Oxygen 101 Acronym Glossary
This glossary covers the key acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the Oxygen 101 training. Use it as a quick reference as you work through the modules.
The Glossary is structured into key sections below, feel free to use the links to quickly navigate to a section, or scroll down through the full list.
Business & Economics
3PL
Third-Party Logistics (provider)
CAPEX
Capital Expenditure (one-time spending on long-lasting assets)
FTE
Full-Time Equivalent (staffing unit)
FX
Foreign Exchange
Nm³
Normal Cubic Metre (standard unit for gas volume at reference conditions)
OaaS
Oxygen-as-a-Service (emerging business model)
OPEX
Operating Expenditure (recurring costs that vary with production intensity)
SME
Small and Medium Enterprise (plural: SMEs)
Chemistry
CO
Carbon Monoxide
CO₂
Carbon Dioxide
LPG
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (relevant to safety separation distances)
NOₓ
Nitrogen Oxides
O₂
Oxygen (molecular formula)
ppm
parts per million
PTFE
Polytetrafluoroethylene (TeflonTM; used in oxygen-compatible seals and tape)
SO₂
Sulphur Dioxide
Clinical & Patient Care
EMS
Emergency Medical Services
FiO₂
Fraction of Inspired Oxygen
ICU
Intensive Care Unit
NIV
Non-Invasive Ventilation
PPE
Personal Protective Equipment
SpO₂
Peripheral Oxygen Saturation (measured by pulse oximetry)
Currencies & Geographic References
KZN
KwaZulu-Natal (South African province; referenced in RT50-2023 data)
LMIC
Low- and Middle-Income Country (plural: LMICs)
NGN
Nigerian Naira
RT50
Transversal Contract RT50-2023 (South Africa National Treasury contract for medical and industrial gases)
USD
United States Dollar
ZAR
South African Rand
Pharmacopoeia Standards
Ph. Eur.
European Pharmacopoeia
Ph. Int.
The International Pharmacopoeia (published by WHO)
USP
United States Pharmacopeia
Production Technology
ASU
Air Separation Unit (cryogenic distillation plant; plural: ASUs)
AVSU
Area Valve Service Unit (component of an MGPS that isolates clinical areas)
LIN
Liquid Nitrogen (co-product of cryogenic air separation)
LOX
Liquid Oxygen
MGPS
Medical Gas Pipeline System
OGSI
Oxygen Generating Systems Intl. (PSA plant manufacturer)
P&ID
Piping and Instrumentation Diagram
PBU
Pressure Build-up Unit (maintains tank pressure in VIE systems)
PSA
Pressure Swing Adsorption (plural: PSAs)
QR
Quick Response (code; used for polling links in training)
VIE
Vacuum-Insulated Evaporator system (system comprising a bulk LOX storage tank, vaporizer, and pressure regulation controls at health facilities)
VPSA
Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption
VSA
Vacuum Swing Adsorption (plural: VSAs)
Programme & Organisations
BHI
Build Health International
BOC
BOC Gases (commercial gas company, now part of Linde)
CHAI
Clinton Health Access Initiative
CoLab
The Oxygen CoLab, the programme delivering the training
DT Global
Implementing partner for the Oxygen CoLab programme
FCDO
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK Government)
MTaPS
Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (USAID programme)
MTaPS
Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (USAID programme)
NAFDAC
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nigeria)
NHS
National Health Service (United Kingdom)
UNICEF
United Nations Children's Fund
USAID
United States Agency for International Development
WHA
World Health Assembly
WHO
World Health Organization
Quality Management
CAPA
Corrective and Preventive Action
cGMP
Current Good Manufacturing Practice
CoA
Certificate of Analysis (plural: CoAs)
CPD
Continuous Professional Development
GC
Gas Chromatography (purity testing method required by USP)
GDP
Good Distribution Practice
GMP
Good Manufacturing Practice
GSDP
Good Storage and Distribution Practice
GSP
Good Storage Practice
IQ
Installation Qualification
KPI
Key Performance Indicator (plural: KPIs)
OQ
Operational Qualification
PMS
Post-Market Surveillance
PQ
Performance Qualification
QA
Quality Assurance
QC
Quality Control
QMS
Quality Management System
SLA
Service Level Agreement (plural: SLAs)
SMF
Site Master File
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure (plural: SOPs)
Regulatory Bodies & Frameworks
CFR
Code of Federal Regulations (United States)
EEC
European Economic Community (predecessor to EU; referenced in MDD 93/42/EEC)
EU
European Union
FDA
Food and Drug Administration (United States)
GHTF
Global Harmonization Task Force (now IMDRF)
ICH
International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use
IMDRF
International Medical Device Regulators Forum (successor to GHTF)
MDD
Medical Device Directive (EU; replaced by MDR)
MDR
Medical Device Regulation (EU 2017/745; replaced MDD)
NRA
National Regulatory Authority / Agency
PED
Pressure Equipment Directive (EU 2014/68/EU)
PIC/S
Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme
QSR
Quality System Regulation (US FDA, 21 CFR § 820)
TGA
Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)
Standards Bodies & Technical Standards
BCGA
British Compressed Gases Association
CGA
Compressed Gas Association (US; CGA 870 is a cylinder valve standard)
DOT
Department of Transportation (US; DOT-3AA is a cylinder specification)
EIGA
European Industrial Gases Association
EN
European Norm (prefix for European standards, e.g. EN ISO 7396)
HTM
Health Technical Memorandum (UK NHS guidance; HTM 02-01 for medical gases)
IEC
International Electrotechnical Commission
ISO
International Organization for Standardization
NFPA
National Fire Protection Association (US; NFPA 99 referenced for healthcare facilities)