| The Mid-Atlantic Safety and Health Alliance, Inc. (MASHA) is pleased to announce that their 14th annual Safety and Health Conference will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at the Regional Learning Alliance Center (RLA) in Cranberry Township, PA. The Pittsburgh AIHA is a proud sponsor and exhibitor at this event.  Pittsburgh AIHA Members at MASHA 2022 | Conference Highlights:
Register online: https://mashasafetyconference.org/ |
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Job Opportunity - Principal Industrial Hygienist - Product Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Covestro9/19/2023
This event has been cancelled for September and will be held in January 2024.
 Thank you to MaryAnn Hoff (PPG) and Andy Maier (Stantec) for their presentations at the event "The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in the Workplace" held on August 31, 2023 at PPG Industries located in Monroeville, PA.
Pittsburgh AIHA President-Elect, Barry Momyer (AM Health and Safety, Inc.) did the introductions and local section announcements for the group of 23 attendees (both in person and remote). Thank you to Carol Delfino, CIH, CSP (Pgh. AIHA Secretary/Delfino Health & Safety) who provided the presentation summary below. Reviewing New Chemicals Under the Toxic Substances Control Act: The EPA reviews new chemicals under TSCA to ensure their safety and to protect human health and the environment. TSCA was updated in 2016 to provide the EPA with more comprehensive authority to evaluate and regulate chemicals. Their process for evaluating is summarized below (click the read more link):  The Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum is dedicated to the victims of the infamous Donora Smog of 1948 that occurred in October of that year.
In their 75th Year of Remembrance of that fateful event, they are hosting an Environmental Symposium on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, in Donora just a few blocks from "ground zero" of the Donora Zinc Works that was the impetus of the deadly smog that killed dozens, sickened thousands and eventually led to clean air legislation and our moniker that "Clean Air Started Here." Their goal on October 18th will be to remember the victims of the 1948 Smog by discussing past, current and future environmental issues. As a primer for the symposium, on Tuesday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m., they will be doing a combination in person (at the Smog Museum) and Zoom presentation on the 1948 Smog for the Battle of Homestead group. A lineup of presenters for the Environmental Symposium has mostly been established and they can be found at the link below along with other details of the symposium, including registration for the Sept. 26 7:30 PM zoom presentation: https://sites.google.com/site/donorahistoricalsociety/futurepast-historical-events/1948-smog-75th-year-of-remembrance-2023 The mission of the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum is to preserve, research, interpret and promote Donora history through cooperative continuing educational relationships with individuals and institutions, focusing on causes and effects of the 1948 "smog" tragedy and its impact on global environmental concerns and issues.  The Pittsburgh AIHA will increase membership dues to $35 for 2024. Members that pay their Pgh. AIHA dues along with their National AIHA dues will notice this increase on the renewal form. National AIHA will begin collecting 2024 dues in October 2023.
Some of the valuable Pgh. AIHA membership benefits include:
Corporate Sponsor membership will increase to $250 per year for 2024. The benefits still include:
The University of Pittsburgh EH&S Department has an opening for a Lab Safety Specialist. Interested individuals can find more information and apply at: Job Description - Laboratory Safety Specialist (23005333) (taleo.net)   The SUMMER newsletter is posted and includes a summary of activities from the last few months! It has been a busy first half of the year. Thanks to the Executive Committee for their hard work and our local section members who participate in the events and support the local section!
