AIHA Provides Preventive Guidance in New Legionella Guideline AIHA’s new guideline, Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Legionella in Building Water Systems, offers guidance for industrial hygienists and other occupational and environmental health and safety professionals on assessing building water systems before disease occurs. This technical document is an expansion of information provided in AIHA’s publication Field Guide for the Determination of Biological Contaminants in Environmental Samples, 2nd edition. The new guideline was authored and edited by William Kerbel, CIH; J. David Krause, PhD, MSPH, CIH; Brian G. Shelton, MPH; and John P. Springston, CIH, CSP, FAIHA. “Other guidelines and standards are targeted at industry guidelines,” Shelton said. “We came at this from a public health standpoint. This is the first guideline that takes a new, preventive approach, based on proven industrial hygiene principles to controlling the spread of Legionella.” Legionella is a bacterium that can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious respiratory illness that can result in life-threatening pneumonia and can be fatal for people with pre-existing medical conditions. People become infected with Legionella by inhaling the mist from water sources where the bacteria thrive, which can include the potable water systems of homes, hospitals, and hotels. In recent years, incidence of Legionnaires’ disease has increased substantially nationwide. According to CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the incidence of Legionnaires’ in the general population rose 320 percent, from 0.42 per 100,000 in 2001 to 1.36 per 100,000 in 2011. In New York City alone, reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease rose from 216 in 2011 to 300 in 2013, according to MMWR, a 38 percent increase in two years. The editors of AIHA’s new guideline authored an article in the June/July issue of The Synergist, “The New Age of Legionella,” that characterizes Legionnaires’ disease as “the most lethal building-related illness associated with water-borne bacteria.” “It appears that public health officials see only the tip of the iceberg and investigate only those cases determined to be part of an outbreak,” the article states. The guideline is available in the AIHA Marketplace.
 
Nominations Deadlines Approaching AIHA is seeking nominations for four Board of Directors positions that will be vacated in May 2016: vice president, secretary-elect, and two director positions. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 1, 2015. Electronic submission forms are available on AIHA's website. The AIHA Nominating and Awards Committee requests nominations for the 2016 Fellow and AIHA awards. The deadline for AIHA awards nominations is Dec. 1, and the deadline for AIHA Fellows nominations is Dec. 31. For more information, visit AIHA's Awards and Honors Web page or contact Judy Keithline at (703) 846-0702 or keithline@aiha.org.
 
Ergonomics Committee Honors Winners of Chaffin Award The AIHA Ergonomics Committee presented the Chaffin Award for the best ergonomic roundtable presentation to Catherine White, CPE, CSP, CIH, for her presentation “Building a Proactive Ergonomics Strategy” at AIHce 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The committee also recognized Carisa Harris-Adamson with the award for best ergonomic podium session for her presentation “Physical Workplace Factors Associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Pooled Prospective Study.” The Chaffin Award was established in 2008 to honor Dr. Donald B. Chaffin’s many contributions to the field of ergonomics and to AIHA. The award recognizes excellence in the field of ergonomics and helps encourage conference participation. Learn more about the Ergonomics Committee on AIHA's website.
 
Attend Virtual Fall Conference from Your Home or Office This month, AIHA Fall Conference will bring together a cohort of experts to examine how trends in the culture at large might affect industrial hygiene over the next several years. If you’re unable to travel to Orlando, Fla., October 26–27, consider attending virtually. Virtual Fall Conference streams live session video, audio, and slide presentations directly to your desktop or mobile device—no travel required. Virtual registration includes a multi-track session broadcast; opportunities to submit questions for presenters and interact with other virtual participants via in-session chat; cost-effective training opportunities for individuals, groups, or local sections; and post-conference access to session recordings. To learn more or to register, visit the Virtual Fall Conference page. AIHA Signs MOU with Vietnamese Organization AIHA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (NIOEH) in Vietnam. The overall goal of this collaboration is to strengthen the occupational and environmental health capabilities of NIOEH in the areas of research, participatory trainings, exchange of information on occupational safety and health issues, and production of educational material. Read more in AIHA's press release.
 
2016 AIHA Buyer’s Guide Is Coming Soon The 2016 AIHA Buyer’s Guide will be mailed together with the November issue of The Synergist. Keep the Buyer’s Guide handy for easy access to information on products and services that you need in your daily work. The Buyer’s Guide is also available online.
 
List Your Business by Nov. 6 Consultants: take advantage of the newly redesigned Consultants Listing, which features an updated user-friendly Web layout and a new search feature to help consumers easily find IH consultants located in or near their zip code. New this year, consultants have the opportunity to display their company logo in print and online for one low price. Nov. 6 is the deadline to submit order forms for the print edition of the 2016 Consultants Listing. Download the form via the Consultants Listing Web page and fax it to (703) 207-3561 by Nov. 6. For more information, contact Wanda Barbour at wbarbour@aiha.org or (703) 846-0782. News & Notes
Accolades
In August, John Campbell, CSP, was named one of 40 “Rising Stars of Safety” by the National Safety Council (NSC). NSC recognized Campbell as a future leader dedicated to making workplaces safer by promoting a cycle of continuous improvement within his organization, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and by creating initiatives focused on measureable outcomes. Silvana L. Dominioni, CIH, CHMM, CSP, was recently selected to serve as the Delaware River and Bay Authority’s (DRBA) new superintendent of environmental compliance and safety. In her new role, Dominioni is responsible for the development and implementation of all safety and environmental policies, procedures, and programs at DRBA. Several AIHA members were mentioned in an EHS Today article titled “The 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS in 2014–2015,” which lists individuals who the editors feel had the most impact on occupational safety, health, the environment, and risk management during that timeframe. AIHA President Daniel H. Anna, PhD, CIH, CSP; Richard D. Fulwiler, ScD, CIH, CSHM; AIHA Past President Christine A.D. Lorenzo, CIH; J. Torey Nalbone, PhD, CIH; Mark A. Roberts, MD, PhD, MPH, FACOEM; and Kathy A. Seabrook, CSP, CFIOSH, EurOSHM, were among those mentioned. Read the full article. In Memoriam Philip R. Morey, PhD, MS, CIH, passed away on Aug. 21. He was 75. Dr. Morey was a member of the AIHA Indoor Environmental Quality Committee and the Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee. He had more than 30 years of experience in the field, frequently presented at professional conferences, and co-authored more than 200 publications. Read more on AIHA's website. J. Donald Millar, MD, DTPH, passed away on Aug. 30 at the age of 81. Dr. Millar was the fourth director of NIOSH and served the agency from 1981 to 1993. He was a member of the A​IHA Indoor Environmental Quality Committee and a corresponding member of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Committee. Read more on AIHA's website. Dates and Deadlines​ October 21 and 28 Ethics for the EHS Professional webinar. October 26–27 AIHA Fall Conference in Orlando, Fla. November 1 Deadline for nominations for the 2016 Board of Directors. December 7–9 25th Annual California Industrial Hygiene Council Conference in San Francisco, Calif. For a complete list of events, visit the AIHA calendar.​​​

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thesynergist​ | TOC | NEWSWATCH | DEPARTMENTS | COMMUNITY