Quarterly Newsletter - Hardcopy Edition

Presidents Message, Dave Beem, CIH

At this writing it has been one week since we lost our innocence. It is one week since we watched in horror. It is one week since our lives have been drastically changed. As I watch the sun rise in the east this morning, nothing has changed but everything has changed.

I was suppose to be writing this article about the value of local membership and what a great summer meeting we had, but my priorities have been rearranged by an outside force that I do not understand.

What I do want to convey is what a great profession we are apart of. Industrial hygienists and environmental professionals are smack dab in the middle of the clean up. We are monitoring outside and inside office buildings. It is our expertise that is being called upon to help people and businesses get back into their buildings and try to resume what was abruptly halted on September 11, 2001.

I ask that you continue to pray for the families of the victims and the rescue effort itself. I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be an Industrial Hygienist.

OSHA Appoints Compliance Assistance Specialists

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has appointed nine compliance assistance specialists to area offices in four Southeastern states: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. The specialists will ensure that large and small businesses throughout the region get the technical assistance they need to comply with workplace safety and health standards.

Working with businesses, business associations, labor organizations and other stakeholders, the new specialists will provide training, education and compliance assistance, particularly to those who have been reluctant to seek OSHA assistance in the past. It is hoped that an active partnership between these OSHA "advisors" and the business community will increase compliance and save lives.

"Most employers want to do the right thing," said Cindy Coe, OSHA's Atlanta regional administrator. "They just need information on how to do it."

Coe emphasized that the compliance assistance specialists are separate and distinct from the agency's enforcement program. "We want to assure employers that contacting one of these highly trained professionals for responses to questions, assistance in establishing a safety and health program, or help with addressing workplace hazards will not trigger any kind of OSHA enforcement action."

Georgia: Atlanta East/Tucker - Jonathan Worrell, (770) 493-5400; Atlanta-West/Smyrna - Marilyn Velez, (770) 984-1253; Savannah - Phillip Moncrief, (912) 652-4393

AIHA's Sept 14^th Response To Recent Events

Dear AIHA Member:

It is a time of immense sorrow in the United States. Our nation has suffered a great shock. AIHA has received an outpouring of condolences from its international members. For that, we are grateful.

As OEHS professionals, we possess special training and expertise that may prove to be of assistance to the citizens of New York City. However, it is important that we offer our help in a methodical way, contacting the right people through the right channels so that we can be told what is needed, when it is needed, and where it is needed.

We can help. We are ready to help. We will help. AIHA and ASSE have been contacted by Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA John Henshaw to assist in the coordination of sending respirators (both disposable and cartridge) to NYC. This is being coordinated now through AIHA exhibitors and organizational members. Additionally, AIHA is working on developing a list of qualified consultants who wish to volunteer their time to assist with air quality data sampling and/or analysis as NYC attempts to return to normalcy. A special hotline number is being established now for businesses to call to receive access to these services. AIHA is well known in OSHA and NIOSH circles and expects to be contacted further. In the interest of time, from this point forward, AIHA will update its members on www.aiha.org under "AIHA News and Events," in the scrolling area, as well as the IH-listserve. To sign up for the latter, please send an e-mail to:

aihaih-list-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

In the meantime, I ask the members of AIHA to join together and pray. We are a nation of immense resources and resolve. We will get through this and be stronger for it.

Best regards,
Henry B. Lick, PhD, CIH, CSP, ROH
President

ACGIH® and Its Members Do Their Part to Aid in the Relief Effort

ACGIH®, along with everyone else in the nation and beyond, has been affected by the tragedy that occurred in New York on September 11. Initially struck by horror, we were dumbfounded, and found what happened surreal. Now that we are coming to terms with the shock of what has happened, ACGIH® is responding to the challenges that face us all.

On the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACGIH® has donated TLVs® for over 40 different substances that victims and search, recovery, and rescue workers have been exposed to as a result of the terrorist attacks. Countless industrial hygienists and safety professionals, including many from ACGIH®, have left their homes, and headed for New York to offer their expertise in determining levels of safety for search, recovery, and rescue workers and for New York residents returning to home and work.

ACGIH® would like to take this opportunity to offer its condolences to all those individuals who have lost friends, colleagues, and loved ones in this tragedy.

ABIH Certification Maintenance

The American Board of Industrial hygiene has awarded certification maintenance (CM) points for the following Georgia AIHA Local Section meetings:

Activity: Winter Meeting 2001
Date: 1/2/2001
CM Points Awarded: 1 CM point
CM # 14792

Activity: ASSE/AIHA PDC
Date: 4/23-24/2001
CM Points Awarded: 1 CM point
CM # 15619

Activity: Summer Seminar
Date: 7/20/2001
CM Points Awarded: 0.5 CM point
CM # 16045

To find approval numbers for other past meetings, please visit the GLS Web site's Calendar page at http://www.georgiaaiha.org/calendar.html.

Executive Committee Highlights Leah Oglesby

The Georgia Local Section Executive Committee met on September 7, 2001 at Georgia Power. Attending members included Dave Beem, Stan Salisbury, Ed Grunwald, Kevin Gara, Grover Higgins, Leah Oglesby and Peter Kowalski. The board meeting started off with a treasurer's report from Ed Grunwald. While the section is in excellent financial standing, the board was a little concerned with the lack of dues being paid for the current 2001-2002 year. The board decided to send out invoices for members that have not paid their dues.

Peter Kowalski shared comments from the summer meeting, and we had an overall positive response. Most of you were very pleased with Dr. Harper's presentation and felt that it was extremely informative. One comment suggested cell phones and pagers be turned off or put in vibration mode during the meetings. Let's all try to work on that in the future!

The board had a lengthy discussion of the ACGIH TLV lawsuit issue. Dave Beem and Stan Salisbury will update the members on the board's conclusions at the October meeting. Stan has also agreed to prepare some information on how the TLV process works. Some Board members acknowledged not fully understanding the TLV process, and the Board believes many of our members probably don't either! We hope the October meeting discussion will allow us all to brush up on our knowledge of the TLV issues.

The board agreed to proceed with a scholarship donation of $1000 to a University of Georgia student. Dr. Phil Williams has offered to assist the board in selecting a deserving student to receive the scholarship money. We plan to notify members of the student selected, and to participate in the UGA award ceremony.

The Winter Meeting made it on our calendars for January 28, 2002. This will be our annual Vendor's Day meeting and should prove to be exciting and informative. The next board meetings are scheduled during lunch at the October 22nd meeting at CIBA Vision and on December 7th at Georgia Power. Please don't hesitate to contact a board member if you have meeting topic ideas or would like to host a meeting at your facility. We always welcome suggestions from our members.

2001 Advertising Fee Schedule