| ACGIH | American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists |
| ADA | Americans With Disabilities Act |
| AIHA | American Industrial Hygienists Association |
| ALARA | as low as reasonably achievable |
| ALD | Acute Lethal Dose |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
| ASHRAE | American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers |
| ATSDR | Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |
| BEI | Biological Exposure Indices |
| BLS | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| BSL | Biosafety Level |
| CDC | Center for Disease Control |
| CHO | Chemical Hygiene Officer |
| CHP | Chemical Hygiene Plan |
| dB | decibel (may be abbreviated dBA or dBC depending on “weighting” system) |
| DOT | Department of Transportation |
| Dow | Dow Environmental Science and Engineering (building) |
| ED50 | Acute Dose to which 50% of the population responds in some way (effective dose) |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| ERPG | Emergency Response Planning Guideline |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
| FM | Factory Mutual |
| GHS | Globally Harmonized System |
| GLRC | Great Lakes Research Center (building) |
| Hz | Hertz |
| IDLH | Immediate Danger to Life or Health |
| IR | infrared |
| LASER | Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation |
| LC50 | Acute Concentration (in air) that is lethal to 50% of the population |
| LD50 | Acute Dose that is lethal to 50% of the population |
| LSO | Laser Safety Officer |
| MEEM | Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (building) |
| MIOSHA | Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (state) |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet (see SDS) |
| MTU | Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech is the preferred shortened name) |
| NEC | National Electrical Code |
| NFPA | National Fire Protection Association |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| NIOSH | National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
| NOEL (NOAEL) | No Observable Effect Level (No Observable Adverse Effect) |
| NORA | National Occupational Research Agenda |
| NPL | National Priorities List |
| NRC | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (federal) |
| OSHS | Occupational Safety and Health Services (university) |
| PELS | Permissible Exposure Limits |
| PHS | Public Health Service (Federal) |
| PNL | Permissible Noise Limit |
| PPE | Personal Protection Equipment |
| PSPS | Public Safety and Police Services (University) |
| rad | Roentgen Absorbed Dose |
| RCRA | Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (of 1976) |
| REL | Recommended Exposure Limit |
| rem | Roentgen Equivalent Man |
| SCBA | Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA =underwater) |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedures |
| STEL | Short-term Exposure Limit |
| TEDE | Total Effective Dose Equivalent |
| TLV | Threshold Limit Value |
| TLV-C | Threshold Limit Value - Ceiling |
| TLV-STEL | Threshold Limit Value – Short Term Exposure Limit |
| TLV-TWA | Threshold Limit Value- Time Weighted Average |
| TTS and PTS | temporary threshold shift and permanent threshold shift |
| UL | Underwriters Laboratory |
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
| WBGT | Wet Bulb Globe Temperature |
