Glossary of Terms

To ensure the clarity and specificity of the terminology used throughout the Health and Safety documentation the terms below have been defined to align with Qualico’s business operations. Any point in which they are referenced throughout the Manual will encompass the following:

General Definitions

Applicable Legislation: Referring to relevant health and safety Acts, regulations, guidelines, and any other legislated content governing the execution of the Health and Safety Program at Qualico.

Client: Any person(s) who engage with Qualico with the intent or potential intent to purchase goods or services from Qualico or any of its Business Units.

Contracting Employer: The person or person(s) with whom Qualico has contracted to provide services and who is accountable for the health and safety of the Workers and their sub-Contractors for which they employ.

Contractor: Any person, partnership, or group of persons who, through a contract or agreement, performs a service or supplies a product or directs activities of their Employees involved at a Qualico Work Site.

The following diagram depicts the distinction between Contractor, Employee and Worker. Note the diagram indicates that Applicable Legislation applies to everyone involved with Qualico. 

Certificate of Recognition (COR): A voluntary incentive program that certifies an employer’s Health and Safety Management Program as having been evaluated by a certified auditor and meets provincial standards established by Applicable Legislation; issued and regulated by province-specific associations.

Corrective Action: Tasks or decisions made following an incident or reported concern for health and / or safety that ensure that a hazard or risk to health and / or safety has been addressed and reoccurrence will be reduced or eliminated.

Critical Task: An operational task that if performed incorrectly, can lead to a major accident or fatality.

Designated Employee: A Qualico Employee that has been assigned specific and unique task(s), responsibilities, accountabilities, and / or authority as they pertain to Health and Safety.

Employee: Referring specifically to a person directly and solely employed by Qualico, excluding Contractors, tradespeople, or any other active participant involved in the delivery of Qualico’s lines of business.

General Public: Persons not employed or contracted by Qualico, including Clients, who have the potential to be impacted by the health and safety choices of Qualico’s business operations, including client, potentials clients, and visitors.

Health and Safety Hazard: Any work site danger or risk, including those environmental, physical, chemical, biological, psychological, social, that may cause harm or damage.

Health and Safety Policy: Qualico’s documented health and safety commitment and expectations of the rights, and responsibilities of Qualico Leadership, Employees, and Contractors, as they relate to health and safety in the Work Site.

Health and Safety Program: Qualico’s policies, procedures, training, and any other efforts or actions of Qualico leadership and Employees that are in place to ensure the safe and healthy execution of Qualico work activities.
Note: this is referred to as a Health and Safety Management System in Alberta.

Job Duties: Tasks or activities that have been assigned to a specific individual or role and that contribute to Qualico’s business operations.

Regulatory Bodies: The associations, boards, or other designated organizations that act as an independent authority over specific aspects of Qualico’s business functions.

Service Lines: The departments and / or branches under the Qualico brand.

Sub-Contractor: A person, partnership or group of persons, who have an agreement with a contractor to perform work on the contractor’s behalf on a Qualico Work Site.

Suppliers: Any business or person(s) providing materials or services to Qualico in exchange for monetary value.

Voluntary Protection Program (VPP):  An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiative that promote effective worksite-based safety and health. In the VPP, management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval into VPP is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health.
Note: This Manual serves both Canadian and American jurisdictions, and as such, the Voluntary Protection Program will be referenced throughout this document in reference to the COR-equivalent Health and Safety standards as they apply in the United States in recognition of the differences in Applicable Legislation and voluntary programs between Canadian and American jurisdictions.
https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/all_about_vpp.html

Worker: Any person who is engaged in a position that performs or supplies a service within Qualico’s operations that has no supervision of other Qualico Employees.

Work Site: Any environment in which a Worker is employed or contracted by Qualico to render services in relation to the core business, including but not limited to construction sites, show homes, manufacturing plants, and offices, vehicles, and other mobile equipment.