September 2017 Newsletter | |
"Potable Water Safety: What an Industrial Hygienist Needs to Know"
11:30 - 4:00 PM -- KML Regional Council of Carpenters - Robinson, PA
Fresh, clean, safe drinking water is often taken for granted. This has become very evident with the lack of “safe” drinking water in Houston, Florida Mexico and the Caribbean in the wake of recent hurricanes and earthquakes. Water is not something that IH’s typically concern themselves with but in the past year or so it has become a bigger and bigger issue in my work at the university and possibly in yours also. I really feel that water safety and health issues will continue to increase as our professional duties expand and grow. Please join us on October 26th as we explore what needs to be done to assure the water we drink, cool with, bath in and use in our homes, schools and workplaces is free of contaminants that can make us sick.
Registration is open - see the meeting page for more information and to register online. | |
AIHA Pittsburgh Chapter Meeting Survey-Results are In! | |
Submitted by Lucinette Alvardo, CIH - President Elect
Hola AIHA Pittsburgh Chapter members! Thank you so much for taking your time to complete the survey regarding to our upcoming events for the Chapter. We got 36 responses which is fantastic! Below is a summary of the results.
| |
| | |
|
Sixty-six percent (66%) of you are planning to attend the October event legionella in hospital/industrial settings and issue with lead in drinking water. Looking forward to see you there! Fifty-six percent (56%) of the members is interested on an isocyanate related event in November 2017. The main subjects of interest were: air sampling, safe use and handling and regulatory. You also presented interest in toxicity, management and lab testing. We will get things started on this one. We have quite a list of different subjects for future events. These included metals (beryllium, hex chrome, welding fumes), statistics, IAQ, RCF, real time sampling devices, hazard and risk analysis, EHS software Management system - 14,001, 45001, ANSI Z-10 and control banding. Only three percent (3%) of you will like to present a topic on an event. Don’t be shy; it will be a great opportunity. Eleven percent (11%) may be able to host an event. Thanks for those who provided their information. We will contact you for future venues. As far as the locations for venues, you seemed pleased with the ones selected for previous events. Some of you prefer to go a little further than Robinson Township or downtown Pittsburgh (e.g. Monroeville, East End and Murrysville). Two to three hours will be sufficient for our meetings/events. Eighty-six percent (86%) of you have not taken advantage of the e-learning subscription. This is a great opportunity to get access to some webinars about interesting topics. We make sure that we select those that will be important topics in the field. You will also get contact hours! Check out our emails and website for more information. http://www.pittsburghaiha.org/
Thanks for all the comments and feedback. Our goal is to provide events that interest you, help you in your career and also keep us close together as a team!
| |
July 2017 Business Meeting Minutes Posted | |
A business meeting was held on July 27, 2017 at the Walnut Grill in Robinson, PA. Thank you to the members / guests who attended the luncheon. During the meeting we discussed local section happenings and discussed program events and ideas for upcoming local section meetings. The meeting minutes have been prepared and can be viewed / downloaded from the website -- Click HERE to download the file. | |
| | |
|
 | | Congratulations to 2017 Pittsburgh AIHA Local Section Scholarship recipient... |
|  | | The Pittsburgh AIHA has received requests for Industrial Hygiene Mentors from... |
|  | | 3M Corporation presented their Hearing Loss... |
|  | | The Industrial Hygiene Program Manager provides leadership and advanced... |
|  | | All PAID local section members have access to our E-Learning Subscription... |
| |
|
Available Now - Natl. AIHA 2018 Consultants Listing | |
| |
|
AIHA Receives Three dotCOMM Awards in Honor of the IAmIH Campaign | |
| | |
|
The American Industrial Hygiene Association received two platinum dotCOMM awards and one gold award in recognition of their #IAmIH campaign. See the most recent #IAmIH video featuring Tim Paz, CIH, at the Architect of the Capitol in Washington DC and find out what an industrial hygienist does.
| |
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (August 22, 2017) — The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) is pleased to announce they have received three dotCOMM awards in recognition of the #IAmIH campaign launched earlier this year. The awards include a platinum dotCOMM award for excellence in documentary filmmaking for its first-ever day-in-the-life documentary on an industrial hygienist, a platinum award for the first-ever #IAmIH comic, and a gold award for the campaign’s website, www.ihheroes.org. The campaign features three day-in-the-life video installments. “Episode 2” will be debuting on September 5, 2017 and “Episode 3” will be released in early November.
