AIHA’s Board of Directors for 2023–2024 includes the following officers:

The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene seeks an Associate Editor who will be responsible for working with authors to prepare manuscripts for peer review, coaching authors through manuscript development, and making recommendations regarding manuscript acceptance to the Editor-in-Chief. Applications are being accepted through May 12, 2023. For more information, visit the AIHA website.

AIHA Signs Two Memorandums of Understanding AIHA announced in March that it had signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with two organizations: the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) and the Society for Total Worker Health.

AIHA’s MOU with IHMM is a three-year agreement to promote the roles of professionals in fields represented by both organizations. The MOU establishes a partnership that aims to advance the professionalism and practice of hazardous materials management, workplace health and safety, and industrial hygiene.

Founded in 2022, the Society for Total Worker Health comprises public health researchers, academics, practitioners, and others working to improve workplace health, safety, and well-being. AIHA’s MOU with the society outlines a partnership intended to advance the roles of industrial hygienists, OEHS professionals, and allied stakeholders who have interests in Total Worker Health.

AIHA will collaborate with these two organizations to plan, develop, and disseminate joint OEHS education programs. Learn more about AIHA’s partnerships.

As some states reexamine their child labor laws in light of continuing labor shortages, AIHA reminds teenage workers and their parents about workplace risks and highlights resources to help keep young workers safe. NIOSH and AIHA partnered to create Safety Matters, a program to raise awareness among young people about workplace safety and health and to provide an understanding of the skills they need to become active participants in creating safe and healthy work environments. Safety Matters is a free, one-hour interactive teaching module and PowerPoint presentation for students in grades 7 through 12. It teaches them how to identify workplace hazards, how to communicate with others—including people in authority—when they feel unsafe or threatened, and more.

“Recent statistics speak volumes about the risks posed to young workers and the need for proper education and training of these vulnerable workers,” said Lawrence D. Sloan, CEO of AIHA. “Employers have a duty to protect young workers and adhere to local, state, and federal child labor laws to keep them safe in the workplace.”

Parents can play a role in helping teenagers advocate for their safety at work, including by encouraging them to ask questions if they feel their health or safety could be at risk. Teenagers should also be familiar with state laws outlining how late at night they can work during the school year, as being tired on the job can contribute to potential injuries.

Safety Matters resources can be found on the Healthier Workplaces website. Read more in an AIHA press release.

On Dec. 31, 2022, AIHA member Frank Hearl retired from federal service after 48 years with NIOSH. He served as the agency’s chief of staff since 2005. His work at NIOSH included quality assurance engineering, field industrial hygiene, occupational epidemiology, and research management. Hearl coauthored numerous publications on industrial hygiene, exposure assessment, silicosis, coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, cumulative risk, occupational robotics, and artificial intelligence. Read more in NIOSH’s e-newsletter.

AIHA members Kelly Johnstone, COH, and Eduardo Shaw, CIH, CSP, recently joined the OHTA Advisory Committee, the Occupational Hygiene Training Association announced. As part of the committee, Shaw and Johnstone will help support OHTA’s mission to offer accessible qualifications around the world and to ensure all hygienists are trained to a consistently high standard with a recognizable qualification.

Congratulations also to AIHA member Liz Hill, CIH, CSP, who was recognized by the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace for her work with behavioral health provider Trillium Family Services. Hill proposed an approach to address workplace injuries, burnout, and high turnover at Trillium. Trillium’s Children's Farm Home, in partnership with Hill and Angie Wisher of SAIF, received the Outstanding Safety/Health Wellness Team Award at the 2023 Oregon Governors Occupational Safety and Health Conference. Read more on SAIF’s website.

Sign Up for JOEH Email Alerts Readers who wish to be notified when new papers are available from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene can sign up to receive email alerts from JOEH publisher Taylor & Francis. Instructions and information regarding how to sign up for email alerts can be found on AIHA’s website. Steps to access the digital version of the journal are also available online.

Attend the 2023 Upton Sinclair Memorial Lecture The Upton Sinclair Memorial Lecture, titled “Unintended Consequences: The Rubber Industry’s Toxic Legacy in Akron,” will be held at AIHce EXP 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona, at 3:15 p.m. Pacific time on Monday, May 22. Award-winning author, journalist, and educator Yanick Rice Lamb will examine how communities’ health, jobs, economic development, and neighborhood cohesion are affected by deindustrialization. For more information, visit AIHA's website.

May 11 AIHA University webinar: “Beat the Heat! Considerations for Your Heat Stress Management Plan.”

May 22–24 AIHce EXP 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.

May 24 AIHA’s annual business meeting.

June 14, 21, and 28 Three-part AIHA University webinar series: “Preparing for and Controlling Biological Hazards.”

Oct. 17–19 PSX 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.

For a complete list of events, visit AIHA's website.