Technical Glossary
Bilingual Glossary of Engineering & Training Terms
About fifty terms across engineering, safety, automation, operations, quality, sectors, and digital skills — each defined in English and Saudi-formal Arabic. Useful when scoping a training proposal or briefing a vendor.
Safety
6 terms- OHS — Occupational Health & Safetyالسلامة والصحة المهنية
- The discipline of managing workplace hazards, controls, and emergency readiness so technical teams can perform without harm. Includes risk assessment, permits, PPE, and safe-work procedures.
- Permit-to-Workتصريح العمل
- A formal written authorisation describing the work to be performed, the hazards, the controls, and the named responsible roles. Required for high-risk operations such as hot work, confined-space entry, and electrical work.
- PPE — Personal Protective Equipmentمعدات الوقاية الشخصية
- Equipment worn to minimise exposure to hazards. Includes helmets, eye protection, hearing protection, gloves, safety footwear, and task-specific equipment such as arc-flash suits.
- LOTO — Lockout/Tagoutالعزل والإيقاف الآمن
- A safety procedure that ensures hazardous energy sources are properly shut off and not started up again until maintenance is complete. Combines mechanical locking with documented tagging.
- Risk Assessmentتقييم المخاطر
- Systematic identification of hazards, evaluation of their likelihood and severity, and selection of controls. Documented before the work begins and revisited when conditions change.
- Emergency Responseالاستجابة للطوارئ
- Planned actions taken when an incident occurs — including evacuation, first aid, escalation, and reporting. Effective response requires drilled procedures and clear role assignments before the emergency.
Cable Systems
6 terms- LV — Low Voltageالجهد المنخفض
- Electrical systems operating up to 1000 V AC. Common in building distribution, industrial control circuits, and final connections to equipment. Defines a distinct set of safety and installation practices.
- MV — Medium Voltageالجهد المتوسط
- Electrical systems typically between 1 kV and 35 kV. Used in distribution networks, large industrial sites, and connections between substations. Higher-risk than LV and requires specialised accessories and training.
- Cable Terminationنهايات الكابلات
- The assembly that ends a cable run and connects it to equipment such as switchgear or transformers. Termination quality drives reliability; defects show up later as failures or partial-discharge issues.
- Cable Jointingوصلات الكابلات
- The skilled installation of joints between cable runs or between cable and accessory. Requires preparation discipline, correct materials, and clean working conditions. Practised by trained jointers.
- Megger / Insulation Resistance Testاختبار مقاومة العزل (الميجر)
- A high-voltage DC test that measures the insulation resistance of a cable or installation. Used to detect degraded insulation before energisation. Results are recorded against acceptance criteria.
- Cable Pullingسحب الكابلات
- Installation of a cable along its route — through ducts, trenches, or trays — within defined pulling tension and bending radius limits. Excess force or sharp bends damage the cable internally without visible signs.
Electrical & Energy
7 terms- Switchgearلوحات التوزيع والقواطع
- Combinations of switches, circuit breakers, and disconnects used to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment. Built in LV and MV variants for different network levels.
- Transformerالمحوّل
- Electrical equipment that changes voltage levels between two circuits via electromagnetic induction. Found at substations, in industrial sites, and at the entry of large facilities. Operates without moving parts.
- Single-Line Diagram (SLD)المخطط أحادي الخط
- A simplified one-line representation of an electrical system showing major components, voltages, and protection. The foundational document for planning, operations, and incident analysis.
- Earthing / Groundingالتأريض
- Connecting electrical equipment to the earth so fault currents have a safe path and equipment frames stay at a known potential. Earthing design affects safety, protection coordination, and equipment longevity.
- Protection Relayمرحل الحماية
- Equipment that monitors electrical quantities and initiates circuit breaker tripping when a fault is detected. Modern relays are digital and configurable with named settings groups.
- Power Factorعامل القدرة
- The ratio of real power consumed to apparent power supplied. Low power factor wastes capacity and may attract utility penalties. Improved with capacitor banks or active filters at sites with inductive loads.
- Substationالمحطة الفرعية
- A facility that converts electricity between voltage levels and distributes it to feeders. Includes transformers, switchgear, protection, control, and earthing systems. Backbone of utility distribution.
Automation & Instrumentation
7 terms- PLC — Programmable Logic Controllerالمتحكم المنطقي القابل للبرمجة (PLC)
- An industrial-grade computer that executes control logic for machines and processes. Programmed in ladder logic, function blocks, or structured text. The workhorse of factory automation.
- SCADAنظام الإشراف والاستحواذ على البيانات (SCADA)
- Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. A system that gathers field signals, displays them on operator screens, logs them, and enables remote control across distributed plants and utilities.
- DCS — Distributed Control Systemنظام التحكم الموزَّع (DCS)
- An automation architecture for large continuous processes such as refining, water treatment, and power generation. Distributes control across multiple processors with tight integration to operator stations.
- HMI — Human-Machine Interfaceواجهة الإنسان والآلة (HMI)
- The screen-based interface between the operator and the control system. Well-designed HMIs use restrained colour, clear alarm hierarchies, and consistent layouts so operators can act quickly under stress.
- Calibrationالمعايرة
- The process of comparing an instrument's reading against a known reference and adjusting it. Required to ensure measurements are accurate enough for control, billing, and safety decisions.
