Pittsburgh Section AIHA - Home

Summer 2026 Newsletter Available Now!

8/10/2026

The Summer 2026 issue of the Pittsburgh AIHA Newsletter is available now, bringing you the latest news from our local section. This issue includes highlights from our Summer Business Meeting, new professional and student member welcomes, scholarship announcements, and a recap of our tour of the Butler County Public & Industrial Safety Training Academy. You'll also find a regulatory update covering OSHA and EPA developments, upcoming events including the Festival of Combustion and GOSH's 100th anniversary, and important membership reminders.

We encourage all members to take a few minutes to read through the latest issue and stay connected with what’s happening across our OEHS community. CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO OPEN THE FILE (12 PAGES).

Summer Business Meeting Review - Thurs. July 9, 2026

7/20/2026

The Executive Committee of the Pittsburgh AIHA held the Summer local section business meeting at MSA Product Development Laboratory in Cranberry, PA on Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Meeting minutes are linked - click the icon at the right.

Members in attendance included:

Zane Frund, MSA Safety - incoming President
Darrick Bertig, IUP - outgoing President
Josh Maskrey, Insight Exposure & Risk Sciences Group - incoming President-Elect
Frank Pokrywka, KTA-Tator, Inc. - Treasurer
Matt Zock, Amazon - incoming Director
Dane Mitcheson, FedEx - Secretary
Barbara Cummings, AM Health & Safety

IUP Offering Free Safety Training for Small Businesses

6/8/2026

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Safety Sciences is offering free safety training for small businesses across Pennsylvania through the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Susan Harwood Grant program.

The training covers the following topics:

Hazard Communication
Lockout/Tagout
Inhalation and Absorption Hazards/Respiratory Protection

Training is available in English or Spanish and can be conducted onsite at your company or at a convenient location near you.

There is no cost to participate. To learn more and request training, please visit IUP's website at https://www.iup.edu/safetysciences/osha-training/index.html and complete the brief survey questionnaire.

IUP Contact person for more information:
Dr. Tracey L. Cekada, CSP
Chairperson and Professor
Department of Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering
Phone: 724-357-3019 Email: [email protected]

Pittsburgh AIHA Member Awarded TSI/Arthur J. Abrams Scholarship!

6/7/2026

Congratulations to Pittsburgh AIHA member Kari Knable, who was awarded the TSI/Arthur J. Abrams Memorial Scholarship at AIHA Connect 2026. Kari joined our local section while enrolled in Darrick Bertig’s Safety and Health Communications course at IUP in Spring 2025. She is currently completing her internship and majoring in Safety, Health, and Environmental Applied Sciences at IUP.

The TSI/Arthur J. Abrams Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF), is presented to a first‑time student, with preference given to those attending a college or university in Minnesota or the Northeastern United States. Additional consideration is given to students returning to school to pursue a career change into the industrial hygiene profession.

Our Pittsburgh AIHA Local Section Scholarship recipient, Naydelin Hernandez, was also recognized at AIHA Connect 2026 and is included in the group photo of scholarship winners below.

Welcome NEW Pittsburgh AIHA Members - IUP Safety Sciences

6/1/2026

Join us in welcoming several new Pittsburgh AIHA members and IUP students. Pictured below are eight of the ten IUP Safety, Health, and Environmental Applied Sciences students who joined our local section during the Spring 2026 semester. New members include: Rashed Elamin, Elizabeth Fordham (President of IUP Student AIHA), MacKenzie Keiper, Connor Sheirer, Rudy Shetler, Logan Shovel, Elijah Sorchilla, Mason Steed, Tagg Walker, Nathan Wood

Meeting Review – Presentation and Tour of Butler County Community College Public Safety and Industrial Safety Training Academy

5/28/2026

The Pittsburgh AIHA Local Section was invited on Thursday, May 21st, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to the Butler County Community College (BC3) Public Safety and Industrial Safety Training Academy to learn more about the services they offer. The event started with a presentation by Coordinator of Public Safety Kevin Smith. Mr. Smith also serves as the Commander of the Butler County Hazardous Materials Response Team and the Deputy Fire Chief with the Bulter Township Volunteer Fire District. Through his role at BC3, Mr. Smith supports the training of 10,000 first responders and other professionals each year.

