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AIHA NEWS AND NOTES
Case-Based Modeling Book Receives 2023 Critics’ Choice Award AIHA’s Content Portfolio Advisory Group (CPAG) has selected A Case-Based Introduction to Modeling Occupational Inhalation Exposures to Chemicals, edited by Chris Keil, PhD, CIH, as the winner of the 2023 Critics’ Choice Award.
The book suggests ways that models can be applied to several case studies. For each scenario, the book presents background information about the work process, walks readers through the steps necessary to gather information about the chemical hazard, and depicts calculations and equations associated with the models.
Scenarios include the spilling and evaporation of volatile liquids, wood dust exposures from a sanding operation, solvent exposures from barrel filling in an indoor space, historical exposures near a trichloroethylene degreaser, a release of chlorine gas, ventilation for a flavoring process, acetic acid exposures from a cleaning product, oxygen deficiency in a storage tank, aerosol solvents in an auto shop, and methylene chloride exposures from furniture strippers.
In addition to serving as the book’s editor, Keil is credited as author or coauthor for 13 of its 19 chapters. As he explains in the preface, the publication grew out of a professional development course he taught that focused on real-world applications of mathematical models in industrial hygiene. “The hope and intent are to spark readers’ imaginations about the use of modeling and provide an on-ramp to welcome more industrial hygienists into the use of models in their daily practice,” Keil writes.
A forward by John Mulhausen, PhD, CIH, CSP, FAIHA, places the book in the context of recent AIHA initiatives intended to address deficiencies in OEHS professionals’ qualitative exposure assessments. Research has shown that unaided qualitative judgments are often wrong and typically underestimate exposures, putting workers at risk. Modeling is one tool that can significantly improve professional judgment, but practitioners have been slow to adopt it.
“That is why this book is so important,” Mulhausen writes. “Its approach—an emphasis on case studies and advice for collecting critical exposure determinant information—is designed to address people’s discomfort about how to approach an exposure scenario and choose the appropriate model, gather needed model inputs, and interpret and communicate the results.”
The Critics’ Choice Award is an annual honor recognizing publications that are noteworthy for their originality, quality of work, and impact on the OEHS profession. CPAG judges commended the book for its innovative approach and well-crafted diagrams.
The book is available for purchase on the AIHA Marketplace.
Members Approve Bylaws Changes In voting conducted electronically from April 17 through May 8, AIHA members approved changes to the organization’s bylaws. The changes modify an aspect of organizational membership and allow the Board of Directors to establish discounted dues across membership segments. As stipulated by the bylaws, the changes were approved by two-thirds of voting members.
The AIHA bylaws address organizational membership in Article III, Section 7. An organizational member is a company that is afforded discounts on individual membership dues. The more individuals who are included in the organizational membership, the greater the discount. While the company that holds the organizational membership does not have voting privileges and cannot serve on AIHA committees, members have approved a change to clarify that the company’s individual members “shall be considered Full Members” and can therefore vote and participate in committee work.
Members also approved a change that adds the following sentence to Article III, Section 10: “The Board of Directors shall have the authority to discount or establish special dues for any segments that the Board of Directors establishes within membership classes.”
The AIHA bylaws are available on AIHA's website.
AIHA Accolades Congratulations to Thomas G. Bobick, PhD, PE, CSP, CPE, for receiving the 2024 Thomas F. Bresnahan Standards Medal from the American Society of Safety Professionals. The award honors Bobick’s work in developing voluntary national consensus standards, including the recently released ANSI/ASSP A10.50-2024, Heat Stress Management in Construction and Demolition Operations. More information is available from ASSP's website.
The 2024 NIOSH Science and Service Award winners include several AIHA members. Recipients of the Alice Hamilton Award for Occupational Safety and Health include Eric Esswein, MSPH, CIH, CIAQP, FAIHA, and John Snawder (communication and guidance category); Ju-Hyenong Park, ScD, CIH (methods and laboratory science); and Jessica F. Li, MSPH, CIH (research service). Recipients of Plain Language Awards include James Couch, PhD, CIH, CSP, REHS/RS. And the Director’s Intramural Awards for Extraordinary Science recipients include Jennie Cox, PhD, who received the Early Career Scientist Award. Congratulations to all!
