ACGIH & AIHA Launch “Improving Exposure Judgments” Initiative

Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Professionals Take Crucial Steps to Enhance Protection for Workers and Communities Against Hazards – November 7, 2024 (Falls Church, VA) – A recent study indicates that traditional methods for assessing worker exposure to hazards, which often rely on professional opinion and experience, may underestimate risks to workers. To better protect workers and communities, leading occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) professionals are advocating for advanced risk-assessment techniques that incorporate statistical tools and other approaches into their daily practices through the new “Improving Exposure Judgments” initiative.

ACGIH 2024 Election Results

ACGIH is pleased to announce the results of our recent Board of Directors and Nominating Committee election. Congratulations to all the 2024 election winners!

Three Active Members were elected to serve on the Board of Directors for a 3-year term:

Representing Academia/Government:

Michael Grant, ScD, CIH. Michael is a Deputy Branch Chief in the Division of Field Studies and Engineering, Field Research Branch, at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). He earned his Doctor of Science degree in Environmental Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (focused on designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions in the commercial construction and healthcare industries), Master of Science degree in Environmental Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (focused on Industrial Hygiene), and Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (focused on Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and Public Health).

Megan Steele, MS, CIH, CSP. Megan serves as the industrial hygiene technical advisor at Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. In this role, she mentors new industrial hygiene consultants, supports their ongoing professional development, and ensures the quality of consultant services. Before joining BWC, Megan worked as an industrial hygiene research contractor and team lead in the Air Force Research Lab Force Health Protection portfolio. She started by conducting exposure assessments in Air Force unique environments, advanced to evaluating air sensor performance, and eventually led several projects including the evaluation of new surface limits for chemicals unique to Air Force operations. Megan holds dual master’s degrees in industrial hygiene and environmental engineering. While chemical engineering wasn’t her true calling, her bachelor’s degree has served her well in providing a strong background in chemistry, math, and analytical thinking.

Representing Industry/Labor:

Jonathan F. Hale, MPA. Jon is President of Air Systems Corporation with over 43 years of experience in the design, worker exposure, installation, governmental regulation of dust control and industrial ventilation systems, energy management and air system analysis projects. Mr. Hale has also worked as an EPA inspector and permits engineer. He is the winner of two national level ASHRAE awards for excellence in energy efficient design of industrial ventilation systems and is the co-chair of the North Carolina Industrial Ventilation Conference. He is the 2022 Meritorious Achievement Awardee. Mr. Hale obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Appalachian State University.

The 2025 ACGIH Nominating Committee will include three elected Active Members to serve a one-year term:

Representing Academia/Government:

Kendra Broadwater, MPH, CIH, CSP. Kendra is a Research Industrial Hygienist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD). She has performed workplace exposure assessments in workplaces across the United States for NIOSH since 2013. Before recently joining the NIOSH Mining program and turning her focus to mining exposures, she developed expertise in evaluation of exposures in nail salons and forensic chemistry laboratories and surface sampling methodology and survey development. She is interested in learning more about exposure assessment strategies used in mining and barriers to adoption of statistics-based decision making in exposure assessment programs.

Stephanie C. Griffin, PhD, CIH. Stephanie holds a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with over 20 years’ experience in a broad range of workplaces including the US Coast Guard, US Air Force, the fire service, and the mining industry, as well as academia. Dr. Griffin is an Associate Professor at Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey where she trains undergraduate and graduate students in public health topics including occupational and environmental health. As a practicing public health professional, she engages in scholarship and service that advance and improve the public health. Dr. Griffin recently retired from that Air National Guard where she served as a Bioenvironmental Engineering officer.