Mr. Smith’s counterpart is Maria Chvala, who is the Coordinator of Industrial Safety Training; however, she was unable to attend the event, which led to Mr. Smith discussing both topics during his presentation. The presentation covered the numerous training courses currently being offered by BC3, including Fire, Hazmat, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and First Aid topics as well as OSHA Training topics. From Industrial Fire Brigade to Confined Space Rescue to HAZWOPER to Hazard Communication Training, BC3 offers many courses to a diverse audience. During the presentation, these offerings were discussed and how BC3 incorporates a hands-on element into them.

Following the presentation, Mr. Smith gave a tour of the Public Safety Training Facility. The unique training structures and props include a rescue tower, three-story burn building, flash over simulator, tanker truck, rail tank car, helicopter imitation, confined space simulators, and mock industrial settings for both fire and hazmat emergencies. He also showed the attendees a lot of the different equipment, including a fire truck that is utilized to conduct this hands-on training using the aforementioned training structures and props. The tour really depicted the great training being offered by BC3.

The presentation and tour were enjoyed by all the attendees. Mr. Smith indicated they are always interested in recruiting new instructors, so any AIHA Member who is interested and qualified to provide a training topic offered by BC3 should reach out to Mr. Smith or Ms. Chvala. Overall, the Pittsburgh AIHA would like to extend a big thanks to Mr. Smith for being our presenter and tour guide.

Finally, we would like to thank the following members/guests who attended the event:

Darrick Bertig, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Barbara Cummings, AM Health and Safety
Zane Frund, MSA Safety
Betty Goodman‑Klein, DOCS HEALTH
Josh Maskrey, Insight Exposure & Risk Sciences
Dane Mitcheson, FedEx
Frank Pokrywka, KTA Tator
Zachary Rengers, Covestro
Sarmed Shareef, Community College of Allegheny County
Matt Zock, Amazon
Alex Zupanovich, Covestro

Thanks to Dane Mitcheson, AIHA Pgh. Secretary, for providing this summary.

Spring 2026 Pittsburgh AIHA Newsletter Now Available

5/5/2026

The Pittsburgh AIHA Spring 2026 Newsletter is now published and packed with updates from across our local section. This issue includes highlights from recent technical sessions, election results, student chapter news, upcoming events, scholarship announcements, and important reminders for members. You’ll also find details on our May tour of the Butler County Public & Industrial Safety Training Academy and key dates for AIHA Connect 2026 in New Orleans.

We encourage all members to take a few minutes to read through the latest issue and stay connected with what’s happening across our OEHS community. CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO OPEN THE FILE (13 PAGES).

2026 Pittsburgh AIHA Scholarship Recipient Announced

5/2/2026

Congratulations to Naydelin Hernandez, a student at Slippery Rock University (SRU) and President of the SRU AIHA Student Section, who has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Pittsburgh AIHA Local Section Scholarship.

Naydelin will graduate from Slippery Rock University in 2026 with multiple degrees: a BS in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, a BS in Safety Management, and a BA in Professional Spanish. She brings a strong record of academic achievement and leadership. As a native Spanish and English speaker, Naydelin has demonstrated her skills across clinical settings, active construction sites, and community-based programs, providing clear and reliable translation support in each environment. She recently worked as an Intern at DPR Construction, where she assisted in overseeing the safety of approximately 650 workers.

Naydelin will be recognized at this year’s AIHA Connect Conference in New Orleans, along with all AIHF scholarship recipients, during the AIHA / AIHF Recognition Reception on Sunday, May 31, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.

See all current and past Pittsburgh AIHA Scholarship recipients here: https://www.aiha.org/get-involved/aih-foundation/aih-foundation-scholarships/pittsburgh-local-section-scholarship

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