After two years of virtual-only education, the face-to-face conference experience will return this May when AIHce EXP 2022 will be held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. On these pages, The Synergist presents a handful of sessions that illustrate the breadth and depth of the education available at the first live AIHce since 2019; many sessions will also be broadcast for virtual attendees. All sessions listed were included as part of the conference agenda as of late February. All times listed are Central. Refer to the conference website for schedule changes and up-to-date information about educational sessions.

Opening Keynote: Keys to Assessing Risk—Knowing When to Push or Pivot May 23, 8:00–9:30 a.m. Ask the Expert With the Opening Keynote Speaker, Capt. Chris Cassidy May 23, 10:00–11:00 a.m. Recently retired astronaut Chris Cassidy will be familiar to viewers of the Disney+ documentary series “Among the Stars,” which chronicles Cassidy’s preparations to lead a NASA mission during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his 17-year career with NASA, Cassidy spent more than a year in space over three separate expeditions, which included 10 spacewalks totaling nearly 55 hours. During a spacewalk in 2013, Cassidy helped lead to safety a fellow astronaut who experienced a problem with his helmet. In a recent interview with Space.com, Cassidy reflected on the dangers of space flight: “All systems have redundancies built into them where you can eject off the launch pad during the powered flight, or the rocket can separate the capsule from any catastrophic stuff behind you. But it’s not over until you get picked up on a recovery ship, and there are many things that can catch you.” Even before he became an astronaut, Cassidy was no stranger to risk: he spent 11 years with the U.S. Navy SEALs, including two six-month deployments to Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. After his keynote address, Cassidy will answer questions from AIHce attendees at an “ask the expert” session.

The Role of the IH in a Pandemic, Parts 1, 2, and 3 May 23, 10:00–11:00 a.m.; 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.; 2:00–3:00 p.m. Published in August 2021, the second edition of AIHA’s The Role of the Industrial Hygienist in a Pandemic incorporates several updates to the 2006 edition, including new information on inhalation and airborne pathways and controls, exposure banding, sensor technology, analytics, building shutdown and reopening, and considerations for workers with preexisting conditions. This essential resource is freely available as a PDF from the AIHA website. At AIHce, editors and contributors will review key concepts related to exposure assessment and controls during pandemics.

A Balanced Approach to Leading Health Metrics May 23, 2:00–3:00 p.m. Many organizations have attempted to define leading metrics—measurements with predictive power that can be used to address risks—but most of these efforts focus on safety. In 2020, an AIHA working group formed to address the lack of health metrics released Best Practice Guide for Leading Health Metrics in Occupational Health and Safety Programs. In this session, contributors to the AIHA guidance will use real-life examples to explain how “balanced” metrics—combinations of leading and lagging indicators—can increase the chances of risk reduction. RELATED: “Finding a Balance: Using Leading Health Metrics.” OEHS Professionals as ESG Leaders in the Post-2020 Era May 23, 3:15–4:15 p.m. Until the 1997 founding of the Global Reporting Initiative, ESG initiatives tended to emphasize their “environmental” and “governance” aspects while paying relatively little attention to “social” issues. The change in focus that GRI set in motion came to the forefront in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences and the near-simultaneous increase in attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Finally, the “S” in ESG is getting its due. This session will review the evolution of ESG ideas and identify the skills OEHS professionals need to succeed in the ESG space. RELATED: “OHS Is Moving Up on Wall Street.” AIHA LAP’s Plans for Accredited Sampling May 24, 8:00–9:00 a.m. The 2017 revision of ISO/IEC 17025, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories, allows for the accreditation of sampling done in connection with accredited testing. Attendees at this session will learn about research on sampling accreditation conducted by AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Programs, LLC and AIHA LAP’s plans to launch sampling fields of testing under legacy programs in addition to a standalone sampling program. Steps to Define and Execute a National Strategy for Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirators in Healthcare May 24, 10:00–11:00 a.m. Severe shortages of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the key role EHMRs could play in protecting healthcare workers from infectious agents. Unlike FFRs, EHMRs are intended to be cleaned and reused, but several barriers stood in the way of their widespread adoption in healthcare. This session will discuss advancements in EHMR technology and incorporate a case study of the use of EHMRs. Presenters include registered nurses from the Allegheny Health Network. RELATED: “Reusable Respirators for Healthcare Use: Advancements in Elastomeric Respirator Technology Address Source Control.” Emerging Issues and the Future of Work, Parts 1 and 2 May 24, 10:00–11:00 a.m.; 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. In this two-part session, NIOSH researchers will address many of the most pressing problems in OEHS, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of artificial intelligence on worker health and safety, climate change, additive manufacturing, equitable distribution of PPE, and mental health in the workplace. Why Don’t We See the Things That Can Hurt Us? May 24, 3:15–4:15 p.m. As defined by the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), visual literacy is the ability to read, comprehend, and write visual language. These skills can help workers improve their safety and effectiveness on the job by allowing them to see hazards that might otherwise remain hidden. In 2018, TMA created the Center of Visual Expertise (COVE) to help teach visual literacy through the museum’s art collection. Speakers at this session include Douglas Pontsler, COVE’s chairman and managing director, who received the National Safety Council’s Distinguished Service to Safety Award in 2019. Topics in Workforce Diversity and Inclusion in a Post-Pandemic World May 24, 4:30–5:30 p.m. Among the human costs of the pandemic has been an increase in stress, especially among essential workers—an alarming situation given that 63 percent of respondents to a national survey said that stress was significantly affecting their mental and behavioral health before the pandemic. This session will focus on methods for supporting mental health in the workplace; challenges experienced by women, migrant workers, and other demographic groups; and opportunities for reintegrating workers into post-pandemic work. RELATED: “Mental Health in the Workplace,” “COVID-19 and Worker Fatigue: Lessons Learned and Mitigation Strategies,” and “Implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace: How DEI Improves Psychological Safety Culture.” Advancing Injury Prevention Through AI and Wearable Technology May 25, 1:00–2:00 p.m. Big Data, machine learning, and advances in sensor technology have fundamentally changed the way ergonomic risk assessments can be performed. Data obtained by tracking injuries and the physical demands of job tasks affecting large numbers of workers can lead to more effective interventions. This session discusses the skills needed to improve ergonomics programs and make them more efficient through technology. RELATED: “The Case for Ergonomics: Communicating Value to Business Stakeholders” and "Making Sense of Sensors in PPE." Hurricane Response During the COVID-19 Pandemic May 25, 2:15–3:15 p.m. As if a once-in-a-century pandemic wasn’t enough to keep OEHS professionals busy, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record, with a total of 30 named storms. The United States Coast Guard tracked every one of them and deployed repeatedly as Incident Command System safety officers to support field responders. In this session, presenters from the U.S. Coast Guard discuss the infection control guidance strategies they used to help local responders adapt operations during the pandemic. RELATED: “Taking Command of Emergency Response: A Primer on the National Incident Management and Incident Command Systems,” “The Road to Reconstitution: Responsibilities for OEHS Professionals in an Incident Command System,” and “The Number-One Response Priority: Responsibilities for OEHS Professionals in an Incident Command System, Part 2.” Closing Keynote: The Future of Occupational Safety and Health May 25, 3:30–4:45 p.m. OSHA experienced a setback in January when the Supreme Court blocked the agency’s vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard. But the agency has signaled that it will proceed with a permanent version of the standard along with rulemakings on occupational exposure to heat, infectious diseases, and workplace violence in healthcare and social assistance. At AIHce, closing keynote speaker Douglas L. Parker, the assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, will discuss the agency’s activities, rulemakings, and initiatives to keep workers healthy and safe.