COMMUNITY

AIHA NEWS AND NOTES

New Resources from Back to Work Safely  If your workplace is preparing to reopen or already has, AIHA wants to help you keep your coworkers and visitors safe with free “Be Part of the Solution” COVID-19 signage. From “Wash Your Hands” graphics to “Sanitize Equipment” signage, new posters developed under AIHA’s Back to Work Safely initiative remind people to follow the recommendations from leading health organizations to help stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2. These free resources are now available for download via backtoworksafely.org.

AIHA continues to update the Back to Work Safely website with new and updated guidance documents. Recently issued guidelines cover workplaces such as K–12 schools, institutions of higher education, transit systems, small lodging establishments, childcare centers, and small and medium sports and entertainment venues. AIHA Announces 2020 Hamilton Club Members Over the summer, AIHA announced this year’s membership of the Hamilton Club, an exclusive partner program with AIHA. The Hamilton Club comprises corporations that bolster AIHA's initiatives through sponsorship, advertising, Foundation support, and other methods, on the highest levels and across many platforms. The 2020 Hamilton Club members include SKC Inc. at the platinum level; Casella, EMSL Analytical, and SGS Galson at the gold level; and ALS Global, Assay Technology, Draeger, Industrial Scientific, Nanozen, RAECO Rents, TSI, and Zefon International at the silver level. “We are honored to team up with these organizations that are so deeply committed to our industry,” said Laura Cilano Garcia, AIHA's program director of Strategic Partnerships. “Through their support, we can continue our mission, fulfill its promise to our stakeholders, and develop our programs.” The Hamilton Club was created to encourage collaboration with these active and influential industry representatives and promote AIHA's mission of establishing resources to protect worker health. Just as Alice Hamilton's work exerted a profound influence on occupational health and safety, AIHA considers its top participants as thought leaders and contributors who, through their innovation and expertise, are shaping the future of the profession. More information about the Hamilton Club is available on AIHA's website. Board Approves New Working Group for Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry BY KATHRYN MAKOS The Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group, an active community on Catalyst since 2017, was officially approved by the AIHA Board on May 30, 2020. Our working group partners with the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) to create a forum that brings OHS professionals together with conservation, cultural heritage, and collection management professionals and their organizations to effectively address the risk management needs of this “industry.” Join us as we facilitate interdisciplinary teaching collaborations between schools of public health and museum studies or conservation/conservation science programs; promote networking between AIHA Local Sections and AIC-affiliated local guilds and art associations; and work with AIHA’s Incident Preparedness and Response Working Group to assess health and safety resource needs for cultural heritage emergency response training programs.  The group is working to develop evidenced-based documents for exposure management and occupational hazard mitigation in cultural institutions. One example is the recently published “Reopening: Guidance for Museums and Collecting Institutions,” available via backtoworksafely.org (PDF). The Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group also enjoys a productive partnership with OSHA’s Office of Small Business Assistance and On-Site Consultation Program to promote these valuable services to museum and cultural heritage site employers and small businesses such as conservation studios. The institutions and occupations benefitting from the working group’s activities include art galleries, archives, historical houses, national parks, local nature centers, botanical gardens, university teaching collections, private industry or governmental agency historical holdings, and private conservation studios. To learn more, contact Chair Kathryn Makos, Vice Chair Jeffrey Sotek, or Secretary Ralph Froehlich. Kathryn Makos, MPH, CIH, is chair of the AIHA Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group.

New Volunteer Opportunities Available AIHA is seeking members to serve in volunteer leadership capacities throughout the year. One opportunity currently open is with the new “Defining the Science” Advisory Group, which will address matters such as identifying key research needed to advance the state of the science to improve the future practice of IH/OHS. The new advisory group will also help define AIHA’s role as a facilitator for IH/OHS science research.  Volunteers are sought for two other opportunities with the Indoor Environmental Quality Global Alliance (IEQ-GA) and AIHA’s Academic Advisory Group. AIHA is a voting member of IEQ-GA, which is dedicated to promoting the exchange of indoor environmental information, education, and research for the safety and well-being of the general public. AIHA seeks nominations for the position of alternate director on the IEQ-GA Board. AIHA also seeks volunteers to serve on its new Academic Advisory Group, which is intended to address issues such as ways to boost student recruitment into industrial hygiene programs. Applications for all of these positions will be accepted until Sept. 30, 2020. Learn more on AIHA's website.

2021 Board of Directors Nominations  AIHA seeks nominations for four Board of Directors positions that will be vacated in June 2020: vice president, treasurer-elect, and two at-large director positions. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Visit AIHA's website to find more information about submitting Board nominations. Please email AIHA staff with questions.

Join the AIHA Board Nominating Committee  AIHA seeks to fill four at-large positions on its Board Nominating Committee with active, full members who are committed to helping AIHA find the best nominees for Board officer and director positions. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30, 2020. Visit AIHA's website to learn more about this volunteer opportunity. Get Involved with AIHA’s Strategic Planning Task Force  AIHA’s strategic plan for 2019–2021 reflects the total enterprise, including the association’s three LLCs, two foundations, local sections, and the Product Stewardship Society. The plan was created in 2018 under the direction of a volunteer-led task force (a mix of Board members, at-large members, and staff), with expert facilitation and guidance by an outside consultant. During the next planning cycle, a new task force will initially be tasked with reviewing and adjusting the current plan, then with developing an updated plan that will take effect in January 2022 and run through 2024. Learn more on AIHA's website. Applications are due Sept. 30, 2020.

Sept. 15–17 Virtual PSX 2020 (formerly the Product Stewardship Conference).

Virtual Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Review course. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12–2 p.m. ET, co-sponsored by the University of Michigan and the Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society. Sept. 23 Deadline to submit proposals for AIHce EXP 2021. Sept. 29 AIHA webinar: “How to Organize and Win: Essentials for Effective Public Policy Advocacy Strategies.”

Sept. 30 Deadline to volunteer to get involved with AIHA’s Board Nominating Committee, Strategic Planning Task Force, “Defining the Science” Advisory Group, Academic Advisory Group, and the IEQ-GA Board of Directors. Oct. 9 Deadline to submit 2021 AIHA Board of Directors nominations. For a complete list of events, visit AIHA's website.