalized processe…
Code review is a structured practice in which one or more developers systematically examine another developer's source code changes before those changes are integrated into the main codebase. The practice operates through three mechanisms: (1) a diff or patch…
Emergency plan is a documented set of procedures designed to guide human action during unexpected crises — natural disasters, security threats, system failures, or other disruptive events — specifying roles, communication channels, evacuation routes, and reso…
Safety education is the systematic, curriculum-based transmission of safety knowledge, procedural competence, and hazard-awareness through institutional teaching methods. It operates via structured programs (classroom instruction, hands-on practice, e-learnin…
A safety-baseline-metric is a quantified safety threshold — a numeric value or range established through risk assessment, regulatory requirement, or industry best practice, against which organizational safety performance is measured and verified. Its paramete…
A safety-committee is a formally constituted organizational body — a group of individuals designated by charter, regulation, or governance structure to oversee, advise on, and promote safety practices within a defined scope (department, site, or enterprise).…
Safety-exit is a designated emergency egress route — a clearly marked, unobstructed path for occupant evacuation from a building during emergencies. Its parameters include: minimum width per occupancy load, maximum travel distance to reach, illuminated signag…
Continuous integration is a software development practice in which developers merge their code changes into a shared repository multiple times per day. Each merge triggers an automated build and an automated test suite, enabling the team to detect integration…
Safety baseline is a measured reference point established through human practice — for hazard exposure, control effectiveness, or safety performance — against which subsequent conditions are compared to detect degradation, verify improvement, or satisfy regul…
Safety isolation is a hazard mitigation technique that physically or procedurally separates a hazard source from personnel, equipment, or other processes to prevent unintended energy release or exposure. It operates through three mechanisms: engineered barrie…
A safety incentive is a structured behavioral intervention that uses planned rewards (positive) or penalties (negative) to shape safety-related conduct among individuals or groups. Its parameters are: (1) the target behavior (e.g., reporting near-misses, comp…
A failover is a reliability engineering construct in which a system monitors a primary component (server, link, data center, process) for failure signals — health-check timeouts, error thresholds, loss of heartbeat — and upon detection triggers an automated h…
A stakeholder-analysis is a structured method for identifying, classifying, and mapping the individuals, groups, or organizations that are affected by or can affect a decision, project, or system. Its parameters are: (1) a defined scope or boundary for what i…
Safety sampling is a structured human practice of drawing systematic samples from a work environment, process, or population to assess safety conditions, hazard exposure, or compliance levels. It operates through defined sampling frames, randomized or stratif…
Safety leadership is the organized practice and role of leaders in setting direction, allocating resources, and modeling behavior for safety within organizations. It operates through formal mechanisms (policy setting, resource allocation, safety committee par…
Safety competition is a structured human practice in which teams, sites, or departments compete against shared safety metrics — such as lost-time injury rates, hazard-reporting frequency, or audit scores — to drive continuous improvement in organizational saf…
Incident investigation is a structured human process for examining workplace incidents to determine root causes and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. It operates through systematic evidence collection (interviews, documentation review, physi…
Safety protection is a systematic approach to shielding people, assets, and operations from harm through engineered barriers, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. It operates as a layered defense strategy: primary engineering controls e…
A safety observation report is a structured document used to record findings from systematic workplace observations of work activities, behaviors, and conditions. It is filled out by trained observers who watch work being performed and note compliance with sa…
A safety permit is a controlled authorization document that must be completed, reviewed, and approved before high-risk work begins. It functions as a final checkpoint: the permit identifies specific hazards associated with the task, prescribes required contro…
A runbook is a structured, documented set of step-by-step procedures designed for executing routine operational tasks, performing troubleshooting, and responding to incidents in a consistent and repeatable manner. It is created by organizations to standardize…
A safety-review is a formal, systematic examination of an organization's safety management systems, operational processes, and compliance records. It is conducted by trained reviewers who evaluate documentation, observe practices, interview personnel, and ins…
