Think You Know Your Dangerous Goods Acronyms?
The dangerous goods industry loves a good acronym – after covering all the important TLAs (Three-Letter Acronyms), now it’s time for the FLAs (you guessed it, Four-Letter Acronyms).
Let’s see how many you get!
Just cover the second & third column and see how you go…
1–5 = Time waster
5–10 = Novice
11–19 = Very good going ; )
20+ = You must be a DGSA!
| Acronym | Meaning | What is it? |
|---|---|---|
| ACOP | Approved Code of Practice | Detailed guidance documents published by the HSE explaining how to comply with regulations. |
| ADN(R)* | European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways | Ensures safe handling, packaging, labelling, and navigation of hazardous materials by water. (historically referred to as ADNR – specifically for the Rhine, now replaced by the broader ADN agreement since 2011), |
| ADTP | Approved Derogations & Transitional Provisions | Published by DfT and covers UK-specific exceptions and transitional provisions for transporting hazardous materials by road. (which differ from international ADR regs). |
| CHCS | Chemical Hazards Communication Society | A professional society that provides information, training, and guidance on regulations surrounding chemical hazards. |
| CHIP | Chemicals Hazard Information & Packaging for supply regulations | You may remember these obsolete regulations, replaced by the CLP. |
| DGSA | Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser | A qualified professional who helps businesses comply with the transportation of dangerous goods. |
| DMEL | Derived Minimal Effect Level | An exposure limit for non-threshold hazardous substances (e.g., carcinogens) under EU REACH, indicating a very low acceptable risk level. Unlike DNELs, which assume a safe threshold, DMELs are used when no safe level of exposure exists, guiding risk management. |
| DNEL | Derived No Effect Level | The level of exposure to a chemical substance below which humans—workers or consumers—should not experience adverse health effects. |
| DVSA | Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency | UK government body responsible for road safety, driving tests, and vehicle compliance. |
| ECHA | `European CHemicals Agency | European regulator responsible for chemical safety, data registration, and hazard communication across the EU. |
| EIGA | European Industrial Gases Association | A Brussels-based, safety-oriented non-profit organisation representing companies that produce and distribute industrial, medical, and food gases across Europe. |
| IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency | International organisation that promotes the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear energy worldwide |
| IATA | International Air Transport Association | Global trade association for the airline industry |
| ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organisation | UN agency that regulates and coordinates international civil aviation. Unlike IATA, its role is governmental and focused on setting global aviation standards |
| ICCA | International Council of Chemical Associations | Global organisation that represents the chemical industry |
| IMDG | International Maritime Dangerous Goods code | A set of IMO rules for the safe transport of hazardous materials by sea |
| ISHP | Identification number, Shipping name, Hazard class, Packing group. | A mnemonic used in the shipping and transportation industry to remember the required order of information when documenting dangerous goods. |
| LOEL | Lowest Observed Effect Level | The smallest dose of a substance that produces a noticeable effect in a test organism |
| MAPP | Major Accident Prevention Policy | A plan outlining measures to prevent serious industrial accidents and limit their impact |
| MEGC | Multi Element Gas Container | A high-capacity unit for transporting compressed or liquefied gases, made of multiple interconnected cylinders or tubes within a frame for efficient multimodal transport. |
| MEMU | Mobile Explosive Manufacturing Unit | A specialised vehicle designed to transport non-explosive dangerous goods (such as ammonium nitrate emulsion or watery ammonium nitrate and fuel oil) and mix them on-site at mines, quarries, or construction sites to create explosives. |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet (obsolete- now just SDS) | A document providing information on a chemical’s hazards, handling, and safety; now replaced by the SDS. |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety & Health Administration | A US agency that sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards. |
| SADT | Self-Accelerating Decomposition Temperature | The lowest temperature at which a self-accelerating decomposition may occur for a substance (such as organic peroxides or self-reactive substances) in its transport packaging. |
| SAPT | Self-Accelerating Polymerisation Temperature | The lowest temperature at which the polymerisation (a chemical reaction) of a substance may occur in packaging, IBCs, or tanks during transport. |
| SCBA | Self Contained Breathing Apparatus | A device that provides breathable air in hazardous or oxygen-deficient environments |
| STEL | Short Term Exposure Limit | The acceptable average concentration of a hazardous substance in the air that a worker can be exposed to over a short period (typically 15 minutes) without suffering adverse effects. |
| STOT | Specific Target Organ Toxicity | The ability of a substance to cause damage to particular organs after single or repeated exposure |
| SVHC | Substances of Very High Concern | Chemicals identified under EU/UK REACH regulations as having serious, often irreversible effects on human health and the environment. They are considered dangerous because they are carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic for reproduction, or highly persistent in the environment (PBT/vPvB). |
| TDGR | Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations | Primarily Canadian regulations that govern the safe handling, packaging, and transportation of hazardous materials by road, rail, air, or sea |
| UVCB | Substances of Unknown or Variable composition, Complex reaction products or Biological materials | Classification of a chemical substances that cannot be accurately described by a specific chemical structure or formula because their composition is complex, unknown, or variable. |
| VPVB | Very Persistent & Very Bioaccumulative | Chemicals that resist natural degradation (very persistent) and accumulate to high levels in living organisms (very bioaccumulative), often building up in the food chain. |
| VOSA | Vehicle & Operating Standards Agency | A UK agency that enforces vehicle safety, roadworthiness, and operator compliance standards (now merged into the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency – DVSA). |
| WEEE | Waste Electronic & Electrical Equipment | Any discarded item that uses electricity, batteries, or solar power, ranging from household appliances to IT equipment. These items are regulated to encourage recycling, reduce landfill, and prevent hazardous materials like lead and mercury from polluting the environment. |
*ADNR – Bonus point if you knew the full title of this now obsolete term:
Akord über die Deförderung Nefährlicher Güter auf dem Rhein
Or this one…
ADN: The “Accord Européen relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par voies de Navigation intérieures.”
How many did you get? If you got more than 20 let us know and you get a special mention on this page!
Thanks to David Bond (DGSA) with a very impressive top score of 22!
Who also suggested: HCDG High consequence dangerous goods and MAWP Maximum allowable working pressure (Tankers).
Join our Dangerous Goods Awareness Online Course – 9th July – Just call us on: 0113 242 4272
Contact us for further information at: training@hibiscus-plc.com