Our next event will be held August 31, a TSCA presentation by MaryAnn Hoff (PPG) and Andy Maier (Stantec). Stay tuned for more details! Enjoy the rest of your summer! ALL sessions are available in the online classroom! Don't forget to take advantage of the free e-learning resources available with your Pittsburgh AIHA membership. You should have received an email from National AIHA E-learning with instructions to log into your online classroom. Any questions regarding the online classroom should be directed to National AIHA E-learning at DLAssistant@aiha.org.The 2023 sessions selected include:
The E-Learning roster has been updated with National AIHA for the 3rd Quarter of 2023 -- All 2023 members in good standing (dues paid/membership renewed for 2022) should receive an email from National AiHA with details and login steps. If you did not receive the email, please contact Christy Kirsch at ckirsch@pittsburghaiha.org to confirm your membership status.  Take a minute to check out the Pittsburgh AIHA Historical page for a few additions (submitted by Frank Pokrywka, Pittsburgh AIHA):
Do you have something to contribute to the Historical Page? Please email: PittsburghAIHAhistory@gmail.com. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the worst air pollution disaster in U.S. history. In an effort to learn more about this significant event, the Pittsburgh Local Section headed to the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum in Donora, Pennsylvania. During the presentation, the chapter members learned how the town of Donora was founded, what life was like in Donora and Webster when over eight thousand people worked at the massive American Steel and Wire Company Donora Works, and most importantly what transpired around Halloween in 1948. The 1948 Donora Smog Disaster and its aftermath had a wide-reaching effect on public health and the environment. Its story even ties in early pioneers of industrial hygiene including Industrial Hygienist Dr. Philip Drinker and Toxicologist Dr. Mary Ochsenhirt Amdur. The Pittsburgh Local Section would like to thank Mr. Brian Charlton and Dr. Dave Lonich for teaching us about the history of the 1948 Donora Smog Disaster. We would also like to thank Mr. Mark Pawelec for coordinating the event as well as the luncheon at the Early Bird Diner that followed the tour. Finally, we would like to thank Natalie Gaydos, CIH for suggesting this exciting event! If you would like to see the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum summary of the June 14th event, please click on this link. As part of the 75th anniversary remembrance of the event, the society has a symposium planned for October. If you are interested in volunteering to participate in this symposium, please reach out to Mr. Mark Pawelec at donorahistoricalsociety@gmail.com. We would like to say a special thank you to all the following members for attending this event:
Here are just a few photos from inside the museum where the presentation was held -- there is so much to see! It would be easy to spend half a day (or more!) just looking through all the memorabilia and artifacts! Write-up provided by Dane Mitcheson, Pgh. AIHA President-Elect
 The Pittsburgh AIHA is happy to announce that Sophia Naugle from Slippery Rock University is the recipient of the Pgh. AIHA Local Section scholarship awarded through the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF). Sophia was recognized along with all AIHF scholarship recipients at the 2023 AIHce Conference. Sophia is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Safety Management and a minor in Leadership. She also serves as the Social Media coordinator for the SRU Student AIHA Chapter. Sophia is spending the summer working as an intern at DAVIS Construction. Congratulations to Sophia!   A big shout out to our two leaders from the SRU AIHA Student Section!
Jacob Brand (President) and Hannah Roberts (Vice-President) recently graduated from the SRU Safety Management Program on May 6, 2023. Jacob not only received a degree in safety, but also earned a second major in Professional Spanish. Jacob was a member of the Dean’s List his entire time at SRU and was not only the President of AIHA Student Section, but he was also the President of the Spanish Club, secretary of the Men’s Club Soccer Team, and an active member of the SRU ASSP Student Section. He is Interning in Springdale, PA with PPG Industries, as a part of the Environmental Health and Safety team. Jacob is returning to SRU in the fall to begin work on an MBA. Hannah Roberts, who was the AIHA Student Section Vice-President/Treasurer, was also a member of the Dean's list during her academic journey and was an active member in the SRU ASSP Student Section. She assisted in the research project focusing on noise during Division II basketball games and co-presented this research at the WPA ASSP Conference. Hannah is spending the summer Interning with Bozzuto Construction Company in Alexandria, Virginia. Her future goals are to continue in the construction industry, and eventually do some environmental work. Slippery Rock graduated approximately 40 students on May 6, 2023, and approximately 44 students will be complete August 2023. Congratulations and good luck to you all! We are happy to announce the new and exciting group of SRU AIHA Student Section leaders for academic year 2023-2024:
Dr. Rona Smeak, PhD, CSP, Associate Professor, Slippery Rock University  Mark your calendar for our next event!! On June 14, 2023, the Pittsburgh AIHA will head to the Donora Smog Museum for a presentation and tour. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the infamous Smog of 1948, which will be the focus of the presentation. REGISTER ONLINE ---2023-06-14 Donora Smog Museum
The schedule is as follows: Seminar – 9:15 – 11:15 a.m., Break – 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Tour – 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lunch following the tour is optional and will be held at a local favorite, The Early Bird Diner. The diner is less than a block away and has a private side room four our group to meet. Lunch will be paid for by the attendee the day of the event and is not included in the registration fee. The Donora Historical Society was established in 1946 and incorporated in 1996 and is recognized as the oldest community historical society in Washington County of Pennsylvania. They are a non-profit that operates on a volunteer basis. Their parent historical societies are the Washington Country Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The original charter members did yeomen's work with laying the foundation for preserving Donora's history. The members that followed would continue that work for the next 70 years. As a testament to all of their hard work and dedication, they have a plethora of artifacts and documents that they use for research and presentation purposes. In 2008, they opened their present facility to showcase the artifacts and call it the Smog Museum, thus their formal title is the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum.  Pittsburgh AIHA Member, Zane Frund, Ph.D., Executive Director, R&D Dept. at MSA Innovation was named the recipient of the National AIHA John M. White Award, presented by the AIHA Respiratory Protection Committee. National AIHA CEO, Lawrence Sloan noted "This is a testament to your leadership in driving continuous improvement toward improving the health and well-being of workers and the communities where they work and live."
