From Standards to Principles: Advisory Group Adopts New Name A new name has been selected for the former Standards of Care Advisory Group, which leads an initiative to document OEHS practices that effectively protect workers and communities from unacceptable risks. The new name, Principles of Good Practice, was chosen to distinguish the initiative, which produces voluntary guidelines, from work related to OEHS standards, which often have legal ramifications.

Principles of good practice, or PGP, are the minimum expected standards of practice and performance established for a particular profession or function. They differ from competencies, which pertain to what professionals know, and instead focus on what professionals do. PGP do not represent consensus among AIHA members or OEHS professionals. Instead, they reflect the opinions of experts within AIHA and related fields.

PGP provide OEHS professionals with a common vision of practices that have been determined by subject matter experts to ensure strong foundational risk management programs and deliver a baseline level of protection for the people under the professionals’ care. PGP are intended to elevate the performance of all OEHS programs by recommending a set of uniform program and performance targets that can be used in continuous improvement activities by OEHS practitioners and the profession as a whole.

Established by the AIHA Guideline Foundation, the Principles of Good Practice Advisory Group maintains concise, easily applied summaries of fundamental, recommended, global PGP that incorporate the best risk management practices wherever possible. PGP are organized by OEHS areas of practice, or domains.

For each area of practice, the advisory group will work closely with relevant subject matter experts from AIHA volunteer groups and other partners to document risk-critical PGP and best practices. PGP documents will indicate whether these practices are “good” or “best” practices, identify sources of related information, and offer suggestions for OEHS professionals on how to apply the information to their own programs.

In February, the advisory group produced its first PGP document, which lists risk-critical practices related to occupational exposure assessments. Overall, more than 60 risk-critical practices for exposure assessment are listed across 15 OEHS processes and programs. The document can be downloaded as a PDF.

AIHA plans to add PGP for additional domains including hearing loss prevention, respiratory protection, occupational exposure banding, and general management. All PGP will be periodically updated. For more information, visit the AIHA website.

AIHA has accepted an invitation from NIOSH to become a partner in the annual Prevention through Design (PtD) Award. The award recognizes individuals, teams, businesses, and other organizations that have eliminated or reduced hazards through design or redesign efforts or have contributed to the body of knowledge that enables PtD solutions.

This year’s award presentation will occur Oct. 23 at the National Safety Council’s 2023 Congress and Expo in New Orleans. At the ceremony, AIHA will be introduced as an official partner in the award, joining NIOSH, NSC, and the American Society of Safety Professionals. AIHA President Dina M. Siegel will attend to officially announce AIHA’s involvement in evaluating nominees beginning with the 2024 award cycle.

More information about the PtD Award is available on the NIOSH website. To learn more about the NSC Congress and Expo, visit the event website.

AIHA Accolades California Governor Gavin Newsom announced in August that Chris Laszcz-Davis, MS, CIH, COH, FAIHA, FAIC, has been reappointed to California's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. Laszcz-Davis is the founder and president of the Environmental Quality Organization and the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Service to AIHA Award, the 2014 Kusnetz Award for Outstanding Achievement by an Early Career Professional, and the 2011 Alice Hamilton Award. Read more.

Dana Hollins, MPH, CIH, has been promoted to director of Stantec ChemRisk. Hollins served on AIHA’s COVID-19 Re-Open America Guidelines Task Force and is the recipient of the 2020 Kusnetz Award. She has more than 17 years of experience in industrial hygiene, environmental and occupational epidemiology, chemical exposure assessment, and human health risk assessment. Read more.

Coming Soon: Vendor Directory for OEHS Professionals The 2024 Vendor Directory for OEHS Professionals, a comprehensive resource for industrial hygiene, safety, and environmental products and services, will be mailed together with the November issue of The Synergist. Keep the Vendor Directory handy for easy access to information you need to make purchasing decisions.