A safety-indicator is a quantifiable measure maintained through systematic data collection that tracks safety performance across three categories: leading indicators (predictive measures such as training completion rates and safety observation frequency), lag…
A hazard-reporting system is a human-made process consisting of documented channels, standardized forms, and organizational protocols by which workers and observers record, transmit, and track identified hazards for assessment and corrective action. Its param…
A safety-climate-survey is a human-made instrument consisting of a standardized set of items (statements or questions) administered to members of an organization on a Likert-type scale, scored across predefined dimensions (e.g., supervisory safety commitment,…
A safety-investment is the institutional practice of committing financial and material resources to safety improvements, preventive measures, and risk-mitigation infrastructure. Its parameters are: (1) it involves a deliberate allocation decision made through…
A safety-observability is a systematic practice of making safety conditions visible through continuous data collection, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms. Its parameters are: (1) it involves defined sensors, indicators, and thresholds that mark acceptable…
An emergency-procedure is a documented sequence of actions designed to manage an emergency situation and minimize harm to people, property, and operations. Its parameters are: (1) it is formally written, maintained, and accessible to relevant personnel, (2) i…
A safety-exercise is a structured practice activity organized by human institutions to train personnel in safety procedures and evaluate organizational readiness. Its parameters are: (1) it is a simulated or tabletop scenario, not a real emergency; (2) it inv…
Safety-climate is the organizational-level construct that measures collective attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about the priority, value, and support for safety within a given organization. It is distinguished from individual safety attitudes by its aggreg…
Technical debt is a human-made conceptual metaphor in software engineering that frames accumulated code quality degradation as a financial debt instrument. The metaphor maps development shortcuts — writing quick solutions instead of well-architected ones — to…
Near-miss-reporting is the structured practice of recording, classifying, and submitting accounts of incidents that failed to cause harm only by chance — events where the causal chain was interrupted by luck rather than design. It operates through a defined r…
Management review is the formal, periodic practice by which an organization's top leadership evaluates the continuing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of its management system. It operates through scheduled review cycles, documented outputs (minutes,…
Emergency-response is the organized system of procedures, designated roles, and allocated resources activated when an incident threatens safety, continuity, or assets. It operates through predefined plans (emergency action plans, evacuation procedures, incide…
Safety communication is the structured exchange of risk-related information, alerts, hazard warnings, and safety instructions among stakeholders in an organization or system. It encompasses both the channels used (briefings, signage, digital platforms, writte…
A control measure is a deliberate intervention put in place to eliminate a hazard or reduce the likelihood or severity of harm in a workplace or operational context. It operates within a recognized hierarchy: elimination (removing the hazard entirely) takes p…
Safety-governance is the system of accountability, oversight, and strategic direction by which an organization sets its safety policy, assigns responsibility, and ensures that safety-management operations are directed, monitored, and held accountable. Its par…
Behavioral-safety is a constructed methodology for improving workplace safety through the systematic observation, analysis, and modification of worker behaviors. It operates through a defined process: (1) defining target safe and unsafe behaviors through job…
A toolbox talk is a short, focused safety briefing delivered to workers or team members before starting a task or shift, designed to raise awareness of specific hazards and reinforce safe work practices. It is a structured verbal exchange — typically 5–15 min…
Risk-treatment is the phase of risk management in which an organization selects and implements options to address identified risks. It follows risk assessment and encompasses four principal approaches: mitigation (reducing likelihood or impact), avoidance (el…
An incident-report is a structured document produced after an event — an accident, near-miss, or hazard discovery — to record what happened, how it happened, who or what was affected, and what corrective or preventive actions were taken. It operates as a feed…
Safety-inspection is the systematic practice of visually examining workplaces, equipment, and processes against established safety standards and checklists to identify hazards, verify compliance, and produce records of findings and corrective actions. It pers…
Safety-management is the organisational framework that systematises hazard identification, risk assessment, and control implementation so that risk-management operates at a sustained, auditable level. It takes the ad hoc response to danger and converts it int…
