---
title: "Definitions and terminology — questions answered"
description: "Questions about definitions and terminology, answered with sources and without a sales pitch."
canonical: https://biohazardcrown.shop/questions/definitions-and-glossary/
language: en-US
risk_tier: R1
last_reviewed: 2026-08-18
---
# Definitions and terminology

The terms that turn up on a quote, in an insurance claim, or on a state form — usually at a moment when nobody has the patience to look them up.

## Why the definitions matter more here than usual

Two words in this field carry a legal meaning that differs sharply from everyday use, and both decide money.

**“Biohazard”** in ordinary speech means anything biological that could make you ill. In US workplace law it means a specific, much shorter list. The gap is where overcharging lives, and where a reader who knows the difference can ask a better question.

**“Cleanup”** sounds like one service. In practice it splits into remediation — removing contamination — and restoration, putting the room back. A quote that blurs the two is where claim disputes start.

## The terms worth knowing before you make a call

A **Certificate of Treatment** is what your insurer and your state compensation program will ask for. **Regulated waste** is the category that decides how material must leave the property. **UN 3291** is the shipping classification it travels under. **Covered peril** is the thing your policy actually insures against — not “cleanup”. **Payer of last resort** is what every state compensation program is, which is why you file the insurance claim too. And **assignment of benefits** is the document you should not sign on a doorstep.

## How we define things here

Short. Under forty words where possible, in plain language, and with the practical consequence attached rather than left implied. Where a term has a legal definition we quote the standard rather than paraphrase it, and where we could not verify a definition we say so instead of filling the gap.

Written by [Biohazard Crown editorial team](https://biohazardcrown.shop/authors/editorial-team/)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-18

## Related questions

- [Every question we answer](https://biohazardcrown.shop/questions/)

- [Who pays for cleanup](https://biohazardcrown.shop/who-pays/)