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American Industrial hygiene Association |
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Georgia Local Section |
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Mission |
January 2003
Quarterly Newsletter
Web Edition
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January 2003 Quarterly Newsletter Web Edition |
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Executive Committee (2002-03):President: President Elect: Secretary: Treasurer: Director - 1st Term: Director - 2nd Term: Newsletter Editor: Past President: Sponsors Gold Level Clayton Group Services. Silver Level Ashtead
Technologies Bronze Level Analytical Environmental Services,
Inc. (email only) Annual CIH Services Inc.
(email only)
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Looking Forward To The New YearBy Leah Oglesby MSPH, PresidentWhile things may be slowing down for you in anticipation of the holiday season, the local board is in high gear and off to a great start in assuring another successful year for the Georgia Local Section in 2003. We have been working hard on our January 27th meeting and have come up with a great list of speakers to kick off our year. Attendance was lighter than usual at our Fall meeting, so we are offering some extra incentive to attend in January. We will be giving out valuable gift certificates during the meeting for those of you that attend. There is one catch though (isn't there always?). You must attend and pay your 2003 dues to be eligible for the prizes. It really helps us out to collect the majority of the membership dues in January so we don't have to collect throughout the year. So, bring your $15 dues and join us for a jam-packed day of IH fun...you may go home with a little something extra in your pocket! If you still need convincing, here is a list of good reasons to join us January 27th:
PDC UpdateOur planning efforts for the 2003 ASSE/AIHA joint professional development conference (PDC) are going well. The PDC will be held at the Marietta Conference Center on March 27-28, 2003. If any of you have been to the Marietta Conference Center, you know that it is a super nice place. We are excited about the location and the possibility of a golf outing on March 26th. Mark your calendars now to attend. Ryan Langton will be heading up the vendor coordination for the PDC, along with Rich DeLuca and Dave Beem. I know they will do a great job attracting our usual vendors and bringing in some additional vendors that typically target ASSE. It will be an excellent way for us to interact with new vendors that may be interested in supporting our local section. We've also already lined up some great speakers for the IH track of the meeting, including Aaron Trippler from AIHA national. If you have ideas for vendors or speakers for the PDC, or any other meeting for that matter, please contact one of the board members and share your ideas. Leah Oglesby; Art Wickman; Dave Beem; Grover Higgins; Larry Newton; Rich Deluca; Sylvia Callender; Stan Salisbury, or Ryan Langton. We are always looking for your input. I hope all of you have a happy and safe holiday season. We look forward to seeing you on January 27, 2003. New Leads for Lung-Disease Prevention Offered in NIOSH StudyA new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), drawing from a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, identifies industries and occupations with a higher-than-expected prevalence of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). This was the first study that has developed such an estimate from U.S. population-based data. Results included these:
More than 20 million workers in the U.S. are exposed to gases, vapors, fumes, and dusts that cause COPD. The findings suggest that the burden of COPD, particularly among the blue-collar industrial workforce, can be reduced or prevented through measures to reduce hazardous occupational exposures, and through effective workplace pulmonary function screening for timely identification and treatment of COPD in early stages. For more information: www.cdc.gov/niosh AIHA/OSHA ALLIANCE KICK-OFF MEETING HELD; GOALS ESTABLISHED The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) met recently to establish goals for implementing their recently signed Alliance Agreement. The plan includes short-term goals, as well as long-term milestones, to achieve in the areas of outreach and communication, promoting a national dialogue on workplace safety and health, and training and education. “This AIHA/OSHA Alliance will help ensure improved safety and health in the workplace and communities,” said Gayla J. McCluskey, CIH, CSP, ROH, QEP, and AIHA president. “AIHA and OSHA have always worked collaboratively toward furthering the cause of worker health and safety. This Alliance is another step in our journey,” she added. McCluskey stated, “First and foremost, AIHA would like to reach out to other occupational health and safety organizations to encourage them to form a similar alliance with OSHA,” said McCluskey. “We hope to see these organizations become Alliance partners so that AIHA can work with them to ensure that all partners are successful in improving worker health and safety and passing information along to a broad audience.” A second immediate goal is for AIHA to provide access to the many success stories in ergonomics and other injury prevention programs through various communications vehicles. “AIHA has a unique place at the table in working with occupational health and safety. Because of our impartial and unbiased view of the politics involved, we may have a chance to facilitate many of the discussions that will take place,” McCluskey added. Over the long term, AIHA will work with OSHA to ensure appropriate information exchange, collaborate on OSHA's “E-Tools,” assist with the identification of technical experts on ergonomics issues, and much more. For more information on the Alliance agreement, including a full copy, please visit www.aiha.org and choose the government affairs tab. Facts about “Dirty Bombs” for Industrial HygienistsA "dirty bomb" is a radiological weapon or dispersal device. It consists of a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, that is packaged with radioactive material that scatters when the bomb explodes. A dirty bomb kills or injures because of the initial blast of the conventional explosive. In addition, it disperses airborne and surface radioactive contamination, hence the term "dirty." Such bombs could be miniature devices or as big as a truck. These bombs are not capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction, but they may include fissile material such as enriched uranium or plutonium. The NRC published a fact sheet on their web page (www.nrc.gov) that reviews effective measures to limit exposures to the radioactive contamination. The American College of Radiology recently issued recommendations for hospital emergency rooms. Click here for link. Other web pages that provide useful information, include: Enter Safety Slogan ContestContest Closes January 15, 2003
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ABIH CM Points The American Board of Industrial hygiene has awarded certification maintenance (CM) points for the following Georgia AIHA Local Section (GLS) meetings:
Activity: Summer Seminar 2002
Activity: ASSE/AIHA PDC
Activity: Winter Meeting 2002 To find approval numbers for other past meetings or to link to pdf copies of ABIH approval letters, please visit the GLS Web site's Calendar page Write Those Checks Now and Win!
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