Companies are listed first in alphabetical order with complete mailing addresses, website addresses, and phone numbers. The Vendor Directory also includes a listing of companies that offer products or services in specific categories.

AIHA Comments on Proposed Rules for Silica, PPE in Construction, CTC AIHA sent letters to policymakers in August that address the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s proposed rule on exposure to respirable crystalline silica, OSHA’s proposed rule on personal protective equipment in the construction industry, and EPA’s proposed rule on carbon tetrachloride (CTC).

The MSHA rule would lower existing exposure limits for respirable crystalline silica in metal and nonmetal (MNM) and coal mines to a permissible exposure limit of 50 µg/m3 for a full-shift exposure, calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average. In its letter to MSHA Administrator Christopher J. Williamson, AIHA expresses support for a PEL of 25 µg/m3 (eight-hour TWA) and recommends including training requirements to educate miners on silica health hazards and exposure risks.

The OSHA rule would clarify the PPE standard for the construction industry by specifying that PPE must fit each affected worker properly. AIHA’s letter to OSHA Administrator Douglas L. Parker expresses support for the rule but recommends removing references to “universal fit” from the regulatory text.

EPA’s rule would set an existing chemical exposure limit (ECEL) for CTC of 0.03 ppm as an eight-hour time-weighted average. AIHA expresses concern that EPA is setting workplace CTC exposure limits without considering the analytical method sensitivity and specificity, the documentation for the CTC Threshold Limit Value, the minimal risk level published by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the AIHA Emergency Response Planning Guidelines, or the limits of detection, limits of quantification, or reporting limits specified in NIOSH method 1003 for halogenated hydrocarbons.

To read these and other letters to policymakers, visit the AIHA Government Relations webpage.

Nominate a Colleague for an AIHA Award AIHA is accepting nominations for the 2024 AIHA awards through Dec. 29, 2023. AIHA’s awards honor the accomplishments and contributions of occupational and environmental health and safety professionals who have demonstrated their commitment to preserving, advancing, and ensuring the health and safety of workers and communities around the world. AIHA invites members to nominate individuals who have made an impact in areas such as technical achievement, social responsibility, OEHS practice, and international service. Any AIHA member in good standing can submit an AIHA award nomination.

More information about the awards nomination process is available on AIHA's website. Please email questions about the awards to Laurie Mutdosch, AIHA’s director of membership and volunteer relations.

Volunteers Needed for IAQ, TSCA Task Forces AIHA seeks volunteers to serve on two new task forces. The IAQ Task Force will serve as liaison between AIHA’s volunteer groups and ASHRAE to strengthen communication and coordination of activities related to the improvement of indoor air quality. The TSCA Task Force will ensure that AIHA is speaking with one voice and one message with respect to how the profession can support EPA in its occupational risk assessments and management as mandated by the Toxic Substances Control Act. Applications are due Oct. 15.

AIHce EXP 2023 OnDemand Recordings Now Available AIHce OnDemand now offers access to recorded versions of AIHce EXP 2023 educational sessions. Choose your preferred topic areas and view sessions you missed at AIHce EXP 2023 on your computer, tablet, or smartphone, while earning CM contact hours. Recordings are available for purchase individually, bundled by topic, and as part of a full package containing 118 educational sessions. The AIHce EXP 2023 Full OnDemand Package will only be available for purchase through Dec. 31.

Dates and Deadlines Sept. 12–Nov. 16 Virtual Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Review Course. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12–2 p.m. ET, cosponsored by the University of Michigan and the Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society.

Oct. 6 Deadline for submitting nominations for AIHA’s Board of Directors.

Synergist Webinar: Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): State of Science and Regulation in Air and Industrial Hygiene sponsored by SGS Galson.

Oct. 15 Deadline for applications for the IAQ and TSCA Task Forces.

Synergist Product Demo: The New Gilian Go-Cal Pro Air Flow Calibrator sponsored by Sensidyne.

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