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Safety Acronyms
Quick Tips #161
PrintAcronyms are second nature to safety professionals. But the large number of acronyms in use today makes it difficult to remember them all. Most people know that OSHA is the acronym for Occupational Health and Safety Administration and MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet. What about MUTCD or SAE? Grainger has compiled the following list of safety acronyms and meanings as a handy reference guide.
| ACGIH | American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act |
| AGA | American Gas Association |
| AIHA | American Industrial Hygiene Association |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
| APHA | American Public Health Association |
| APR | Air-Purifying Respirator |
| ASAE | American Society of Agricultural Engineers |
| ASHRAE | American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers |
| ASQC | American Society for Quality Control |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing Materials |
| ATC | Automatic Temperature Compensation |
| BS | British Standards |
| BSI | British Standards Institute |
| CAA | Clean Air Act |
| CAL-OSHA | California Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| CAS | Chemical Abstracts Service (Number) |
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation and Liability Act |
| CFC | Chlorofluorocarbon |
| cfm | Cubic feet per minute |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| CGA | Compressed Gas Association OR Color Graphics Array |
| Cl | Chlorine |
| CSA | Canadian Standards Association |
| CSFM | California State Fire Marshall |
| CWA | Clean Water Act |
| dB | Decibels |
| dB(A) | Decibels A-Scale |
| DFG | Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Standards) |
| DIN | Deutsches Institut fur Normung (German Standards Institute) |
| DIS | Draft International Standards |
| DOE | Department of Energy |
| DOL | Department of Labor |
| DOT | Department of Transportation |
| DVO | Diffuse Viewing Only |
| EDP | Electronic Data Processing |
| EEOC | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |
| EGA | Enhanced Graphics Array |
| EN | European Norms |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| EPDM | Ethylene-propylene terpolymer |
| EPR | Ethylene Propylene |
| ESCBA | Escape Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus |
| ESD | Electrostatic Dissipative |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
| FEP | Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene |
| FID | Flame Ionization Detector |
| FIFRA | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act |
| FM | Factory Mutual |
| FMCSR | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations |
| FR | Flame Resistant |
| GC | Gas Chromatography |
| GFCI | Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter |
| gpm | Gallons per minute |
| GSA | General Service Administration |
| H2S | Hydrogen Sulfide |
| HCA | Hazardous Communication Act |
| HCl | Hydrogen Chloride |
| HDPE | High-Density Polyethylene |
| HEPA | High-Efficiency Particulate Air (filtration) |
| HF | Hydrogen Fluoride |
| Hg | Mercury |
| HID | High Intensity Discharge |
| HMIG | Hazardous Materials Identification Guide |
| HMIS | Hazardous Materials Information System |
| HMTA | Hazardous Materials Transportation Act |
| hp | Horse power |
| HPLC | High Performance Liquid Chromatography |
| HVAC | Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning |
| IAQ | Indoor Air Quality |
| IARC | International Agency for Research on Cancer |
| IATA | International Air Transport Association |
| ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization |
| ID | Inside Diameter |
| IDLH | Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health |
| IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission |
| IMO | International Maritime Organization |
| IP | Industrial Plus |
| IPS | Iron Pipe Standard |
| IR | Infrared |
| ISEA | Industrial Safety Equipment Association |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display |
| LDPE | Low-Density Polyethylene |
| LED | Light-Emitting Diode |
| LEL | Lower Explosive Limit |
| LLDPE | Linear Low Density Polyethylene |
| lpm | Liters per minute |
| LUST | Leaking Underground Storage Tank |
| MECO | Modern Engineering Company |
| mg/m3 | Milligrams per meter cubed |
| mil | One mil equals 1/1000 of an inch |
| mppcf | Million particles per cubic foot |
| MSA | Mine Safety Appliances |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet |
| MSHA | Mine Safety and Health Administration |
| MUTCD | Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices |
| NEMA | National Electrical Manufacturer's Association |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act |
| NESHAP | National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants |
| NFC | National Fire Code |
| NFPA | National Fire Protection Association |
| NFR | National Fire Rating |
| NH3 | Ammonia |
| NiCad | Nickel Cadmium (battery) |
| NIOSH | National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| NMFC | National Motor Freight Class |
| NO2 | Nitrogen Dioxide |
| NPDES | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System |
| NPT | National Pipe Thread |
| NPTF | National Pipe Thread Fine |
| NRC | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| NRR | Noise Reduction Rating |
| NSF | National Sanitation Federation |
| NSR | No Sewing Required |
| NTP | National Toxicology Program OR Normal Temperature and Pressure |
| OD | Outside Diameter |
| ODP | Open-Dripproof |
| ORM | Other Regulated Material |
| ORP | Oxidation Reduction Potential |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| PAPR | Powered Air-Purifying Respirator |
| PCB | Polychlorinated Biphenyl |
| pCi/L | pico Curies/Liter |
| PEL | Permissible Exposure Limit |
| PETG | Polyethylene Terephthalate G Copolyester |
| pH | Hydrogen ion concentration |
| PID | Photo Ionization Detector |
| POP | Performance-Oriented Packaging |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment |
| ppm | Parts per million, 1 x 10-6 |
| ppb | Parts per billion, 1 x 10-9 |
| psi | Pounds per square inch |
| psig | Pounds per square inch gauge |
| PVA | Polyvinyl Alcohol |
| PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
| RFI | Radio Frequency Interference |
| RMS | Root Mean Squared |
| RTK | Right-to-Know |
| S.E.T.R.A.F. | Safety of Enclosures for Toxics using Recirculating Air Filtration |
| SAE | Society of Automotive Engineers |
| SARA | Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act |
| SBR | Styrene Butadiene Rubber |
| SCBA | Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus |
| SCT | Spectrum Control Technology |
| SEI | Safety Equipment Institute |
| SO2 | Sulfur Dioxide |
| SPCC | Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures |
| STEL | Short-Term Exposure Limit |
| TDS | Totally Dissolved Solid |
| TEFC | Totally Enclosed Fan-Cooled |
| TLV | Threshold Limit Value |
| TSCA | Toxic Substance Control Act |
| TWA | Time Weighted Average |
| UEL | Upper Explosive Limit |
| UFC | Uniform Fire Code |
| UL | Underwriter's Laboratory |
| ULC | Underwriter's Laboratory of Canada |
| ULPA | Ultra-Low Penetration Air (filtration) |
| UN | United Nations |
| USCG | United States Coast Guard |
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
| USFDA | United States Food and Drug Administration |
| USP | United States Pharmacopoeia |
| UST | Underground Storage Tank |
| UV | Ultraviolet |
| VDT | Video Display Terminal |
| VGA | Video Graphics Array |
| VOC | Volatile Organic Compound |
| WBGT | Wet Bulb Globe Temperature |
| WEEL | Workplace Environmental Exposure Limit |
| WHMIS | Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System |
| YAG | Yttrium Aluminum Garnet |
(Rev. 1/2012)
Find even more information you can use to help make informed decisions about the regulatory issues you face in your workplace every day. View all Quick Tips Technical Resources at www.grainger.com/quicktips.
Think Safety. Think Grainger.SM
Rely on North America's largest supplier of safety products. You'll also find a network of safety resources that help you stay in compliance and protect employees from hazardous situations. Count on Grainger for lockout tagout, fall protection equipment, confined space products, safety signs, personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency response and so much more!
Please Note:
The information contained in this publication is intended for general information purposes only. This publication is not a substitute for review of the applicable government regulations and standards, and should not be construed as legal advice or opinion. Readers with specific questions should refer to the cited regulation or consult with an attorney.
©2012 W.W. Grainger, Inc.
