Meaning & use
code of practice
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Meanings
nouncountable
a written set of rules telling people in a profession or organization how they should behave or do their work
Grammar: Countable: you can say a code of practice, the code of practice, or codes of practice.
Patterns
- a code of practice for something
- a code of practice on something
- follow a code of practice
- draw up a code of practice
The hospital has a code of practice for dealing with patient complaints.
All staff must follow the company's code of practice when handling personal data.
The government published a new code of practice on internet safety for schools.
nouncountablespecialist
an official document that gives practical guidance on how to obey a law or rule
Grammar: Often used with official bodies or regulators: a statutory code of practice.
Patterns
- a statutory code of practice
- issue a code of practice
- under the code of practice
The regulator issued a code of practice to explain the new data protection rules.
Under the code of practice, employers must review safety procedures every year.
Word forms
| plural | codes of practice |
|---|
Common combinations
- follow a code of practice
- Teachers are expected to follow the code of practice on student assessment.
- a code of practice on something
- The council adopted a code of practice on noise from building sites.
- draw up a code of practice
- The committee drew up a code of practice for volunteers.
- breach a code of practice
- The company was fined for breaching the industry code of practice.
- a statutory code of practice
- A statutory code of practice gives the rules legal force.
Synonyms and how they differ
- code of conduct
- Very close in meaning, but often focuses on personal behavior and ethics rather than practical work procedures.
- guidelines
- Guidelines are usually advice, not strict rules, and may not be written as a formal code.
- protocol
- A protocol is often a fixed, official procedure, especially in diplomacy, medicine, or computing.
Word family
Commonly confused: code of practice or code of ethics?
code of practice vs code of ethics
A code of ethics is mainly about moral principles, while a code of practice is about practical working rules and procedures.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'code of practice' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A code of practice is a formal set of rules for a profession or organization, so it fits 'handling customer complaints'. Option An is wrong because homework instructions are not a formal code. Option C is wrong because breaking a code of practice is not usually a criminal offence. Option D is wrong because a diary is personal, not an official document.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “code of practice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.