Representing Industry/Labor:

Donald D. Elswick, CIH, CSP, CHMM, CIT. Don has over 30 years of government and multi-industry experience, holding several senior positions in Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) organizations. Don is an Occupational Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Solutions Specialist for ELSMART Associates, LLC. He was formerly the Executive Director, University of Alabama (UA) SafeState, Division of Industrial and Environmental Programs, which provides vision and leadership for environmental safety and health outreach activities for the University in partnership with groups, individuals, employers, and agencies external to UA. In 2022 he was chairperson of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and served on the state of Alabama’s Technical Advisory Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (TAC-STEM). Don has supported oversight of implementing companies’ EHS policies, procedures, standards, guidelines, and practices in government operations, the chemical industry, high-speed manufacturing, and the food industry. He is the Local Section Vice Chair of the local section advisory group (LSAG) a member of the Thermal Stress Working Group (TSWG) for the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), and an active member of the advisory committee for the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). Don retired as a Commander (CDR) in the United States Navy, serving as a Medical Service Corps Officer.

Congratulations to ACGIH’s 2024 Award Winners

Yesterday we honored all the 2024 Award Winners during the 2024 Award Winner Recognition & Virtual Annual Meeting.  This informative meeting also highlighted a number of ACGIH achievements throughout the year and included e a presentation by ACGIH Board Chair Jack Caravanos, DrPH, CIH.

2024 Herbert Stokinger Award Winner will Present Lecture

Come watch live the Stokinger Lecture presented by the 2024 Herbert Stokinger Award Winner Martyn T. Smith, PhD. Register for ACGIH’s 2024 Award Winner Recognition & Virtual Annual Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern. This informative meeting will highlight a number of ACGIH achievements throughout the year and will include a presentation by ACGIH Board Chair Jack Caravanos, DrPH, CIH.

We will also recognize the 2024 Awardees who made significant contributions to the profession through their leadership and dedication.

2024 Herbert Stokinger Award Winner

Martyn T. Smith, PhD

At the conclusion of the meeting, Martyn Thomas Smith will be presenting the Stokinger Lecture titled, “Hazards of Occupational and Environmental Exposure to Benzene.“ Dr. Smith is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Toxicology and the Kaiser Chair of Cancer Epidemiology in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London and did Post-Doctoral training in toxicology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Dr. Smith has expertise in molecular epidemiology, toxicology and genomics, and his research is mostly aimed at finding the causes of cancer, especially blood cancers. Dr. Smith is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the 2010 Children’s Environmental Health Network Award, became an Elected Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini in 2012, and received the Alexander Hollaender Award from the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society in 2014. Since its inception in 1987, Smith has directed the Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). This program combines basic research, engineering, population studies, training, and community engagement to understand cumulative impacts from multiple environmental stressors. Smith is best known for his work on benzene toxicity, the exposome concept and the key characteristics framework, which helps risk assessors better identify, organize, and summarize the potential health risks of different chemicals. His most recent work uses machine learning, AI and molecular modeling to predict toxicity. He has published almost 400 peer-reviewed publications and authored 44 book chapters and 1 book. In 2023, he became President and CEO of 1Tox, a consulting company and has served as a consultant in litigation for over 40 years.

REGISTER TODAY!

Second Comment Period of TLV Development Process Ends Soon

Get your comments in soon for the second comment period of the TLV Development Process. This comment period ends September 30th, with ratification occurring in November, and updates in December.

Submit all comments and/or questions to science@acgih.org by September 30th, following the process outlined on the website.

Also, Documentation is updated from the first comment period and available on our website through Data Hub (ACGIH Subscribers only) and for purchase as PDFs in ACGIH’s Publications Store. ACGIH Subscribers get 20% off.

The updated list of NICs and adopted substances can be found on our website here.

ACGIH is proud to be more responsive to the needs of the occupational health field.

Newly Added Date for Popular Ventilation Course!

Due to the popularity of “Fundamentals in Industrial Ventilation”, ACGIH has added October 21-25 to this year’s schedule to accommodate the demand! This popular hands-on course taught by world-renowned industrial ventilation experts, covers both basic and advanced topics related to industrial ventilation and related calculations.

ACGIH & AIHA are Calling for Members to Join Advisory Groups

ACGIH and AIHA are calling for members to join two advisory groups:

• Defining the Science Advisory Group
• Improving Exposure Judgments Advisory Group

Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Consider contributing to the advancement of OEHS science.

Executive Director Engages with Students & Faculty at University of Findlay

I am excited to share the news of a recent visit to the University of Findlay by the esteemed Executive Director of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), Phillip Rauscher, CIH, CSP, MPH. This visit marked a significant collaboration between ACGIH and our university, strengthening the ties between academia and industry in the field of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences (OEHS).

