“We’re seeing a lot of maladies out there in the world today—buildings collapsing, boats capsizing, and people being exposed to various agents and becoming sick, injured, or killed,” Thornton says. “There’s even a greater need for IHs now, and I’m wondering if we are creating sufficient talent and leadership to address those issues.”

Until recently, health and safety professionals have had to adjust their protections to workers’ varying conditions, which can include varying states of malnutrition or simply being out of shape. Workers in poor health are more prone to accidents or to potentially develop occupational illnesses because their immune system is in a weakened state. Thornton sees health and wellness initiatives as the next frontier of occupational health and safety as IHs and other professionals continue working to protect and improve worker health. MOVING THE NEEDLE For all his years in shipbuilding, Thornton has spent even more time in the industrial and occupational hygiene profession and as a member of AIHA. July marked his 41st year of membership in the association, and he has held numerous leadership roles over the years. He was president of the Tidewater Local Section in 1982, and served for many years on the AIHA Board of Directors—first as a director, then in the different leadership positions to become president of AIHA national in 1999. Thornton also served as president of the American Academy of Industrial Hygiene in 2005. “I’ve always felt an obligation to give back to that which has been good to me,” Thornton says. “And the industrial hygiene profession has been very good to me.” During his time on the AIHA Board, Thornton was interested in “moving the needle” for how the industrial hygiene profession was perceived. Industrial hygiene, often thought of as a technical, even “geeky” profession, needed increased awareness among employers and the public. “It’s always been a valuable profession; I just don’t know that we’ve done a good job of revealing or communicating that,” Thornton says. Industrial hygienists anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control hazards in the workplace, and Thornton believes it’s the anticipation aspect of that risk management decision-making framework that sets IHs apart. “We can look around the corner or over the next hill and say, ‘Hey, this is an emerging issue and we’re seeing higher levels of risk. Let’s do something about it,’” he says. Thornton and his Board also worked to increase the value of certification by promoting the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential and educating employers and others about the importance of having credentialed professionals in the workplace. But the challenge extended beyond communicating the value of the profession; industrial hygiene was in need of a higher profile, period. “The old joke was if you went to a cocktail party and someone asked what you did, it was very difficult for an IH to tell people what they do,” Thornton says. “So that was my vision, to not only increase the perceived value of the profession, but to make sure that it was known.” Thornton helped lead communications campaigns with the Board and AIHA staff that featured articles on various facets of industrial hygiene in a variety of publications to help educate the public and employers about the role of the industrial hygienist. It was important for industrial hygienists to be able to tell someone about their job in a way that communicates its value, and it was even more vital to be able to do that succinctly. So what’s Thornton’s “elevator speech”? “I protect people from the health hazards that they work with on the job,” he says. “And when they ask, ‘Like what?’ I use familiar examples of workplace hazards like asbestos or chemicals.” Thornton is still active in numerous professional and trade associations, including the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Virginia Self-Insurers Association. He also spends much of his time on technical and professional committees, and he currently serves as chair of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Workers Compensation Committee; chair of ASSE’s Government Affairs Committee; and chair of OSHA’s Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. Thornton recently finished a stint as president of his local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Previously he taught at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Va. Involvement in professional and trade organizations not only strengthens the profession; it also sharpens individuals’ leadership and communication skills. “At the end of the day, industrial hygiene is about people, and you need great people skills,” Thornton says. “The newest ideas are brought to professional and trade organizations, and being involved keeps you current. It also teaches you how to market: in industrial hygiene, it’s one thing to get the samples and the results, but it’s another to take that and be able to sell an idea or a need for the employer to do something with those results.” ENSURING GROWTH Thornton has watched industrial hygiene move away from older sampling methods that required days to see results. But even in the age of direct-reading instruments and nearly instantaneous sampling results, IHs continue to discuss communication as it relates to the future of the profession. Like other veteran industrial hygienists, Thornton is concerned about how industrial hygiene will fare in coming years. “We’re seeing a lot of maladies out there in the world today—buildings collapsing, boats capsizing, and people being exposed to various agents and becoming sick, injured, or killed,” Thornton says. “There’s even a greater need for IHs now, and I’m wondering if we are creating sufficient talent and leadership to address those issues.” Thornton believes the fertile ground of industrial hygiene’s future lies in risk management, and he wants to see IHs continue to “push the envelope” of that aspect of professional practice. He explains that risks are often assessed in “stovepipe” fashion: industrial hygienists look at chemical, physical, and biological hazards, while safety engineers look at hazards from another angle. Environmental engineers examine hazards through yet another lens. “I believe there is a place for a discipline called ‘risk management’ that looks at the comprehensive risks of an organization, an employer, a municipality, or another entity,” Thornton says. “I think there’s room for the emergence of some consolidation of these risks into perhaps a larger and more singular discipline.” AIHA has recognized Thornton’s contributions to the profession and the association on multiple occasions. In 2003, he received the Distinguished Service Award for his service to the advancement of industrial hygiene. And in 2012, his contributions to the improvement of the public’s welfare earned him the Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award, which was established in the name of the dedicated teacher and researcher whose projects enhanced the profession. During his Smyth Award Lecture at the 2012 AIHA Fall Conference, Thornton issued a challenge to attendees to think about the future for IH. “Do we really know who we are yet?” he asked. “Are we making a difference for people— sending them home healthier? I submit to you that we have a responsibility to make sure that people are really healthy before they come to the workplace.”

DURING DOWNTIME On the weekends, Thornton can be found in an old pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and a John Deere hat, getting his hands dirty while gardening and landscaping. And if you’re lucky, you might find him singing karaoke.