Join us on Thursday, Jan. 30 for a presentation by Andy Teague, CIH of Analytics Corporation.  During this event Andy will discuss Monitoring and Laboratory Analysis Pros and Cons of Petroleum Distillates/Hydrocarbon Multi-component, Oil Mist/Metal-working Fluids (MWF) and 3D Printing. 

Event to be held at the offices of AM Health and Safety, Inc.  Register ONLINE before January 28 via the meeting page https://www.pittsburghaiha.org/2020-01-30-analytics-corp-event.html

The Winter 2020 Newsletter is posted and can be found at this link, or on the Newsletter page.

Thank you to our newsletter advertisers - SKC, Inc., RJ Lee Group, and U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc. who continue to support the Pittsburgh AIHA year after year!  We greatly appreciate it! 

The Executive Committee held their annual Winter Business Meeting on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 11:30 AM - ~2:00 PM at Aracri's Greentree Inn located in Greentree.  Thank you to the members who attended and provided committee updates and valuable input regarding Pgh. AIHA activities and 2020 program calendar.  Meeting minutes are available now to review - please see the file posted on the Meeting page.

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.  Click here for scholarship application information.

• Endowed Scholarships
• Active AIHA Local Section and Volunteer Group Scholarships
• Corporate Scholarships
• Upcoming Scholarships

Pittsburgh AIHA Member and Past-President Dennis Kelly (Energy Transfer Partners) provided a great write-up / meeting review of our recent event on Cannabis EHS and Security Concerns.  Thanks to Andy Wright, CIH owner and President of ProTect-All Solutions, LLC for presenting to our members/guests!  Thanks to Pittsburgh AIHA President Renee Cowell, CSP (Energy Transfer Partners) for coordinating the event.  Take a few minutes to read Dennis' meeting review and check out the photos taken at the event found on the meeting review page... 

Mark your calendar for this year's President's Luncheon at The LeMont - Thursday, March 26, 2020 when we welcome National AIHA President Kathy Murphy to Pittsburgh for our annual luncheon.  Registration will open in February.  See this featured article/interview with Kathy titled "Don't be Afraid to Try New Things" from EHS Today - https://www.ehstoday.com/industrial-hygiene/article/21920155/dont-be-afraid-to-try-new-things

Thanks to the following companies / members who have renewed their corporate sponsorship or advertising for 2020:

• AM Health and Safety, Inc. (Barry Momyer and Barb Cummings)
• Cardno ChemRisk (Josh Maskrey and Laura Hallet)
• Colden Corporation (Mike McIlhenny and Chris Wesley)
• Energy Transfer Partners (Dennis Kelly and Renee Cowell)
• FedEx Ground (Matt Zock and Mike Grumley)
• FirstEnergy Corporation (Darrick Bertig and Michelle Baber)
• Premier Safety & Service, Inc. (Steve McGough and Matt Dennis)
• Repsol Oil & Gas USA (Shawn Sunderlin and Donald McCarty)
• RJ Lee Group, Inc. (Keith Rickabaugh and Don Ewert) 
• SKC, Inc.
• U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc. (Deanna Kiska and Sharon Fanchalsky)

The Pittsburgh Local Section of the AIHA has nominated Bernard (Bernie) Quinn, M.S., CIH, for designation as an AIHA Fellow through the National AIHA. The AIHA Fellows Designation recognizes those who are full members in good standing, have 15 years of continuous Full membership, and have made recognized contributions to industrial hygiene or related disciplines, either through research, leadership, publications, education, or service to AIHA.

Bernie has recently retired as President and CEO of AM Health and Safety, Inc. 20 years after establishing and running the company along with his partner, Barry Momyer, CIH. He is a Masters Degreed CIH, who has served the IH profession since 1979, and has been a continuous member of the AIHA since 1979. In addition to working in government, and the steel and chemical industries in the early part of his career, he has provided HES consultation services throughout the United States for over 28 years. (Click "read more" to continue)

Reminder that the 2019 E-Learning deadline to view / submit for credit is JANUARY 31, 2020!! 

One great benefit provided by our local section is an AIHA eLearning Lite subscription.  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. 

Details were sent in an email to all 2019 PAID Pittsburgh AIHA Members.  The 2019 Webinars are as follows:

• Take Charge of Your IH Career: Road Map to Success​ (archived)
• Air Sampling Strategies and Analysis​​​​ (archived)
• ​Industrial Hygiene Statistics- The Next Generation (archived)
• Preparing the I/OH​: Why Highly Hazardous Communicable Disease Responses Need Us ​​(February 28, 2019)
• Overview of the Chemistry, Uses, and Exposure Assessment of Peracetic Acid​ (April 4, 2019)

IMPORTANT - YOU MUST BE CURRENT 2019 DUES-PAYING MEMBER.  Our Pgh. AIHA subscription roster includes only members current on their 2019 dues.  Pgh. AIHA 2019 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.