From the forensics labs of the Michigan State Police to the steps of the U.S. Capitol and the sprawling campus at 3M, AIHA and LAI Video partnered together to capture industrial hygienists in a variety of professional environments. AIHA invited each participant to take viewers on a facility tour and share their own career path and unique #IAmIH story. AIHA hopes the videos light a spark in the IH community and encourage professionals across the country to submit their stories.
“Six months ago, we had to google the term ‘industrial hygiene.’" said James Loizou, VP of LAI Video. "Now, through our work with AIHA, we’re dedicated to raising awareness for these overlooked professionals — those who wield science to make the workplace safer."
The comic book, illustrated by Klaus Scherwinski, was developed by AIHA to further demonstrate the exciting world of industrial hygiene. The inaugural edition follows IH Hero Rebecca as she is called in for a special assignment on a South Pacific island recently devastated by a tsunami. AIHA hopes the #IAmIH campaign will help inspire the next generation of industrial hygienists.
“Working on the IH Heroes campaign was a great experience. While I received the necessary guidance to make the story work from the perspective of an IH professional, I was given lots of freedom artistically,” said Klaus Scherwinski. “I was thrilled to collaborate with Ben Rome (AIHA’s Marketing Manager) to create a comic book that goes beyond entertainment, teaching people a thing or two while telling a story with a lot of heart – that just ticked all of my boxes.”
The dotCOMM Awards is an international competition honoring excellence in web creativity and digital communication. dotCOMM entries come from corporate communication departments, public relations firms, digital shops, advertising agencies and freelancers. Entrants include designers, developers, content producers, digital artists, video professionals, account supervisors, creative directors and corporate executives.
| |
OSHA Is Enforcing Its Silica Construction Standard | |
OSHA begins enforcement of the respirable crystalline silica standard for construction on September 23rd, while offering compliance assistance to employers making good faith efforts to comply during the first 30 days. See the September 20, 2017 memorandum. | |
 |
OSHA’s respirable crystalline silica construction standard became enforceable on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. The standard establishes a new 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 µg/m3, an action level of 25 µg/m3, and ancillary requirements. The new PEL is approximately 20 percent of the previous PEL for construction.
In a memo to regional administrators issued on Sept. 20, OSHA states that during the first 30 days of enforcement, the agency will “carefully evaluate good faith efforts taken by employers in their attempts to meet the new construction silica standard.”
The construction standard includes a table that specifies exposure control methods when working with materials containing crystalline silica. “OSHA will pay particular attention to assisting employers in fully and properly implementing the controls in the table,” the memo reads.
OSHA previously published a compliance guide (PDF) intended to help small business employers comply with the respirable crystalline silica standard for construction. Different sections of the guide correspond to the major provisions of the silica standard for construction. The guide’s sections include information on specified exposure control methods, alternative exposure control methods, respiratory protection, housekeeping, medical surveillance, and more.
OSHA’s final rule to protect workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica was published in March 2016 and comprises two standards, one for construction and one for general industry and maritime. Learn more about the rule on the agency’s website.
| |
Upcoming Events to Consider: | |
The AIHA Fall Conference will be held in Tampa, Florida and features education and enrichment programs for every OEHS niche. Choose from an array of program formats, including table discussions, workshops, networking opportunities, and roundtables. Attendees also have opportunities to earn CM credits and CEU/COC points towards their certifications.
Download our Approval Template if you need help in securing funding for your attendance to Fall Conference.
Most importantly, however, is the numerous opportunities for attendees to network with colleagues from across the IH/OH career spectrum. The AIHA Fall Conference provides a collaborative, intimate, and engaging environment for peers and professionals to gather and share knowledge and experience.
Start your planning by viewing the Program at a Glance to see what courses, workshops, and networking functions you'd like to register for. Alternatively, you can view the selection of material grouped by track. We hope you will join us in Tampa next month!
| |
|
|
| |
|