- Control Loopحلقة التحكم
- The closed cycle of measurement, comparison to setpoint, and corrective action that maintains a process variable at its target. Loops can be tuned for stability, speed, or robustness.
- Industrial Networkالشبكة الصناعية
- Communication networks built for the deterministic, reliability, and security needs of plant control. Common protocols include Modbus, Profinet, EtherNet/IP, and OPC-UA.
Operations & Maintenance
5 terms- Preventive Maintenance (PM)الصيانة الوقائية
- Scheduled maintenance performed before failure to extend asset life and reduce breakdowns. Driven by time, run-hours, or cycle counts. The foundation of a reliable plant.
- Predictive Maintenance (PdM)الصيانة التنبؤية
- Maintenance triggered by condition data — vibration, temperature, oil analysis — rather than by schedule. Reduces unnecessary interventions and catches developing faults early.
- Work Orderأمر العمل
- A formal record describing a specific maintenance or operations task — scope, resources, permits, parts, and completion criteria. The audit trail of plant work.
- RCA — Root Cause Analysisتحليل السبب الجذري
- A structured investigation of why an incident happened, going beyond symptoms to identify the underlying cause. Outcomes feed corrective actions and prevent recurrence.
- Reliabilityالموثوقية
- The probability that an asset performs its required function without failure for a defined period. Improved through design quality, maintenance discipline, operating practices, and operator skill.
Quality & Inspection
4 terms- QA — Quality Assuranceضمان الجودة (QA)
- The process-oriented side of quality. Defines procedures, standards, and verification activities that increase the probability of delivering work to specification. Documentation-heavy by design.
- QC — Quality Controlضبط الجودة (QC)
- The product-oriented side of quality. Inspects the actual output against acceptance criteria, identifies defects, and triggers correction. Works hand-in-hand with QA.
- NCR — Non-Conformance Reportتقرير عدم المطابقة (NCR)
- A formal record raised when work does not meet acceptance criteria. Documents the deviation, the disposition (rework, accept-with-note, scrap), and the corrective action.
- Inspectionالفحص
- Verification activity that compares delivered work to specifications, drawings, and applicable criteria. Performed by qualified inspectors using calibrated tools and structured checklists.
Sectors
5 terms- Utilitiesالمرافق
- Sectors that deliver essential services — electricity, water, gas, and telecom — to homes, businesses, and industry. Distinguished by 24/7 operations, regulatory oversight, and long-lived assets.
- Contracting & Installationsالمقاولات والتركيبات
- The sector that delivers project execution on owner-operator sites — cabling, mechanical, electrical, civil. Workforce mobility is high; training must arrive with the team at the site.
- Oil & Gasالبترول والغاز
- Sectors covering exploration, production, refining, and distribution of hydrocarbons. Characterised by strict safety culture, permit discipline, and significant investment in operator training.
- Telecom & Digital Infrastructureالبنية التحتية للاتصالات والرقمية
- Sectors that build and operate the physical networks behind connectivity — fibre, low-current systems, structured cabling, data rooms, and supporting power. Quality of installation drives long-term reliability.
- Water Treatmentمعالجة المياه
- Sectors that produce, treat, and distribute drinking and process water — including desalination, reverse osmosis, and wastewater treatment. Strong overlap with utilities, chemistry, and instrumentation.
Workforce & Training
5 terms- Competencyالكفاءة
- The observable ability of a person to perform a defined task to a defined standard. Distinct from knowledge alone; demonstrated under instructor observation against published criteria.
- Completion Recordسجل إكمال التدريب
- A document issued by the training provider that summarises a participant's program completion — attendance, learning activities, and assessment outcomes. Not a certification claim.
- Attendance Certificateإفادة الحضور
- A confirmation that a named individual attended a defined training program for a defined duration. Lighter than a completion record; useful where attendance is the regulated requirement.
- Training Pathwayالمسار التدريبي
- A sequence of programs designed for a specific role in a specific sector. Names the role, the sector context, the topic stack, the assessment approach, and the completion records to be produced.
- Sector Readinessجاهزية القطاعات
- The capacity of a workforce to perform the technical work a sector demands — safely, predictably, and to specification. Measured through observation, attendance, and assessment outcomes.
Digital Skills
5 terms- Microsoft 365مايكروسوفت ٣٦٥
- The Microsoft productivity suite covering Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Forms. Referenced as a curriculum subject; Elite Energy makes no partnership or certification claim with Microsoft.
- SCADA / HMI Dashboardلوحة متابعة سكادا / HMI
- An operator-facing screen that summarises plant performance — process variables, alarm status, and trends. Good dashboard design reduces cognitive load and shortens response time.
- Cybersecurity Awarenessالوعي بالأمن السيبراني
- The minimum behavioural and technical literacy that lets a non-security worker avoid common attack vectors — phishing, credential reuse, unverified USB media, and shadow IT. Now standard in technical training.
- Data Readinessجاهزية البيانات
- The state in which a team's data is captured, structured, and trustworthy enough to support reporting, analytics, and (later) AI. Practically: defined fields, consistent capture, named owners, and documented sources.
- ICDL — International Computer Driving LicenceICDL — الرخصة الدولية لقيادة الحاسب
- A curriculum reference for core digital skills — file management, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, internet and email, and digital safety. Elite Energy delivers ICDL-style preparation programs.
Safe note
Glossary entries are provided for educational reference only. Where a third-party product or curriculum is named, it is a factual reference — not a claim of partnership or accreditation.