Community work: unpaid voluntary work that is usually part of an organised scheme. It can include work in child care centres, nursing homes, community recreation centres and hospitals.

Employer: A person, business or company that hires workers who are usually known as employees.

Extended shifts: The same number of hours are worked per week, however some shifts may be longer than others to suit the employee's needs. For example on Monday, 12 hours may be worked while on Tuesday only four hours are worked.

Flexible working hours: This allows employees to decide when they start and finish work. An agreement is reached about how many hours are to be completed and then the employee can work out when these hours will be completed. For example, a worker could take a day off and then make up the time by completing extra hours during the following week.

Job sharing: Two part-time workers share the one full time job. For example, one person may work two days and the other person works three days or one person might work every morning and the other works during the afternoons. A typical job sharing situation occurs in schools when teachers tandem teach.

Redundant: A worker is made redundant when they are no longer necessary at the workplace. They may have been replaced by changes in technology or the business in which they work may be suffering a loss of work. People who are made redundant are given a redundancy payment based on their rate of pay and the years of service they gave.

Safety measures: The mine company must dig access tunnels, so that miners can leave the mine quickly in an emergency, and make sure that the roof of the mine is properly supported, so that it won't cave in. Among other things, the mining company also has to make sure that the mine is ventilated, and that water and gases are drained away from the shafts.

Stress: A body condition that occurs in response to actual or anticipated difficulties in life. People often experience stress as a result of major events in their lives, such as events at work or the loss of a job. Stress may also occur in response to daily problems, such as driving in heavy traffic or being hurried by someone. In addition, stress may occur when a person feels threatened, for example, when a person feels they are unable to cope effectively with a challenge.

Stress sets off an alarm reaction in the body which can lead to various illnesses. During the reaction, certain chemical substances called hormones are released into the bloodstream in increased amounts. The most important of these hormones, adrenaline, increases heart rate and blood pressure.

Doctors believe that several kinds of illnesses may be caused by long periods of stress. Diseases of the stomach and intestines, such as ulcers, are often linked to stress. Abnormal heart rhythms and even heart attacks sometimes occur because of stressful events. Stress also weakens the body's ability to fight off disease. Other illnesses such as flu, glandular fever and some kinds of cancer have been shown to be affected by stress.

Subsidies: Financial assistance given as a grant to certain industries by the government to encourage growth in that area.

Technology: refers to all the ways people use their inventions and discoveries to satisfy their needs and desires. Ever since people appeared on the earth, they have had to work to obtain food, clothing and shelter. Through the ages people invented tools, machines, materials and techniques to make work easier.

Early examples of changing technology included the discovery of how to harness water, wind, steam, electricity and other sources of power that increased the rate at which people could work. Technology has been used to improve all aspects of life. 

Television and radio changed people's entertainment habits and improvements in transport such as the invention of the aeroplane and motor car have meant that people can now travel more easily.

Today, industrial technology helps people achieve goals that few thought possible a hundred years ago. It gives people a way to fight hunger and to cure or prevent many diseases. It enables them to transport goods and passengers swiftly and easily to any place on the earth.

Changing technology has had good and bad effects on the workplace and the environment. 

Teleworking: This type of work allows people to work from home using computers, modems, faxes and other technological advances. The work can be completed on a full-time, part-time or temporary basis.

Trade barriers: Trade barriers try to protect domestic firms but at the same time they reduce the volume of international trade and raise prices to consumers. This practice also works against the benefits of countries specialising in certain goods. There are many arguments for and against the use of trade barriers. Countries often create trade barriers to enhance the growth of local industries, particularly in developing countries. Another reason for trade barriers is to allow countries to become less dependent on foreign sources in the event of war.

Volunteer Work: Any work that is completed with the worker agreeing to perform the tasks for free. Volunteer work is common in Nursing Homes and State Emergency Services and fund raising activities.

Watchdog agencies: Watchdog agencies are independent agencies set up to make sure that everybody is obeying the law.

Workplace: A workplace is the place where a person carries out the tasks of their job. If the person works at home then their home becomes their workplace. Construction sites, offices, schools and farms are typical work sites. However, some people have varied workplaces where they travel around or dangerous workplaces such as those where workers involved in high access work hang from skyscrapers. When making the workplace safe, a whole range of safety measures need to be developed that include all aspects of the workplace.

Work related illnesses or injuries: an injury or disease that has been caused by some factor in the workplace. Continued exposure to loud noises from machinery, automobiles and airplanes can result in hearing loss. Some occupations expose workers to harmful environmental agents. Coal miners and workers in the asbestos, iron and textile industries may breathe in dust that can lead to lung diseases.

People who work in chemical plants risk exposure to poisonous substances. Farmers frequently handle weed and insect killing chemicals. These chemicals can cause serious illnesses if they are inhaled or swallowed or even if they settle on the skin.

Radiation poses a threat to X-ray technicians and to people who work with nuclear materials. Exposure to radiation increases the risk of cancer and can damage cells.