Registration is open for our next event on Tuesday, February 23 from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM.  There are two parts to this virtual meeting:

​​Verifying Engineering Controls - The Critical Role of Emerging Technology (11:30 AM - 12:00 PM) - Speaker Erik Malmstrom, SafeTraces
​
Current and Overlooked IEQ Topics (12:00 - 1:30 PM) - Speaker Joe Hughes, IAQ Training Institute

Register online by February 22, 2021.  Details can be found on the meeting page: ​2021-02-23 IEQ Topics

SKC, Inc. is looking for an Instrument Specialist. Follow the link below for more information: 
https://recruiting.myapps.paychex.com/appone/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=3370387&B_ID=91&fid=1&Adid=0&ssbgcolor=273A5B&SearchScreenID=13289&CountryID=3&LanguageID=2

Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL) in Linthicum, MD, is seeking a Principal/Sr. Principal EHS Engineer to support occupational health programs.  Full details regarding the position are available at the Northrop Grumman Career page, https://www.northropgrumman.com/careers/experienced-professionals/.  To find it, select "SEARCH ALL US JOBS".  Then search by keyword "Industrial Hygienist".   You can also reply to johnlparker@juno.com if interested.
 
Key roles and responsibilities include:

• Develops, implements, and maintains occupational health programs to ensure compliance, injury prevention, and risk mitigation.
• Oversees the following occupational health programs: asbestos/lead abatement, hearing conservation, respiratory protection, hazard communication, ventilation, non-ionizing radiation (lasers and radiofrequency), and chemical hygiene plans.
• Conducts qualitative and quantitative hazard assessments to include exposure monitoring for physical and chemical agents.
• Completes industrial and office ergonomic evaluations to reduce risk factors that cause musculoskeletal disorders.
• Conducts internal compliance inspections and identifies actions necessary to meet regulatory requirements.
• Reviews and interprets existing and proposed environmental, health, and safety (EHS) regulations to determine applicability and impact for site. 
• Partners with engineers, scientists, and management to support the integration of EHS into the design of new or altered processes and operations and building construction projects.  
• Works to continuously improve the culture, awareness and accountability of EHS programs.
• Interfaces with regulatory representatives, senior management, the site EHS Committee, and the Emergency Response, and Crisis Management teams. 

 

The current Pittsburgh AIHA Newsletter is posted in multiple formats - please view here:
https://www.pittsburghaiha.org/newsletter.html.

The next Pittsburgh AIHA Newsletter is expected to be published late February 2021.  Submit any announcements, events, items of interest, etc. to info@pittsburghaiha.org.

The Pittsburgh AIHA does not have a January 2021 event scheduled and would like to share an invitation extended by the Yuma Pacific Southwest (YPSW) AIHA to participate in their annual meeting.  

YPSW Program Chair, Fred Boelter, has assembled an excellent program and slate of speakers in line with the current times aptly named:  "Resiliency Through Change" 

Two 2-hour Sessions to be held Thurs./Fri. (Jan 21 and 22) from 4:00-6:00 PM Eastern Time.

The meeting Agenda is found here:  46th Annual Meeting Agenda

REGISTER ONLINE BY JANUARY 15:  2021 YPSW Registration Form (Download, Fill-in, & Email)

On Wednesday, December 16, the local section held their winter business meeting via ZOOM.   Thank you to the members who participated in the call!   Available Now: Click HERE for the DRAFT meeting minutes.  

Topics discussed during this meeting included: 

•  Secretary's Update / Report
•  Treasurer's Update / Report
•  Program / meeting topics 
•  Nominations for 2020 Election
•  E-Learning Update 
•  Student Local Sections / young professional involvement / outreach 

The AIHA Pittsburgh Local Section is in need of volunteers for the 2021-2022 executive committee.  We are in search of nominations for President-Elect, Director, and Secretary.  For any questions regarding duties and terms, and to submit nominations for yourself or others, please contact our nominations committee chair, Renee Cowell, CSP at renee.cowell@energytransfer.com. 

The Pittsburgh Local Section Election will take place in February 2021.  For a general description of duties, please see the link:  https://www.pittsburghaiha.org/bylaws.html 

Over the past 30 years, the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF) has awarded more than 680 scholarships totaling nearly $2 million to students dedicated to studying industrial hygiene and/or occupational and environmental health safety.  Every year, the AIHF awards qualified students and young professionals with scholarships of varying types to help offset costs in their pursuit of a career in industrial hygiene.  

With a variety of scholarships available (PIttsburgh AIHA sponsors a scholarship), students in undergraduate and graduate degree programs that lead to a career in industrial hygiene can find varying levels of awards and assistance to further their educational opportunities. Unless otherwise noted, interested students should follow the established application and eligibility guidelines for the scholarships listed below.

