Health, Safety, and Environment HSE terms along with their abbreviations

Here is a comprehensive list of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) terms along with their abbreviations:


General HSE Terms

HSE – Health, Safety, and Environment

EHS – Environment, Health, and Safety

HSEQ – Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality

SHE – Safety, Health, and Environment

QHSE – Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment

OHS – Occupational Health and Safety

OHSMS – Occupational Health and Safety Management System


Regulatory & Standards

OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration

NIOSH – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

EPA – Environmental Protection Agency

ISO – International Organization for Standardization

ISO 45001 – Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard

ISO 14001 – Environmental Management System Standard

ILO – International Labour Organization

NEBOSH – National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health

IOSH – Institution of Occupational Safety and Health


Risk Management & Safety Procedures

HIRA – Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

JSA – Job Safety Analysis

HAZOP – Hazard and Operability Study

HAZID – Hazard Identification

FMEA – Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

PHA – Process Hazard Analysis

PPE – Personal Protective Equipment

LOTO – Lockout/Tagout

MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet (now SDS)

SDS – Safety Data Sheet


Emergency & Incident Management

ERP – Emergency Response Plan

EAP – Emergency Action Plan

PTW – Permit to Work

HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

BBS – Behavior-Based Safety

TRIR – Total Recordable Incident Rate

LTIFR – Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate

MTTR – Mean Time to Repair

MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures

RIDDOR – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

TBT – Toolbox Talk


Environmental Safety & Sustainability

EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment

ESG – Environmental, Social, and Governance

CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility

GHG – Greenhouse Gases

CO2e – Carbon Dioxide Equivalent

LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

EMS – Environmental Management System

SPCC – Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure

BAT – Best Available Techniques

BOD – Biochemical Oxygen Demand

COD – Chemical Oxygen Demand


Fire & Chemical Safety

NFPA – National Fire Protection Association

SCBA – Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

CFR – Code of Federal Regulations

IDLH – Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health

PEL – Permissible Exposure Limit

TLV – Threshold Limit Value

STEL – Short-Term Exposure Limit

TWA – Time-Weighted Average

NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace


Workplace Safety & Ergonomics

ERG – Ergonomics

RSI – Repetitive Strain Injury

VPP – Voluntary Protection Programs

BBS – Behavior-Based Safety

MOC – Management of Change

OHSA – Occupational Health and Safety Act