AIHA and NCICS to Host First-ever China-U.S. Occupational Health Symposia Next month, AIHA will jointly host the first-ever China-U.S. Occupational Health Symposia with the National Center for International Cooperation in Work Safety, SAWS, China (NCICS). The symposia, which will be held Sept. 15–16, 2015, in Shanghai, China, is expected to draw approximately 400 attendees from the industrial and occupational health professions. The symposia will also be attended by distinguished leaders representing academia, government, non-profit, and industry sectors who are members of the Steering Group of the China-U.S. Symposia Advisory Board. U.S. members of the Steering Group include AIHA President Daniel H. Anna, PhD, CIH, CSP; Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels, PhD, MPH; NIOSH Director John Howard, PhD, MPH, JD, LLM; Lindsay E. Booher, CIH, CSP, manager of the ExxonMobil Human Factors Center of Excellence; and AIHA Executive Director Peter J. O’Neil, FASAE, CAE. Wu Zongzhi, Director-General of the Department of Occupational Health, SAWS, will attend from China, along with Wang Sheng, professor at Beijing Medical University; Niu Shengli, senior expert at the International Labor Organization (ILO); Joachim Breuer, Director-General with German Social Accident Insurance; and Ho Siong Hin, Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health and Divisional Director for the Ministry of Manpower’s Occupational Safety and Health Division. The theme of the symposia will be “Exploring Challenges and Opportunities in Occupational Health.” Attendees will learn best practices from the U.S. and other developed countries, explore n​​ew paths of occupational health for China, and foster relevant industries. For more information, visit the symposia web page.
 
 
Spanish Translation of IH MOD Now Available AIHA recently released the Spanish translation of IH MOD, which was translated by Carlos Castro, a master’s student from the Department of Occupational Health at the Université de Montréal. IH MOD is a flexible Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that uses basic modeling algorithms to help industrial hygienists conduct exposure assessments. Also available in English, French, German, and Korean, IH MOD provides users with a basic understanding of each algorithm’s function, parameters, and results. IH MOD is available for free download on the Exposure Assessment Strategies Committee Web page.
 
 
AIHA, IAQA Release Indoor Air Quality Body of Knowledge
In June, AIHA announced its partnership with the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) for the first-ever Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Practitioners Body of Knowledge (BoK). The two organizations collaborated for 18 months to develop the document, which was created by a panel of subject-matter experts representing both organizations. The indoor air quality BoK outlines the skills and knowled​ge a competent person should possess and be able to demonstrate in the area of indoor air quality practice. “This document will serve as the reference standard for the IAQ field and its practitioners for years to come, and those interested in the field will be able to utilize the BoK as a guideline for their IAQ methods and procedures,” said Donald M. Weekes, CIH, CSP, immediate past president of the IAQA Board of Directors. “It is expected that this BoK will continue to be renewed as needed by both organizations as part of their ongoing cooperative efforts.” The BoK is available for download on AIHA’s website.
 
 
Farewell to Retiring Board, Finance Committee Members
AIHA thanks retiring board members Michael B. Amster, CIH, CSP, CHMM, PE; Barbara J. Dawson, CIH, CSP; J. Barry Graffeo, CIH; and Charles F. Redinger, PhD, CIH, for their years of service on the AIHA Board of Directors. Their hard work and dedication to the association has helped further AIHA’s mission of promoting healthy and safe environments by advancing the science, principles, practice, and value of industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety. AIHA also thanks retiring Finance Committee members Jeffrey Gifford, CIH, CSP, of Genesis Energy, L.P. and J. Barry Graffeo, CIH, of Elanco Environmental Health and Safety, who represented general membership and the AIHA Board, respectively. Their insight and experience ensured AIHA’s fiduciary responsibility to the association and its members. Thank you for your commitment to AIHA!
 
 
Congratulations to AIHA’s Distinguished Lecturers
The AIHA Distinguished Lecturer Program focuses on providing lectures on national and international occupational and environmental health issues that affect the practice of industrial hygiene. Hosted by the AIHA Fellows SIG, the program features prominent experts in industrial hygiene who are prepared to lecture on recent research, new developments ,and topics of interest that affect workplace safety and the environment. The program allows groups to connect and learn from experts in the field of industrial hygiene by scheduling presentations at local, regional, or international meetings. The Distinguished Lecturers (DL) are drawn from the AIHA membership. A DL Review Team has thoroughly reviewed the lectures for quality and timeliness.
 
View the list of Distinguished Lecturers on the AIHA website.
 
 
Winners of IH Fundance Film Festival Video Contest Announced
Congratulations to the winners of the IH Fundance Film Festival video contest. The top three winners were announced at AIHce 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and were each awarded a $500 gift card. The grand prize winner received a complimentary registration to AIHce 2016 in Baltimore, Md. The winners of this year’s video contest are:
  • 1st Place/Grand Prize: “Take Industrial Hygiene Home With You” by William Weichsel
  • 2nd Place: “Jesse’s Vlog #12 - Guardians of the Workers” by Jesse Zalk, submitted by David Zalk
  • 3rd Place: “Cautionary Tales in Lab Safety” by Morgan Bliss
All of the IH Fundance Film Festival video contest entries are available to view on AIHA’s YouTube channel. To learn more about the cont​est, visit the AIHce 2015 website​. News & Notes
Accolades
AIHA Fellow Franklin Anderson, CIH, CSP, was recently honored by the AIH​​A Construction Committee for his dedication and service. Anderson, a former past chair and active member of the Construction Committee, retired from the Zachry Group and professional practice on June 8.
 
In Memoriam
Longtime member and AIHA Fellow Edward R. Hermann, CE, PhD, CIH(Ret), passed away in April at the age of 94. Dr. Hermann was an engineering professor at Northwestern and the University of Illinois-Chicago. Previously he was a public health engineer at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and attained the rank of captain in the U.S. Public Health Service. Read more on the AIHA website.
 
Winners’ Circle
Gail Wright and Patrick Mulrooney are the second-quarter 2015 winners of The Synergist online survey drawing. Both are lucky recipients of $200 American Express gift cards. The survey appears each Wednesday in The Synergist Weekly (formerly E-ssential Connection) e-newsletter. Take the survey for your chance to win!
 
Digital Synergist ​Receives Award
For the seventh consecutive year, The Synergist was honored in the APEX publications competit​ion, an annual contest that recognizes excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and overall communications effectiveness. For the digital version of its October 2014 issue, The Synergist received an Award of Excellence in the electronic magazines category. ​​ Dates and Deadlines September 15–16 The first China-U.S. Occupational Health Symposia, “Exploring Challenges and Opportunities in Occupational Health,” will be held in Shanghai, China. ​ September 21–25 Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Review course in Ann Arbor, Mich. October 26–27 AIHA Fall Conference in Orlando, Fla. October 26–28 Exposure and Chemical Monitoring – Beyond IH Fundamentals course in Westerville, Ohio. For a complete list of events, visit the AIHA calendar.​
 

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