WORKPLACE INJURY GLOSSARY
Glossary of Workplace Injury Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
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In Pro Per: One who is not represented by an attorney.
Independent Contractor: Some employers classify employees as an independent contractors to avoid workers' compensation. If your employer controls the manner of your work, has the right to terminate you, pays you an hourly wage or salary, requires you to work a specific schedule and makes deductions for Social Security or unemployment, then you are likely NOT an independent contractor.
Impairment Rating: A percentage estimate of how much normal use of your injured body parts that you have lost. Impairment ratings are based on guidelines published by the AMA.
Impedance: Opposition to the flow of alternating (AC) electric current. See Resistance.
Incidence rate: Defined by OSHA, is the number of occupational injuries and/or illnesses or lost workdays per 100 full-time employees.
Incident/Near Miss: An undesirable event which has the potential to cause a serious accident.
Indirect Cause: A factor or occurrence which has taken place and contributes to an accident but is not a direct cause.
Infeasible: Impossible to perform the construction work using a conventional fall protection system (i.e., guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system) or technologically impossible to use any one of these systems to provide fall protection.
Injury: Physical harm or damage to the body resulting from an exchange, usually acute, of mechanical, chemical, thermal, or other environmental energy that exceeds the body's tolerance.
Inspection: An systematic examination of a worksite or equipment which, in the process, is compared against an established standard.
Insulation: Non-conductive materials used to cover or surround a conductor, permitting it to be handled without danger of electric shock.
Insulator: Any material, such as glass or rubber, that prevents the flow of electric current.
Interrogatories: A set of written questions to a party to a lawsuit asked by the opposing party as part of the pre-trial discovery process. These questions must be answered, normally with help from one's attorney, in writing under oath under penalty of perjury within a specified period of time, such as 30 days.
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