Pittsburgh AIHA News February 2023 Letter from the Pittsburgh AIHA President - Lt. Tim Beck, MPH Greetings Pittsburgh Local Section of AIHA! As we approach the end of the winter season, I begin looking forward to spring and contemplating on the theme of GROWTH. In that vein, I would like to share some growth that the Pittsburgh section has seen, just in 2023: New Local Section Members – Since the beginning of 2023, we have added nine new members and one new corporate sponsor. We welcome these new faces and hope to connect at future events. A New Director – Darrick Bertig, CIH, CSP, CUSA, MS has been added as Director of the Pittsburgh Local Section. He fills our previously vacant position, serving the remainder of a 2-year term through the 2024 term. Darrick joins us from FirstEnergy Corporation, where he is an Industrial Hygiene Representative. He has been active most recently on our Program Committee lining up presenters to fill our busy 2023 calendar. New Student Sections – We started 2023 with one active student chapter, Slippery Rock University. Late last year, we were approached by students from West Virginia University who were seeking to revive their dormant student chapter. As you may have read on our website, following the efforts of student, Ryan Titus, and faculty advisor, Dr. Sergio Caporali-Filho, PhD, CSP, CIH, the WVU chapter has been fully recognized by both WVU Student Engagement and National AIHA. At about the same time, students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania inquired about their own student chapter, which had also been abandoned for several years. This student chapter’s bylaws have been approved by the Pittsburgh AIHA Executive Committee and awaits a decision by the National AIHA Board of Directors. They should have a good chance of success, considering that Dr. Bryan Seal, PhD, CIH, CSP, CHMM, REHS currently serves as a National Director of AIHA. We look forward to welcoming these students to our activities and supporting their academic and professional development. New Knowledge and Personal Growth – Through the efforts of President-elect and Program Chair, Dane Mitcheson, CIH, CSP, CHST, the Pittsburgh section has a nearly full program agenda for the rest of 2023. Future topics will include heat stress research, learning about the 1948 Donora Smog event, and hands-on instruction about industrial ventilation. Also be on the look-out for an announcement from AIHA on the 2023 e-Learning subscription topics. The selected topics are sure to improve our understanding and effectiveness as IH professionals. New Service Opportunities – I want to highlight leadership opportunities within the local section. While nominations for the 2023 election of several Executive Committee positions close on February 28, there are a number of committees that could benefit from your involvement. Please thoughtfully consider contributing to assist with lining up our corporate sponsors, planning our future program, or coordinating our website and newsletters. As a volunteer-led and -run organization, your service is vital to the growth of our community. Finally, I hope you consider joining us at our upcoming AIHA President’s luncheon in March, where we will host current AIHA President, Donna Heidel, MS, CIH, FAIHA. Let’s hope for great weather so that we can enjoy the views of our beautiful city together! LT Tim Beck, MPH Pittsburgh AIHA Recent News From Our Blog (Click Links): Register NOW - 3/9/2023 Pittsburgh AIHA President's Luncheon!! We are excited to announce that our Annual President's Luncheon is scheduled... Read More February Meeting Summary - Slippery Rock Student Section On February 21, 2023, the AIHA Pittsburgh Section and the Slippery Rock... Read More Indiana University of Pennsylvania AIHA Student Chapter Indiana University of Pennsylvania is in the process of forming... Read More Pittsburgh AIHA Executive Committee Election - Nominations Due Now Our local section depends on its members to volunteer for positions on the... Read More West Virginia University AIHA Student Chapter is BACK!! After a few years hiatus, the WVU section of AIHA is active again! The... Read More New Pgh. AIHA Director Named - Darrick Bertig, CIH, CSP, CUSA, MS During the 2022 Pittsburgh AIHA Election, Kate Crott was selected as Director... Read More Science Fair Judges Needed -- Pittsburgh AIHA Awards The Pittsburgh AIHA is proud to once again sponsor student awards at the 84th... Read More Welcome NEW Corporate Sponsor - Atlas Technical Consultants The Pittsburgh AIHA is pleased to welcome new 2023 Corporate Sponsor,... Read More Meeting Review: January 13, 2023 – MSA Corporate Headquarters Visit Performance of APR Cartridge/Canisters Against Airborne Contaminants with Tour of MSA Eighteen members of the AIHA Pittsburgh Local Section attended the “Performance... Read More DUE NOW ----2023 Pgh. AIHA Membership Dues Membership dues for 2023 WAS due January 1, 2023. If you are a National AIHA... Read More Call for Volunteers for AIHA Pittsburgh Committees The AIHA Pittsburgh Local Section has six committees that are chaired by a volunteer appointed by the chapter’s president or, in the case of the Program and Nominating committees, designated to an Executive Committee member: Audit Program Corporate Sponsorship Newsletter Nominating Historical Currently, most of our committees are unfortunately committees of one. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to consider volunteering to lead or participate in a committee of interest. Benefits of Committee Participation Provides an opportunity to become more involved with the LS and increase connections with your peers Limited time obligation with high impact on the success and future directions of the LS Enhanced understanding of LS operations and an ‘inside look’ into what serving in an executive committee position entail Allows individuals that are not National AIHA members a chance to serve in leadership roles outside of the Executive Committee Our LS chapter and affiliated student chapters survive and thrive by the involvement of our members, so please do your best to stay active and contribute to the success of AIHA Pittsburgh. If you are interested in leading or participating in any of our committees, please email the Executive Committee at
[email protected] . Steel From Start to Finish By Frank Pokrywka, PhD., CIH, Pgh. AIHA Treasurer As a follow up to our recent site visit to the former US Steel blast furnaces at Carrie Furnace, I thought it would be helpful to provide some background information on the steel making process "Start to Finish". While the steel industry is not what it once was in Pittsburgh, there are still plenty of mining, metal production, fabrication and finishing operations in by the area and around the country. Hopefully, during your EH&S careers you will have opportunities to visit work in and resolve health and safety issues in similar industries. In that spirit, I hope you enjoy this US Steel video. https://youtu.be/wUOUjogRpRc ( credit U.S steel YouTube channel 2020) Welcome New Members! Carson Aiken, Indiana University of PA Tyler Broge, Slippery Rock University Cole Cantor, West Virginia University Sergio Caporali Fihlo, West Virginia University Jarred Chase, Atlas Technical Consultants Jay Elder, SKC Inc. Gabriella Green, Indiana University of PA Chuck Kisamore, Atlas Technical Consultants Courtney Malloy, Kennametal / Penn State Andy Marsh, Chesley Brown International Tuan Charles Nguyen, Shell USA, Inc. Bailey Reggetz, West Virginia University Parinita Sah, AM Health and Safety, Inc. Charles Sethman Emily Smith, West Virginia University Paige Wells, Stantec 2023 Sponsors: Amazon AM Health & Safety, Inc. Atlas Technical Consultants CIH Services, Inc. Colden Corporation CSC, Inc. FirstEnergy Intertek PSI MSA Safety Premier Safety & Service, Inc. Risk Assessment Services, LLC SKC, Inc. Stantec, Inc. U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc. The Pittsburgh AIHA is seeking 2023 Corporate Sponsors - For $200 your company receives two Pittsburgh AIHA Local Section Memberships, a listing on the Corporate Sponsors page , a listing on the Consultants List page (if applicable), homepage weblink, and recognition in the Local Section newsletter. Please consider supporting the Pittsburgh AIHA as a Corporate Sponsor! Pittsburgh AIHA Upcoming Events Calendar: The Executive Committee of the Pittsburgh AIHA is working on the 2023 program calendar - details will be updated below and on the website as new events are scheduled. Suggestions for events (speakers, venues, facility tour, etc.) can be submitted via the contact page: Contact Us March 9, 2023 - President's Lunch - Donna S. Heidel, M.S., CIH -REGISTER NOW! April 18, 2023 - Heat Stress Research, W. Jon Williams, Ph.D. - details TBA May 22-24, 2023 - AIHce, Pheonix, AZ (Will try to coordinate a Pittsburgh AIHA dinner for those in attendance from Pittsburgh!) June 14, 2023 - Donora Historical Society, Smog Museum Tour and Presentation , details TBA July 2023 - Summer Business Meeting - Date TBA August 2023 - OPEN September 2023 - OPEN October 26, 2023 - MASHA Safety Conference November 9th or 30th, 2023 - Ventilation Presentation & Lab, Sergio Caporali-Filho, PhD, CSP, CIH - West Virginia University / Student Section December 2023 - Winter Business Meeting - Date TBA Make connections with IH/OEHS experts world-wide with the Catalyst , the NEW members-only online community. Did you get your invitation to join from National AIHA? For more info - see the FAQs here. Click HERE for Pittsburgh AIHA Catalyst User's Guide The Pittsburgh AIHA newsletter is published quarterly. Send questions or comments to
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