Safety Acronyms

The purpose of this page is to get familiarized with commonly used acronyms in various Incident Investigation reports. Below is a list of acronyms which will be encountered frequently.

AcronymMeaning (with hyperlinks)
AIChEAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers
APIAmerican Petroleum Institute
BLEVEBoiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion
CCPSCenter for Chemical Process Safety
CSBU.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
DCSDistributed Control System
EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency
HAZOPHazard and Operability Study
HSEHealth, Safety & Environment
LOPALayer of Protection Analysis
MOCManagement of Change
MSDSMaterial Safety Data Sheet
NFPANational Fire Protection Association
OSHAOccupational Safety and Health Administration
PPEPersonal Protective Equipment
P & IDsPiping and Instrumentation Diagrams
PSSRPre-Startup Safety Review
PRV’SPressure Relief Valves
PHAProcess Hazard Analysis
PSMProcess Safety Management
RMPRisk Management Program
SILSafety Integrity Levels
SOPsStandard Operating Procedures