• Endowed Scholarships
• Grants and Other Scholarships
• Active AIHA Local Section and Volunteer Group Scholarships
• Corporate Scholarships

The deadline to submit all AIHF application materials is February 1, 2021. All materials must be completed and answered in full and can now be completed using an online application portal.

Reminder to visit your ONLINE CLASSROOM before the deadline -- One great benefit provided by our local section is an AIHA eLearning Lite subscription.   Details were sent in an email to all 2020 PAID Pittsburgh AIHA Members from National AIHA -- Each should see the following 2020 webinars in their classroom:

• An Introduction to Big Data and Data Analytics
• Asbestos and Nanoparticles: Using Benchmark Dose Methodology for Risk Assessment 
• The Ear Poisons: An Introduction to Ototoxicants 
• Heat Stress: Assessment and Control 
• Ethics in Risk Management: Complex, Paradoxical, Prickly
  

IMPORTANT - YOU MUST BE CURRENT 2020 DUES-PAYING MEMBER.  Our Pgh. AIHA subscription roster includes only members current on their 2020 dues.  Pgh. AIHA 2020 Corporate Sponsors and students / retired members (dues waived) are already included in the roster.  If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact Christy at ckirsch@pittsburghaiha.org

NOTE:  As a member of our local section, you can login, view, and obtain credit for up to five AIHA eLearning webinars per year.  Save time, money, and earn credit contact hours towards maintaining your certification.  AIHA webinars can cost $100-200 per individual registration.  By taking advantage of our local section subscription, you can save hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on your continuing education. 

For assistance with e-learning via the online classroom, contact DLAssistant@aiha.org. 

THANK YOU to the following companies / members who support the Pittsburgh AIHA through corporate sponsorship or advertising:

• Amazon (Matt Zock and Daniel Hoffer)
• AM Health and Safety, Inc. (Barry Momyer and Barb Cummings)
• Cardno ChemRisk (Josh Maskrey and Laura Hallet)
• Colden Corporation (Chrisy Walsh and Chris Wesley)
• Energy Transfer Partners (Renee Cowell)
• FirstEnergy Corporation (Darrick Bertig and Michelle Baber)
• Giangarlo Scientific Co., Inc. (Vince Giangarlo and John Eizenhafer)
• Premier Safety & Service, Inc. (Steve McGough and Matt Dennis)
• Repsol Oil & Gas USA (Shawn Sunderlin and Donald McCarty)
• SKC, Inc. (Linda Coyne and Chuck Nachreiner)
• U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc. (Deanna Kiska and Becky Moran)

To become a Pittsburgh AIHA Sponsor, see the details found here: Corporate Sponsors

Thanks to SRU AIHA Chapter President, Nick Ravotti, for providing the following update:

The SRU student section’s first semester on campus has gone incredibly well, exceeding many of our initial expectations. We set and met 4 goals at the beginning of the semester, which were:

• Recruit at least 10 new student members (we are currently at 27!)
• Become a recognized club by the SRU Student Government Association (we became official in October)
• Hold 2-3 meetings (we held 2 meetings for our student section this semester)
• Visit multiple safety classes for recruitment (we recruited students from 8 different classes)

Due to 3 out of our 4 current executive board members graduating this December, we have held elections and elected 5 new members. The members will begin their term in January 2021, and end in May of 2022.  The SRU Section held a meeting where Sarmed Shareef (Pgh. AIHA President) was able to meet the new executive board, and they were able to connect with him and ask him questions.

• President – Reece Leotta
• Vice President – Jacob Brand
• Research/Social Media Chair – Alyssa Royer (will end term in May 2021 due to graduation)
• Secretary – Amber Wharrey
• Treasurer – Scott Burridge (Scott is our current Treasurer and will end his term in May 2021 at graduation)
• Treasurer Elect – Hannah Roberts (will shadow Scott until she takes over as full-time Treasurer in May 2021)

 
SRU AIHA & SRU ASSP are working together on a joint research project regarding COVID-19, the attitudinal and behavioral changes of people during the pandemic, & the effectiveness/comfortability of certain face masks. The project is anticipated to be done by late March or early April.

Next semester our new executive board plans to bring in 2-3 technical speakers, recruit more student members and branch out to recruiting Chemistry majors, develop a budget, finish the research project, and possibly go on facility tours if protocols allow!
 
Nicholas noted that he is very proud of the work that they have accomplished this semester and is excited to see the new executive board grow the section even further! Nicholas graduated in December, and we wish him all the best!  Reece Leotta (ral1014@sru.edu) will lead the SRU Student Local Section in 2021.    

