Glossary of Terms

BAGMA

BAGMA is the trade association for farm and groundcare machinery dealers across the UK

BOHRF

The British Occupational Health Research Foundation (BOHRF) is a solutions and evidence focussed occupational health charity. It organises evidence based research and 'gold standard' evidence reviews in both the biomedical and psychosocial fields. It also awards grants for such work

BOHS

BOHS is a multidisciplinary learned society which now has members in over 30 countries. The Faculty of Occupational Hygiene within BOHS provides examinations and qualifications in occupational hygiene and related subjects as well as regulating the occupational hygiene profession and maintaining a List of Consultants offering specialist occupational hygiene advice. BOHS is a member of the International Occupational Hygiene Association. The IOHA provides an international voice of the occupational hygiene profession through its recognition as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by the ILO and WHO .

BSI

BSI British Standards was fFounded in 1901 and the BSI Group is a leading business services provider to organizations worldwide. The Group has over 5,400 employees in 110 countries and is the National Standards Body of the UK it develops standards and standardization solutions to meet the needs of business and society.  They work with government, businesses and consumers to represent UK interests and facilitate the production of British, European and international standards. Link To The BSI Web Site....

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which the median nerve becomes compressed. The median nerve is the nerve that travels down the arm and into the hand. With carpal tunnel syndrome the nerve is squeezed as it passes through the narrow path (or tunnel) at the wrist. The pressure on the wrist can cause the fingers and thumb to feel tingly and numb. They may even feel paralysed, unable to move. read more....

Cyanosis

Cyanosis is an abnormal bluish colour of the skin or mucous membranes. The bluish or blue-gray colour arises from deoxygenated haemoglobin, the oxygen carrier in your bloodstream. Haemoglobin and your blood are red when well-oxygenated, but blood appears to be dark red-blue if there is more than 50 g/L of Haemoglobin without oxygen. read more....

HAVS

HAVS or Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome is a general term for a collection of condition which can affects a person's blood vessels; joints of the hand, wrist and arm; nerves and muscles. Vibration White Finger (VWF) is the most commonly known form of HAVS it may also be initiated by cold/wet weather conditions.

HSE

Britain's Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for the regulation of almost all the risks to health and safety arising from work activity in Britain. read more....

Hyperaemia

Hyperaemia is described as a superabundance or congestion of blood in an organ or part of the body;- Active hyper[ae]mia, congestion due to increased flow of blood to a part;- Passive hyper[ae]mia, interchange due to obstruction in the return of blood from a part;- Hyperaemic, gorged with blood. This will give a very red appearance to the tissue

Idiopathic vascular disorder

An idiopathic vascular disorder is characterized by bilateral Raynaud phenomenon, the abrupt onset of digital paleness or CYANOSIS in response to cold exposure or STRESS.

IEA

The International Ergonomics Association is the federation of ergonomics and human factors societies from around the world. The mission of the IEA is to elaborate and advance ergonomics science and practice, and to improve the quality of life by expanding its scope of application and contribution to society.

IOHA

The IOHA conducts a wide range of activities intended to promote and develop occupational hygiene worldwide. From its creation in 1987 the IOHA has grown to more than twenty member organisations, representing over 20,000 occupational hygienists worldwide.IOHA also co-operates with the work of other international organisations such as ICOH (International Commission on Occupational Health) and IEA (International Ergonomics Association).The IOHA provides an international voice of the occupational hygiene profession through its recognition as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) by the ILO (International Labour Organisation) and WHO (World Health Organisation).

IOM

The IOM is a major independent centre of scientific excellence in the fields of occupational and environmental health, hygiene and safety. We were founded as a charity in 1969 by the UK coal industry in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh and became fully independent in 1990. Our mission is to benefit those at work and in the community by providing quality research, consultancy and training in health, hygiene and safety and by maintaining our independent, impartial position as an international centre of excellence.