Input Needed on Waterborne Pathogen Training AIHA has launched a survey to identify the educational needs, gaps in current knowledge, and training preferences among professionals whose work involves protecting employees and communities from waterborne pathogens. The survey is available online and will be open through mid-June.
Information from the survey will be used to establish fundamental and advanced training for technicians and professionals who perform risk assessments, collect samples from building water systems, and interpret the results of sampling.
The survey was prompted by increasing incidence of Legionnaires’ disease and other waterborne diseases. According to CDC, reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease rose almost 900 percent between 2000 and 2018. The agency also warns that the disease is likely under-diagnosed.
In Memoriam Darrell L. Dechant passed away April 1 at the age of 65. After obtaining a Master of Science in industrial sciences/safety and a doctorate in public health/industrial hygiene at Colorado State University, Dechant taught at several universities. He was a member of the AIHA Confined Spaces Committee from 2019 to 2023. Read more about Dechant’s life on the website of the Tabor Funeral Home.
David P. Kelly, FAIHA, passed away April 13 at the age of 82. Kelly was a founding member of and prolific contributor to the AIHA Emergency Response Planning Committee. He had a long career in research toxicology at DuPont. Read more about Kelly’s life in The News Journal.
Paul A. MacKinnon, MS, CIH, passed away May 27 at the age of 55. MacKinnon was a founder of EHS Partnerships Ltd., a consulting firm in Calgary, Alberta. He was a 2005 graduate of AIHA’s Future Leaders Institute and a member of the AIHA Cannabis Industry Health and Safety Committee, Oil and Gas Working Group, and Mining Working Group. Read more about MacKinnon’s life in the Windsor Star.
AIHA Announces 2024 Hamilton Club Members In April, AIHA announced the 2024 members of the Hamilton Club, an exclusive program comprising industry partners that bolster AIHA’s initiatives on the highest levels and across many platforms, through sponsorship, advertising, support for the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation, and other methods.
The 2024 Hamilton Club members include the following industry partners, categorized by their respective financial contributions: Amazon (Platinum Level); EMSL Analytical Inc., SKC Inc., and TSI + Casella (Diamond Level); SGS Galson and VelocityEHS (Gold Level); and Assay Technology, Bureau Veritas North America, DuPont Personal Protection, OHD, and Sensidyne LP (Silver Level).
“AIHA is proud to partner with these industry leaders as we continue our mission of empowering and advancing those who apply scientific knowledge to protect workers and their communities from occupational and environmental hazards,” said Laura Cilano Garcia, AIHA’s director of strategic partnerships.
More information about the Hamilton Club is available from AIHA’s website.
Help AIHA Determine Demand for OEHS 
Professionals AIHA has launched a survey to assess OEHS hiring trends in the United States. Because the survey is intended to be completed by individuals who hire OEHS professionals, members are asked to share the survey link with their employers and clients.
Registration Open 
for OEESC This September, AIHA will host the Occupational and Environmental Exposure of the Skin to Chemicals (OEESC) conference in Dulles, Virginia. The agenda includes an opening keynote by NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard. View the scheduled educational sessions on the conference website. For more information and to register, visit the OEESC home page.
AIHA Updates DEI Policy AIHA has updated its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy, which states AIHA’s commitment to fostering a culture and environment supportive of DEI and accessibility for all members and volunteers. It also prohibits harassment and exclusionary or threatening behavior. The policy is available as a PDF.
From Commit to C.A.R.E.: Effective GUV Device Use A new publication on the Commit to C.A.R.E. website explains how germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) technology can be integrated into health and safety strategies. The publication outlines five steps to maximize the effectiveness of a GUV device, ensure safer indoor air quality, and contribute to public health and safety.
Dates and Deadlines July 10 AIHA University Webinar: “Navigating Metrics for Workplace Safety and Health.”
July 15–19 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health online course, “Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene: Fundamentals for Health and Safety Professionals.”
July 24 AIHA University Webinar: “Using the SDM 2.0 to Assess Real-World Situations.”
Sept. 16–19 AIHA live PDC: “Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene” in Westerville, Ohio.
Sept. 23–25 Occupational and Environmental Exposure of the Skin to Chemicals (OEESC) conference in Dulles, Virginia.
For a complete list of events, visit AIHA's website.
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