Mr. Rauscher, accompanied by ACGIH’s commitment to “globally protect worker health,” engaged in fruitful discussions with the Departmental Chair, Dr. Kim Lichtveld, MSPH, Ph.D., along with faculty members Dr. Seth Ebersviller, Ph.D., CIH, and Mr. Carl Habekost, JD, COSS, COSM, who serve as Associate Professor and Assistant Professor, respectively, in the Department of Environmental, Safety & Occupational Health Programs.

The meeting was not only an opportunity for knowledge exchange but also a platform to discuss ACGIH’s support for OEHS professionals, both students and faculty, in line with their mission. The University of Findlay, being a leading institution in environmental, safety, and occupational health programs, was an ideal setting for such discussions.

One of the highlights of the visit was Mr. Rauscher’s engagement with emerging professionals in the ESOH 465 Environmental Audits and Assessment class. The students had the unique chance to learn directly from an industry leader, gaining insights into the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the field. This interaction aimed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.

Moreover, the visit took an exciting turn as Mr. Rauscher shed light on the partnership between ACGIH and Safety for Non-profits (S4NP). This collaboration provides students with valuable experiential work experience, allowing them to apply their skills in real-world scenarios. Such initiatives align with ACGIH’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of OEHS professionals.

The University of Findlay is thrilled to be a part of this partnership, offering students the chance to participate in meaningful projects and gain hands-on experience that is invaluable in today’s competitive job market.

ACGIH will continue to foster strong relationships between academia and industry, they are confident that these collaborations will empower our students and faculty to make meaningful contributions to the field of Occupational and Environmental Health Safety Profession. We look forward to more exciting ventures and opportunities that arise from such enriching partnerships.

Thank you, Mr. Phillip Rauscher, for your insightful visit and dedication to advancing the mission of ACGIH.

Respectfully,

Donald D.  Elswick, CIH,CSP, CIT, CHMM

Congratulations To New ACGIH Executive Director

Congratulations to Phillip Rauscher, MPH, CIH, CSP! Phil has been Interim Executive Director since Fall 2022. Well deserved, he now has been appointed ACGIH’s new Executive Director.

Phil earned his BS degree in Public Health with a minor in Chemistry from Youngstown State University. He went on to earn his MPH in Environmental/Occupational Health from the University of Toledo. He has since earned a graduate certificate in Quality Management Systems from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.

Phil is an Industrial Safety Hygienist for the Ohio-Bureau of Workers Compensation Division of Safety and Hygiene. He works primarily in the field on comprehensive industrial hygiene and engineering surveys to anticipate, identify, evaluate and control airborne contaminants, noise levels and heat/cold stress. He also assists employers of various industries with development of safety programs and implementation of best practice guidelines and works with stakeholders to educate employers on common hazards in the workplace and compliance with federal and state law through development and implementation of both classroom and online training as well as publicly available educational materials. Phil acts as a liaison for the Chemical Committee to Ohio Safety Congress, the nation’s largest regional safety conference, to plan and facilitate educational sessions.

Phil first became involved with ACGIH in 2014. He is also a member of AIHA and has served as the Secretary of the AIHA Northwest Chapter since 2014. Phil is a Liaison/Facilitator of the Ohio Safety Congress Chemical Committee. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

As a young industrial hygienist, Phil has made outstanding contributions to the industrial hygiene profession through fieldwork and has made a significant impact as a practitioner and a leader making him a worthy recipient of the John J. Bloomfield Award. The award was announced at the ACGIH Membership Reception and Annual Meeting of the Membership and at the Mark of Excellence Breakfast.

Phil has been with ACGIH since July 2020. He was hired as head of the Science and Education Department. Winner of the 2019 John J. Bloomfield Award, Phil’s scientific knowledge and leadership skills have paid off to earn him this new and challenging position.

The ACGIH Board and Staff are very proud and look forward to Phil’s continuing ambitions to steer ACGIH in advancing the occupational/environmental health and safety world. 

Congratulations Phil!