IOSH

IOSH, Europe's leading body for health and safety professionals, represents 27,000 members in over 50 countries worldwide. IOSH was officially incorporated by Royal Charter on 1 April 2003. This is accompanied by a set of Byelaws approved by the Privy Council and which all members have to observe. All categories of membership are bound by the Code of Professional Conduct

ISO

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer of standards. Although ISO's principal activity is the development of technical standards, ISO standards also have important economic and social repercussions. ISO standards make a positive difference, not just to engineers and manufacturers for whom they solve basic problems in production and distribution, but to society as a whole. Link To ISO Web Site....

LANTRA

Lantra is an employer-led organisation, licensed by government to represent the interests of over 400,000 businesses and 1.5 million workers in the environmental and land-based industries in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Loriga, Giovanni

Giovanni Loriga, was an Italian physician who in 1911 first reported that stone cutters using pneumatic hammers on marble and stone blocks at some yards in Rome were suffering from finger blanching attacks which resembled the digital vasospastic response to cold or emotional stress described by Maurice Raynaud in 1862.

Medical Research Council (MRC)

The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK taxpayer. They promote research into all areas of medical and related science with the aims of improving the health and quality of life of the UK public and contributing to the wealth of the nation.

MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings together, by health topic, authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), other government, non-profit and other health-related organizations. Preformulated MEDLINE searches are included in MedlinePlus and give easy access to the medical research literature. It also provides you with a database of full-text drug information and an illustrated medical encyclopedia.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

The term Musculoskeletal Disorders is a general reference to disorders of the muscular/skeleton system, i.e. back pain etc..read more....

N.P.T.C.

NPTC provides a full range of National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (NVQ's/SVQ's) for the land based and related industries. Some NVQ's/SVQ's are exclusive to NPTC whilst others are offered in partnership with other awarding bodies. The range of accredited Certificates of Competence are classified as Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQ's) form an important part of the industry's recognition of practical skills in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, arboriculture, landscaping, fencing, sports turf management and various aspects of amenity management.

Pelmear (Dr)

Dr. Pelmear was the Chief Physician with the MOL, Canada until about 1992. He then moved to the Occupational & Environmental Health Unit at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto where He worked until he retired and returned to England in 1998. He is an internationally known medical expert in the area of hand-arm vibration syndrome. He and his colleague, Dr. William Taylor, developed the first medical classification scale for persons afflicted with HAVS, known as the Taylor-Pelmear Scale; this scale is utilized world-wide. Dr. Pelmear is the author of two HAVS books as well as numerous publications and book chapters on HAVS. Dr. Pelmear serves as medical consultant for ISHV

Raynaud's Phenomenon

An idiopathic vascular disorder characterized by bilateral Raynaud phenomenon, the abrupt onset of digital paleness or CYANOSIS in response to cold exposure or STRESS read more....

RIDDOR

In April 2001, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) launched a new Incident Contact Centre (ICC) for all incidents currently reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) read more....

Stockholm Workshop Scale

The Stockholm Workshop scale for the classification of cold-induced Raynaud's phenomenon in the hand-arm vibration syndrome (revision of the Taylor-Pelmear scale). read more....

Tenosynovitis

Tenosynovitis is an inflammation in the lining of the fluid-filled sheath (called the synovium) that surrounds a tendon (the cord that joins muscle to bone). It usually occurs with tendonitis and it is related to stenosing tenosynovitis. read more ....

Vibration White Finger

British miners were the among the first to be awarded compensation after they developed Vibration White Finger, a condition caused by working with vibrating machinery such as jack hammers, chain saws, grinders and drills read more....

WBVS

WVBS Whole Body Vibration Syndrome. Our bodies are exposed to vibration at work from many machines, such as construction machinery (bulldozers, tow motors, forklifts and cranes), heavy equipment (grinders, jack hammers), and power hand tools. Vibration has been proven to result in musculoskeletal disorders of both the hand and arm, the neck, and the back.