Zane's achievement will be recognized by the National AIHA in various ways, including via press release, on the AIHA website, the Catalyst online community, and at AIHce EXP 2023. The John M. White Award was established by the AIHA Respiratory Protection Committee to encourage scientific and application-oriented research in respiratory protection. CONGRATULATIONS ZANE!! With summer around the corner, the Pittsburgh Local Section headed to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) to learn about cutting-edge research being led by Dr. W. Jon Williams on heat stress. Dr. Williams is a Senior Research Physiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who currently serves as the Vice Chair of the AIHA Thermal Stress Working Group. Even more impressive than Dr. Williams’ resume is his research. During the seminar with our local section, he discussed the team of scientists that he leads to study the physiological responses of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and the means to mitigate these responses. The physiological responses that they study include cardiovascular strain, heat stress, cooling technologies, and pharmacological interventions to improve PPE and reduce the physiological strain from wearing PPE. They also focus on the ergonomic impacts of PPE. The research that was presented to the section is truly innovative and will improve the lives of workers and first responders in the future. The Pittsburgh Local Section would like to thank Jon Williams, PhD., Research Physiologist, National Personal Protective Technology Lab for inviting us to NIOSH, sharing his research with us, and showing us one of his labs. We would also like to thank Matt Zock, CIH for coordinating the event at NIOSH on April 18, 2023. Finally, we would like to thank all the following members for attending this event:
By Dane Mitcheson, CIH, CSP, President-Elect, Pgh. AIHA, Photos submitted by Matt Zock, CIH, Past President, Pgh. AIHA   Special thanks to Pgh. AIHA Secretary, Frank Pokrwyka, Ed.D, CIH, who was the lone sponsor judge for the 2023 annual science fair held on March 29, 2023 at the Carnegie Science Center. This year's Pgh. AIHA Science Fair award recipients are presented below. Each student received a $500 award sponsored by the Pittsburgh Local Section. Congratulations to these talented high school students and their teachers!
 Following the recent Local Section Election, we would like to congratulate the following Pittsburgh AIHA members who will begin their term of office this summer!
President-Elect: Barry Momyer, CIH - AM Health and Safety, Inc. Director: Rona Smeak, Ph.D, CSP - Slippery Rock University Secretary: Carol Delfino, CIH, CSP - Delfino Health & Safety, LLC Thank you to current Committee members, Tim Beck who will end his term as President, to be replaced by current President-elect Dane Mitcheson who will serve as President through July 2024. Frank Pokrwyka remains as Treasurer, and Darrick Bertig remains as Director, each through July 2024. A big thank you to all who participate and volunteer for the Pittsburgh AIHA!  The Pittsburgh Local Section would like to thank the National AIHA President Donna Heidel, MS, CIH, FAIHA (Global Principal Industrial Hygienist - Amazon) for addressing our local section on the current and future direction of the AIHA. All the local section members in attendance had an opportunity to chat with Ms. Heidel about the AIHA and/or the profession in general. During the presentation, Ms. Heidel highlighted some of the great work being done by members of our local section on a national level. She also emphasized the excellent job being done by our local section including the development of the student chapters at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Slippery Rock University (SRU), and West Virginia University (WVU). Immediately following her presentation, she held a question-and-answer session and some of our local chapter members had a chance to highlight some of the incredible projects that they are actively leading. Donna was kind enough to share her presentation with the Pittsburgh AIHA -- you can view it HERE: Pittsburgh LS Update March 2023 The Pittsburgh Local Section would also like to thank Matt Zock, CIH and Christy Kirsch for coordinating the event at the LeMont Restaurant on March 9, 2023. In addition, we would like to say a special thank you to Dr. Deanna Kiska and U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc. for being the event’s drink sponsor. Finally, we would like to thank everyone who sponsored or volunteered to sponsor a student to attend the event. Thank you to all the following members for attending this event:
Thanks to Dane Mitcheson for providing the meeting review. Photos provided by Frank Pokrywka, Dane Mitcheson, Sarmed Shareef, and Christy Kirsch.
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