A layer-of-protection is a single, independent safeguard designed to prevent a specific hazardous event or to mitigate its consequences when all upstream preventive measures fail. Each layer operates autonomously — its activation does not depend on the failur…
Safety-signage is a human-made system of visual indicators — signs, labels, color-coding, and symbols — designed to communicate safety information, warn of hazards, and direct safe behavior. It carves the concept by specifying three parameters: (1) the signal…
Hazard-mitigation is a human-made set of strategies and controls deliberately applied to reduce either the likelihood or the impact (or both) of identified hazards. It carves the concept by specifying three parameters: (1) the intervention type — engineering…
Safety-metric is a human-made quantifiable measure designed to assess the state of safety conditions, track trends over time, and drive improvement actions within an organization. It carves the concept by specifying: (1) it must be quantifiable (numeric or or…
Safety-reporting is a human-made organizational practice in which safety-relevant events, conditions, and observations are systematically documented and communicated through formal channels. It carves the practice of converting safety experience into actionab…
A near-miss is an unplanned event that had the potential to cause harm, injury, or damage but did not, due to chance, luck, or timely intervention. Its parameters: (1) the presence of an active hazard or threat, (2) the failure of at least one protective barr…
Safety-observation is a human-made systematic behavioral practice in which trained observers watch work activities, conditions, and behaviors to identify hazards, unsafe practices, and near-misses in real time before they escalate into incidents. It persists…
Hazard-recognition is a human-made systematic observation procedure that identifies potential dangers in a work environment or system before they manifest as incidents. It operates through trained perceptual patterns, checklists, and structured hazard-identif…
Management-of-change is a human-made formal review process that evaluates the safety, operational, and regulatory implications of proposed changes to an industrial or organizational system before implementation. It operates by requiring documented hazard iden…
A permit-to-work is a human-made formal authorization procedure that controls entry into and execution of hazardous work activities. It operates by requiring documented risk assessment, verification of controls, and explicit approval from an authorized person…
A job-safety-analysis (JSA) is a human-made structured hazard-identification procedure that breaks a work task into discrete sequential steps, examines each step for potential hazards, and prescribes controls before the work begins. Its parameters are: (1) st…
Redundancy is a design strategy in which duplicate or backup components are intentionally incorporated into a system so that if any single component fails, the system as a whole continues to operate or transitions to a safe state. It operates through delibera…
Safety-standards are formal specifications developed through recognized standardization bodies or consensus processes that establish required safety criteria, procedures, and performance levels. They operate by providing measurable benchmarks and prescriptive…
A hazard-assessment is the human-made systematic practice of examining identified hazards to determine their likelihood of occurrence, the severity of their potential consequences, and the adequacy of existing controls. It operates by applying structured meth…
A safety-policy is a formal document or statement that defines an organization's safety intentions, principles, and directional commitments. It operates by establishing measurable safety objectives, assigning accountability for safety performance, and providi…
A safety-interlock is a mechanical, electrical, or software mechanism that enforces a condition prerequisite to equipment or system operation: the device or logic checks for the presence of specified safety conditions (guards in place, pressure within limits,…
A safety-drill is a simulated emergency exercise organized by human institutions to practice and validate emergency response procedures. It works by creating controlled, time-bound scenarios that mimic real hazards, allowing participants to rehearse roles, te…
A structured instructional practice that builds and maintains competency in recognizing workplace hazards, following safety procedures, and responding to emergencies. It operates through designed curriculum and repetition — the mechanism is pedagogical: learn…
A safety-audit is a formal, systematic examination of an organization's safety management system, practices, and regulatory compliance. It is conducted by qualified auditors (often internal audit teams or independent third parties) using standardized checklis…
personal-protective-equipment (PPE) is human-made equipment worn or carried by workers to create a barrier between the body and workplace hazards. Its parameters are: (1) scope of protection — classified by body region (head, eyes, respiratory, hands, feet, f…
A safety-management-system is a structured organizational framework built to direct and control safety performance through systematic planning, execution, review, and improvement cycles. Its parameters are: (1) structure — the governance hierarchy, defined ro…
A safety-requirement is a human-made specification that states what a system, subsystem, or component must achieve to maintain risk at an acceptable level. Its parameters are: (1) origin — derived from safety goals through systematic hazard analysis and risk…
