COMMUNITY
AIHA NEWS AND NOTES
AIHA Launches “Healthier Workplaces Show” Podcast
In September, AIHA launched a new podcast series called the "Healthier Workplaces Show" in cooperation with multimedia company Healthy Indoors. The program is dedicated to highlighting the efforts of industry professionals who protect workers and their communities from occupational health and safety and environmental hazards. New episodes are published on the first and third Wednesday of each month. The show can be found on most major podcast streamers—Amazon, Spotify, Google, Pandora, and Podbean, for example—and the website of the "Healthier Workplaces Show."
Bob Krell, an internationally recognized indoor environmental consultant and longtime trainer in the indoor air quality industry, hosts the podcast. He is also the CEO of IAQnet LLC, which provides video production services. Krell has designed and managed indoor environmental projects for commercial, educational, and healthcare facilities throughout the United States and has conducted hundreds of IAQ investigations. He is also a nationally known speaker and presenter on indoor environmental topics, has been featured at industry conferences, and is widely published in trade journals and conference proceedings.
Early episodes of the podcast feature conversations about industrial hygienists’ professional journeys in IH and occupational and environmental health and safety, leadership opportunities and workplace challenges, and emotional intelligence. Guests included Tim Paz and Amy McCae, authors of the May 2022 Synergist cover story on empathy in industrial hygiene; former AIHA Board member Lucinette Alvarado and current Board member Courtney Tinner; and AIHA CEO Larry Sloan.
Learn more about the podcast and find the latest episodes at healthierworkplaces.org. AIHA members are encouraged to discuss the podcast on Catalyst, AIHA’s online community.
Nominate Your Colleagues for Awards and Honors
AIHA requests nominations for the 2023 AIHA awards and Fellows. The deadline for nominations is Dec. 30, 2022. AIHA’s awards recognize the accomplishments and contributions of industrial hygienists and occupational and environmental health and safety professionals of all career stages who have demonstrated their commitment to preserving, advancing, and ensuring the health and safety of workers and communities around the world. AIHA members who are in good standing may submit award nominations. The AIHA Fellow designation is limited to no more than five percent of the association’s national membership. AIHA local sections, special interest groups, committees, and peers may nominate individuals for consideration as Fellows.
AIHA’s awards include the Edward J. Baier Technical Achievement Award, which honors those who have made substantial contributions to the field of OEHS through technical expertise, innovations, research, scientific advancements, and interaction with or influence on other scientific disciplines; the Kusnetz Award for Outstanding Achievement by an Early Career Professional, which honors industrial hygienists under the age of 40 who show promise for leadership in the IH profession; and the Donald E. Cummings Memorial Award for Outstanding OEHS Practice, which recognizes individuals who contribute to the knowledge and practice of the profession by advancing the practice of Total Worker Health, expanding the profession through collaboration via alliances and partnerships, and creating tools applicable beyond the OEHS profession. Other awards for which AIHA seeks nominations include the Alice Hamilton Award for Social Responsibility and the Yant Award for International Service.
The AIHA Fellow designation recognizes full members in good standing who have at least 15 years of continuous membership and have made contributions to IH or related disciplines in areas such as original research, work in policy, leadership, and service to AIHA. Potential new Fellows will also be evaluated for their achievements in education and their professional IH experience.
The nomination portals can be found via the AIHA website.
Additional Opportunities to Present at AIHce EXP 2023
The deadline to submit proposals to present professional development courses and education sessions at AIHce EXP 2023 has passed, but the conference continues to accept proposals for other presentation types, like pop-up education sessions and student posters and presentations.
Pop-up sessions, a recent addition to the AIHce EXP program, are intended to provide an interactive, casual way to share timely, targeted learning. These sessions are 25 minutes long and are held in an open area of the convention center. The deadline to submit proposals for pop-up sessions is Jan. 18, 2023.
