Glossary

The NCEC glossary covers a wide range of acronyms and words associated with the chemical industry and chemical legislation such as ADR, ASL, COSHH, DGSA, Hazmat, SDS, MSDS and many more. 

If there is something you feel we have missed then please contact us.

Please note that this page is still under construction so will be subject to change.

 

A-F 

 G-L

 M-S

T-Z 

 

ADR


Annex 1 Index No

 

ASL

  

CAS number

  • All chemicals have a CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) registry number
  • Each and every chemical has a unique number
  • The CAS number consists of 3 parts separated by hyphens e.g. CAS number for hydrogen is [133-74-0]
  • The first part of the CAS number can be up to 7 digits long,  the second part consists of 2 digits and the third part is a single digit
  • The Chemical Abstracts Service has announced that there will add an additional digit to new CAS registry numbers, starting around January 2008

 

CHIP

 

COSHH

  • Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations
  • Legislation covering control of the risks to employees and others, from exposure to harmful substances at work
  • There is a good basic guide on the University of Bristol website
  • HSE guide to COSHH

 

CSE

  • Carriage, Supply & Exposure Limits
  • CSE is a NCEC product, providing a searchable database which takes information from ADR, the EAC list, EH40 and the ASL

 

Dangerous

  • The term “danger” refers to the potential for an immediate physical or chemical effect, such as fire, explosion, corrosion or poisoning
  • A dangerous substance may affect property, people or the environment
  • They should be contrasted to “hazardous” substances, which are classified according to their health effects alone

 

DGN

  • Dangerous Goods Note
  • A transport document that displays details of hazardous chemicals in a load
  • It will contain (as specified by ADR): UN number, Proper Shipping Name, packing group, as well as information about the consigner/consignee, and other details
  • For more information, refer to ADR Chapter 5.4

 

DGSA

 

EAC

 

ED50, EC50

 

EEA

 

EH40

 

 

Flammable

  • Under CHIP regulations, substances may be flammable, highly flammable or extremely flammable
  • The classification depends upon the flash point of the substance (if liquid) – a brief guide can be found on the Bristol University website
  • In CHIP, the “flame symbol” is required only on substances classified as highly/extremely flammable
  • Under ADR, flammable materials are classified as either Class 3 or Class 4. The parameters for classification can be found in Chapter 2.2.3-2.2.4 of ADR online

 

GHS

 

Hazard

  • A hazard is something that has potential to cause harm
  • Contrast with “risk”

 

Hazardous waste

  • Waste containing hazardous properties that may make it harmful to health or the environment(Environment Agency Overview)
  • Information relating to this aspect of a chemical may be found in section 13 of a SDS (disposal)

 

Hazchem placard

  • A sign displayed on vehicles carrying dangerous goods.· Contains information on the chemical EAC,  UN number and hazard warning sign, together with a specialist telephone number and company name.

 

HAZMAT

  • HAZardous MATerials
  • A Hazmat Officer in the Fire Service is often a good point of contact when dealing with a Chemsafe call
  • Hazmat Officers are now known as HMEPOs

 

HIN

  • Hazard Identification Number
  • The HIN is a code consisting of two or three figures (and sometimes preceded by “X”)
  • It indicates the main hazards posed by a product and is displayed on a hazchem placard

 

HMEPO

 

IATA

 

IBC

 

ICE

  • International Chemical Environment
  • A co-operative programme between chemical companies to (i) prevent chemical transport incidents and (ii) respond effectively if and when they do occur
  • There is a set ofguidelines for ICE on the CEFIC website

 

ICSC

 

IDLH

  • Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health
  • The maximum exposure concentration of a given chemical in the workplace from which one could escape in 30 minutes without any escape-impairing symptoms or irreversible health effects

 

IMDG

  • International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
  • This governs the carriage of dangerous goods by sea, and became mandatory in 2004
  • It focuses on packing of goods and the segregation of incompatible substances
  • IMDG history and content

 

Irritant

  • A chemical that may cause reversible inflammation on exposure
  • Irritancy is an expression used in CHIP (supply legislation)
  • In ADR, analogous properties of a material are expressed by its corrosivity

 

LC50

  • The concentration of a chemical that kills 50% of a sample population
  • The measure gives an indication of the potential toxicity of the chemical. LC50 is generally used in relation to inhalation

 

LD50

  • The dose of a chemical that kills 50% of a sample population
  • Gives an indication of the potential toxicity of the chemical

 

Level 1 response

  • The provision of remote information and general advice, following a chemical emergency
  • ICE guide to Level 1-3 emergency response

 

Level 2 response

  • The provision of advice following assessment at the scene of a chemical emergency
  • ICE guide to Level 1-3 emergency response

 

Level 3 response

  • Assistance with equipment and personnel on the scene of a chemical emergency
  • ICE guide to Level 1-3 emergency response
  • Various waste disposal companies can provide Level 3 assistance

 

MSDS

 

PSN

  • Proper Shipping Name
  • Every hazardous substance must be assigned a UN number and proper shipping name
  • The PSN is displayed on all shipping documents relating to the material

 

REACH

  • EU 2007 legislation dealing with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemical substances
  • The legislation places greater responsibility on industry to assess and manage the risks from chemicals
  • The legislation calls for the progressive phasing out of the most dangerous substances
  • HSE guide to REACH
  • BBC “Q&A” on REACH

 

Risk

  • A risk is the probability or chance that the hazard posed [by a chemical] will cause injury or damage

 

Risk assessment

  • A process by which the potential impact of a hazard can be assessed
  • In the context providing emergency advice, there are several situations where the caller should be advised to conduct their own risk assessment (e.g.: in the use of PPE, where a spillage can only be properly assessed by a person at the scene)

 

Risk Phrase

 

 

Safety Phrase

 

SDS

 

SIN

 

Supply legislation

  • Supply legislation (such as CHIP), is designed to safeguard the end user of a chemical
  • It takes into account factors such as occupational exposure – where a user may be exposed to a low concentration of a chemical for an extended period of time
  • For legislation aimed at bulk incidents, see transport legislation

 

Supply symbols

  • Supply symbols are those that appear on CHIP compliant product labels and packaging
  • They consist of an orange square with a black design (e.g.: skull and crossbones – toxic; black cross – harmful/irritant)
  • Supply symbols can be found on the Hazchem Scale Cards available on the HSE website

 

Toxic

 

Transport class

 

Transport legislation

  • Transport legislation (such as ADR), is designed to safeguard those coming into contact with hazardous chemicals during their transport
  • It allows for incidents where a high level of exposure may occur over a short time period (e.g.: after a bulk spillage)
  • For legislation aimed at incidents involving end-users, see supply legislation

 

Tremcard

  • Transport Emergency Card
  • Tremcards are instructions in writing, aimed at drivers and the emergency services coming into contact with dangerous goods
  • ADR currently requires that Tremcards be carried with shipments of dangerous goods
  • Tremcards must be available in a language the driver can understand, and the language of every country through which the load passes

 

UN number