Acronyms 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 OSHA is the acronym for Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and SDS stands for Safety Data Sheet. What about MUTCD or SAE? Grainger has compiled the following list of commonly used safety acronyms and meanings as a handy reference guide.
| ACGIH | American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act |
| AED | Automated External Defibrillator |
| 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 |
| ASP | Associate Safety Professional |
| ASQC | American Society for Quality Control |
| ASSE | American Society of Safety Engineers |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing Materials |
| ATC | Automatic Temperature Compensation |
| BBP | Bloodborne Pathogens |
| BBS | Behavior-Based Safety |
| BCSP | Board of Certified Safety Professionals |
| BS | British Standards |
| BSI | British Standards Institute |
| CAA | Clean Air Act |
| CAL-OSHA | California Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| CAS | Chemical Abstracts Service (Number) |
| CE | Conformance European |
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation and Liability Act |
| cfm | Cubic feet per minute |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| CGA | Compressed Gas Association |
| CIH | Certified Industrial Hygienist |
| CSA | Canadian Standards Association |
| CSFM | California State Fire Marshall |
| CSP | Certified Safety Professional |
| CWA | Clean Water Act |
| dB | Decibels |
| dB(A) | Decibels A-Scale |
| 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 |
| EHS | Environmental Health and Safety |
| 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 |
| GHS | Globally Harmonized System |
| gpm | Gallons per minute |
| GSA | General Service Administration |
| HAZWOPER | Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response |
| HCA | Hazardous Communication Act |
| HDPE | High-Density Polyethylene |
| HEPA | High-Efficiency Particulate Air (filtration) |
| Hg | Mercury |
| HID | High-Intensity Discharge |
| HMIG | Hazardous Materials Identification Guide |
| HMIS | Hazardous Materials Information System |
| HMTA | Hazardous Materials Transportation Act |
| hp | Horsepower |
| 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 Transportation 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 |
| JSA | Job Safety Analysis |
| 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 |
| LOTO | Lockout Tagout |
| LUST | Leaking Underground Storage Unit |
| MAF | Maximum Arresting Force |
| MECO | Modern Engineering Company |
| mg/m3 | Milligrams per meter cubed |
| mil | 1 mil equals 1/1000 of an inch |
| mppcf | Million particles per cubic foot |
| MSA | Mine Safety Appliances |
| MSHA | Mine Safety and Health Administration |
| MUTCD | Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices |
| NEC | National Electric Code |
| 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 |
| NiCad | Nickel Cadmium (battery) |
| NIOSH | National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| NMFC | National Motor Freight Class |
| NPDES | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System |
| NPT | National Pipe Thread |
| NPTF | National Pipe Thread Fine |
| NRC | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| NRR | Noise Reduction Rating |
| NSC | National Safety Council |
| NSF | National Sanitation Federation |
| NSR | No Sewing Required |
| NTP | National Toxicology Program; 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 |
| PFAS | Personal Fall Arrest System |
| pH | Hydrogen ion concentration |
| PID | Photo Ionization Detector |
| POP | Performance-Orientated 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 |
| PSM | Process Safety Management |
| PVA | Polyvinyl Alcohol |
| PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
| REL | Recommended Exposure Limit |
| 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 |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet |
| SPCC | Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures |
| SRL | Self-Retracting Lifeline |
| STEL | Short-Term Exposure Limit |
| TDS | Totally Dissolved Solids |
| 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 Glove Temperature |
| WEEL | Workplace Environmental Exposure Limit |
| WHMIS | Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System |
| YAG | Yttrium Aluminum Garnet |
The information contained in this article is intended for general information purposes only and is based on information available as of the initial date of publication. No representation is made that the information or references are complete or remain current. This article is not a substitute for review of current applicable government regulations, industry standards, or other standards specific to your business and/or activities and should not be construed as legal advice or opinion. Readers with specific questions should refer to the applicable standards or consult with an attorney.
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