Thank you to Amazon / Matt Zock, MS, CIH who recently joined the Pittsburgh AIHA as a Corporate Sponsor for 2020-2021.  Matt is Worldwide Sr. Industrial Hygienist, Program Manager for Amazon and Past-President of the Pittsburgh AIHA.  

The 2021 Corporate Sponsorship drive is underway!  The benefits of a Corporate Sponsorship contribution of $200 include:
​

• 2 free individual Pittsburgh AIHA annual memberships,
• Pittsburgh AIHA Homepage sidebar logo link.
• 1-year listing on the Pittsburgh AIHA Corporate Sponsors page,
• 1-year listing on the Pittsburgh AIHA Consultants List page,
• Recognition in Pittsburgh AIHA local section newsletter. 

Corporate Sponsorship is renewable on an annual basis.  Visit the Corporate Sponsors Page for current sponsors and application information - You can sign up online, or print the form to complete and mail.

Thank you to the attendees and speaker of this virtual event.  Title: Low-level VOC detection with the Draeger X-pid 8500.  During this presentation the speaker discussed a proven solution for the detection of a range of VOCs and low-level toxic compounds.  Speaker:  Russell Warn, QSSP of Draeger, Inc.

Abstract:  Driven by requirements to measure certain compounds at low ppm or even ppb levels, in this presentation we will explore the Draeger X-pid 8500 and its ability to measure compounds, including benzene and butadiene, for safety and industrial hygiene applications.

​Our Fall newsletter is posted in multiple formats - please view here:
https://www.pittsburghaiha.org/newsletter.html.

The next Pittsburgh AIHA Newsletter is expected to be published late December 2020.  Submit any announcements, events, items of interest, etc. to info@pittsburghaiha.org.

Thanks to SRU AIHA Chapter President, Nick Ravotti, for providing the following update:

• Our SRU chapter set a goal for 10 members, and we recently gained our 23rd member. We have a very balanced roster, as Seniors represent 22% of the chapter, Juniors represent 39%, Sophomores represent 13%, and Freshmen represent 22%, and students that are unsure of their graduation represent 4%.
• We are officially recognized as a student organization at SRU, which makes us the first AIHA student section not only at SRU, but within the whole state of Pennsylvania (See the list of Student Chapters here:  https://www.aiha.org/get-involved/student-local-sections/affiliated-student-local-sections)
• We collaborated with the ASSP and WISE student chapters and held a general body meeting last week which had 62 students and multiple faculty members attend.
• We are planning to have two technical meetings this semester, one with Pgh. AIHA President, Sarmed Shareef in late-October, and one with an SRU graduate who is employed in industrial hygiene on October 15th.

The Catalyst Community mobile app is now available for iPhone and Android devices. Stay up to date on the latest news, events, and community happenings with the official Catalyst app. View and create forum threads, check your notifications, and manage your account via our brand-new app.  

It’s easy!

1. Download MemberCentric App from Google Play or Apple App Store.
2. Install it and search for AIHA.
3. Use your AIHA membership credentials to log in.
4. Start exploring.

Benefits

• The Catalyst community at your fingertips.
• You don't miss a thing.
• No new passwords to remember. The log-in information is the same as your AIHA one.
• Fast and easy to navigate.
• Compatible with iPhone and Android devices.

Find more information on the AIHA Website:  ​https://www.aiha.org/membership/catalyst/catalyst-app
You can also download this simple instruction page:  how_to_install_the_aiha_catalyst_app.pdf

We are pleased to announce our next virtual event:  Dermal Sampling Solutions on September 29, 2020 from 12:00 - 1:30 PM.  Speakers for this event are Linda Coyne and Lucinette Alvarado, CIH both of SKC, Inc.  REGISTRATION IS OPEN!  REGISTER ONLINE BY SEPTEMBER 28!

Meeting Description:
The skin is a route of exposure that we often take for granted in our work areas. Dermal exposure is trending from an occupational health and safety standpoint due to the increase in incidents and cases. In addition, surface contamination is another occupational exposure issue that we take for granted. This webinar will discuss our skin as an important route of exposure, dermal hazards, and options for how to assess and reduce potential exposures to the skin and contaminated surfaces. 

The Pittsburgh AIHA held a virtual PDC via ZOOM on August 26, 2020 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.  The topic was "Returning to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic".  Speakers for this event were Frank J. Pokrywka, Ed.D., CIH and Raffie Sessa, CIH.   Thanks to all who participated in this event.  The presentation slides were posted on the Pittsburgh AIHA Catalyst site for members who were unable to attend.   If you did not receive the link, please email ckirsch@pittsburghaiha.org.