Student posters and presentations allow students to bolster their presentation skills and build their networks as they prepare to enter the workforce. Displaying a poster at a major conference like AIHce EXP can help students gain visibility for their research. Similarly, student presentations at AIHce EXP enable students to present their research as part of the conference’s academic track. Students have until March 15, 2023, to submit proposals for posters and presentations.
Further details and instructions for submitting proposals can be found on the AIHce EXP website.
Coming Soon: Webinar on Data Stewardship
A Synergist Webinar focusing on data stewardship for chemical companies will be held on Nov. 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET. This webinar aims to help occupational and environmental health and safety professionals and product stewards learn about the importance of data stewardship. Webinar attendees will examine best practices for understanding, managing, and leveraging their companies’ data; review use cases; and learn about how to improve organizations’ data stewardship efforts.
Presenter Laura Patrick, a senior product manager at Sphera, will lead the webinar. She has more than 10 years of experience in the product stewardship space, including roles in both chemical management and product compliance.
Thanks to sponsor Sphera, the webinar is free to attend. AIHA will update the educational transcripts of Synergist Webinar participants to reflect their attendance.
Next Month: Virtual Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene Course
AIHA will hold its Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene course virtually via Zoom next month, Dec. 5–9. This course is designed for those who have newly acquired industrial hygiene responsibilities or who need a refresher in foundational skills. Topic areas of focus include biological monitoring, hazard recognition, air sampling, ventilation and indoor air quality, personal protective clothing, ergonomics, and noise. The five-day course will offer workshop sessions, video lab experiences, demo sessions, and problem-solving exercises.
Value-added items include an electronic course manual, 32 continuing education contact hours, a PDF copy of the most recent edition of The Occupational Environment: Its Evaluation, Control, and Management, and more.
Learn more and register via AIHA's website.
Students: AIHF Scholarship Application Available Now
The American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF) is accepting scholarship applications for the 2023–2024 academic year. Students are evaluated on academic record, extracurricular activities, future goals as an industrial hygienist, and potential for leadership in the industrial hygiene profession. Several AIHF scholarships have specific criteria, and schools or students who meet those criteria will be given first consideration.
All application materials must be submitted by Feb. 6, 2023. For more information on AIHF scholarships and eligibility requirements, please visit the foundation's website.
Since 1982, AIHF has distributed more than $2.3 million in scholarship funds to students pursuing degrees in industrial hygiene or occupational and environmental health and safety.
AIHA Headquarters Has Moved
The AIHA office recently moved to 3120 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 360, in Falls Church, Virginia. The new office space is smaller, more affordable, and located in a more modern building. AIHA’s new location is across the street from the building where the association had resided since 2012, having relocated to northern Virginia from Ohio in 1992.
In Memoriam
Derek Miller, a leader in occupational hygiene who served several international OEHS societies, passed away on Sept. 8 at the age of 59. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Miller was a Certified Occupational Hygienist as well as a Fellow and past president of the New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society. Read more on AIHA’s website.
New Synergist Webinar Recordings Available
Recordings of several Synergist Webinars held in recent months are now available. Presentations held in September and October include “How to Collect and Present Performance Metrics for Your Industrial Hygiene Program” sponsored by VelocityEHS, “Calibrating 4,500 Air Monitors in 60 Days” sponsored by SGS Galson, and “Ototoxicants: Identifying A Missing Link in Hearing Loss” sponsored by SKC Inc. Thanks to these sponsors, the webinars can be viewed at no cost.
AIHA updates webinar participants’ transcripts to reflect their attendance at educational Synergist Webinars, and participants can use their transcripts for certification maintenance. Learn more and register to view Synergist Webinars online.
Dates and Deadlines
Nov. 16
Synergist Webinar: “Data Stewardship for Chemical Companies.”
Dec. 5–9
AIHA’s virtual Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene course.
Dec. 30
Deadline to submit nominations for AIHA awards and Fellows.
Jan. 10–March 16, 2023
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.
For a complete list of events, visit AIHA's website.