An emergency shutdown (ESD) system is a safety-critical engineered system that automatically or manually halts a process when predefined dangerous conditions are detected. Its parameters are: (1) detection — sensors and logic circuits continuously monitor pro…
Lockout-tagout is a safety procedure for controlling hazardous energy sources during maintenance, repair, or servicing of equipment. Its parameters are: (1) preparation — identify all energy sources and notify affected workers; (2) shutdown — turn off equipme…
A fail-safe is a design approach in which a system is engineered to respond to a detected failure or fault by automatically transitioning into a predefined state that minimizes potential harm. The defining parameters are: (1) a failure detection mechanism (se…
A hazard-registry is a human-created structured catalog of all identified hazards within a facility, process, or project, recording each hazard's characteristics, risk ratings, and assigned control measures. It persists as a living document maintained through…
A safety-instrumented-function is a safety function executed by an instrumented system — comprising sensors, logic solvers, and final elements — that automatically brings a process to a safe state when specific hazardous conditions are detected. Parameters: (…
A safety-critical-system is an engineered system — comprising hardware, software, and operating procedures — whose failure, malfunction, or improper operation can directly cause serious injury, death, significant environmental damage, or major economic loss.…
Safety-sign is a visual communication system that uses standardized symbols, colors, shapes, and text to convey safety-related messages instantly and across language barriers. It is organized by five parameters: (1) hazard type communicated — warning, prohibi…
A safety-report is a formal regulatory document submitted by an industrial operator to demonstrate ongoing compliance with process-safety legislation such as the EU COMAH/Seveso III directive or national equivalents. It specifies the organizational and techni…
A safety-function is a formally specified function that a safety-related system must execute to achieve or maintain a safe state upon detection of a specific hazard or hazardous event. It is defined by four parameters: (1) the hazard it addresses, (2) the saf…
A process-hazard-analysis (PHA) is a structured safety-engineering practice that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards in industrial chemical and manufacturing processes. It operates through discrete, repeatable sessions using standardized techniques—HA…
A safety-instrumented-system is an instrumented system consisting of sensors, a logic solver, and final elements, designed to execute one or more safety functions to put or keep a process in a safe state when specified predetermined conditions are violated. E…
A human-made classification system that quantifies the reliability of safety-related control systems, assigning discrete integrity levels (SIL 1 through SIL 4) based on probabilistic failure criteria. Each level specifies a range of probability of dangerous f…
Functional-safety is the discipline of ensuring that safety-related control systems perform their required functions correctly under all specified conditions, including fault states. It is defined by quantified performance targets (safety integrity levels) ap…
A safety-barrier is a physical or procedural control deliberately engineered into a system to prevent, mitigate, or detect hazards before they cause harm. Barriers are categorised by function: prevention barriers stop initiating events, mitigation barriers re…
hazard-and-operability (HAZOP) is a structured, systematic examination methodology for identifying process deviations that could lead to hazards or operability issues. It operates through a structured team session: a multidisciplinary team reviews a process P…
Process-safety is the organized practice of preventing catastrophic releases of toxic, flammable, explosive, or energy-rich materials from industrial facilities. It operates through hazard identification, risk assessment, barrier management, and organizationa…
Consequence-analysis is the systematic evaluation of what happens when a hazard or threat materialises — it identifies and quantifies the impacts on people, assets, operations, and reputation that follow from a realised risk event. It carves the post-occurren…
A risk-matrix is a grid-based visualization that maps hazards or risk events onto cells defined by axes of likelihood and consequence, producing a colour-coded heat map that prioritises which risks require treatment. It carves the risk landscape into discrete…
Risk-acceptance is the structured decision process by which an organization determines that identified risks are tolerable within its risk appetite, or that the cost of further mitigation exceeds the benefit. It operates through defined acceptance criteria, f…
A safety-assessment is a systematic evaluation of known or potential hazards, the adequacy of existing controls, and the acceptability of residual risk. It operates through a sequence: identifying hazards, evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm, revie…
Forensics is the disciplined practice of investigating phenomena — whether crimes, system failures, digital artefacts, or historical events — by applying systematic methods of evidence collection, analysis, and documentation. Its parameters are: (1) a questio…