Like most industry sectors Health & Safety has a language all of it's own - here's some help!
ACAS
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
ACOP
Approved Code of Practice
ADI
Acceptable Daily Intake
AFFF
Aqueous Film Forming Foam
AIB
Asbestos Insulation Board
ALARA
As low as reasonably achievable
ALARP
As low as reasonably practicable
ALIBI
Assessment of LPG Installations for Bleve Incidents
ANSI
American National Standards Institute
AOPD
Active Optoelectronic Protective Device (i.e. light barrier)
APF
Assigned protection factor
ATEX
Atmosphere Explosive (used in the context of European Directives, 94/9/EC and 1999/92/EC)
AWS
Automatic warning system
BA
Breathing apparatus
BA
Biological agent
BAT
Best available techniques
BCF
Bromochlorodifluoromethane (fire extinguisher medium - now withdrawn)
BLEVE
Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (LPG)
BMGA
British Machine Guarding Authority
BPEO
Best Practicable Environmental Option
BPM
Best Practicable Means
BS
British Standard
BSI
British Standards Institution
BTM
Bromotrifluoromethane
CAR
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
CAWR
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002
CCF
Common Cause Failure
CDM
Construction, Design Management Regulations 2007
CEN
Comite Europeen de Normalisation
CENCER
CEN's certification body
CENELEC
Comite Europeen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
CFS
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
CHIP
Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations
CHP
Combined Heat and Power
CIMAH
Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations
CO
Carbon Monoxide
COMAH
Control of Major Accident Hazards
COPA
Control of Pollution Act
COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
CORGI
Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers
CORU
Cabinet Office Deregulation Unit
COSHH
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002
COSLA
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
CPC
Chemical Protective Clothing
CPR
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
CPS
Crown Prosecution Service
CTD
Cumulative Trauma Disorder
CTS
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
CV
Calorific Value
CVD
Cardiovascular Disease
CVS
Chronic Villus Sampling
CWCS
Control of Work in Confined Spaces
CWR
Continuous Welded Rail
dB
Decibels (measurement of noise)
DC
Diagnostic Coverage (See BS EN 13849)
DDA
Disability Discrimination Act
DEFRA
Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DESA
Defence Explosives Safety Authority
DETR
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
DIN
Deutsches Institut fur Normung (German Standards Institute)
Abbreviations