The Fall 2019 newsletter is posted - Click HERE to view in your browser. Or you can download and print the file found on our Newsletters page.  

Meeting info, member news, upcoming events, etc. included - take a few minutes to review.

The Pittsburgh AIHA has been busy this year with some great meetings/events!  Posted under the meetings tab your will find several event reviews submitted by our members from recent meetings along with some great photos from the events!   Take a few minutes to catch up on the "who, what, where" of the Pittsburgh AIHA!  A big thank you to all of our participants and meeting coordinators!  We appreciate your support of the Pittsburgh AIHA and promoting the Industrial Hygiene profession -- you make a difference!    

The AIHA Pittsburgh Local Section is in need of volunteers for the 2020-2021 executive committee.  We are in search of nominations for President-Elect, Director, and Treasurer.  For any questions regarding duties and terms, and to submit nominations for yourself or others, please contact our nominations committee chair, Matt Zock at matthew.zock@fedex.com. 

The Pittsburgh Local Section Election will take place in February 2020.  For a general description of duties, please see the link:  https://www.pittsburghaiha.org/bylaws.html 
 

The American Industrial Hygiene Foundation is accepting scholarship applications for the 2020–2021 academic year. Students are evaluated on academic record, extracurricular activities, future goals as an industrial hygienist, and potential for leadership in the industrial hygiene profession. 

​The Pittsburgh Local Section of the AIHA sponsors a $1,000 scholarship award -- In awarding the Pittsburgh Local Scholarship, preference will be given to students with a GPA of 3.0 or better from the following schools:

• Slippery Rock University
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• West Virginia University

All application materials must be submitted by Jan. 27, 2020. For more information on AIHF scholarships and eligibility requirements, please visit the foundation's website.

There’s still time to give to AIHF and receive a tax deduction in 2019. Donating to AIHF will help ensure that deserving students preparing for careers in industrial hygiene will receive scholarships. Detailed information about making a donation or a pledge can be found online. 

Since 1982, AIHF has distributed more than $2 million to more than 700 students studying industrial hygiene and related disciplines at fifty-plus schools and universities. These scholarships have enabled talented students to complete their education and have encouraged the most promising scholars to enter or remain in the industrial hygiene profession.

The National AIHA began 2020 membership renewal in October.  Local section members who are also National AIHA members are encouraged to pay their dues through the National AIHA.  If you are a Pittsburgh AIHA member ONLY, your dues must be paid directly to the Pittsburgh Local Section as noted below. Pittsburgh AIHA dues continue to be $25 per year in 2020.  Remember that you must be a member in good standing to take advantage of reduced meeting fees, Natl. AIHA e-learning subscription, etc.  Your participation is key to our success -- please renew by January 1, 2020!  STUDENT AND RETIRED MEMBERS ARE FREE.  

Pay Local Section Dues Through National AIHA (for Natl. AIHA Members Only):
Click here for the link for dues renewal through National AIHA. When processing renewal, please remember to check the box for Pittsburgh local section dues when you submit your payment. If you have not created a profile, you will need to “Sign Up as a New Individual” to be able to pay through National AIHA. You can also visit the National AIHA Membership page for more information.  If you prefer to pay your dues directly to Pittsburgh AIHA, follow instructions below.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pay Local Section Dues Directly to Pittsburgh AIHA:

1. BY MAIL: Download the Member Dues Invoice Form / fill in and send with payment.
2. BY CREDIT CARD:  Click the PayPal "Pay Now" link to pay with a credit card through PayPal.  If you would like to process your payment over the phone, you will need to call Christy at 412-789-4254.

If you have any questions, or want a paper invoice sent via U.S. Mail, please contact Christy at ckirsch@pittsburghaiha.org or 412-789-4254.

Join the Pittsburgh AIHA on October 18 for Rivers of Steel - Steel Heritage Tour -- This tour gets to the heart of the Steel Town story, getting to know the people, places and historic events that put Pittsburgh on the map as the steel making capital of the world. This itinerary will connect travelers with the melting pot of cultures that powered the industrial success of the region, and explore the technology and process of making iron and steel.

Included in this event is a visit to Bulgarian Macedonian Educational and Cultural Center where the group will meet and have an "immigrant-inspired" lunch with regional specialties (stuffed cabbage, pierogies, halushki and Pittsburgh Cookie Table) while viewing a presentation on The Story of Steel.  The second part of the event includes a tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin, PA.  Declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006, Carrie, as it’s affectionately known, entices visitors to marvel at the scale and legacy of its industrial might. A remnant of the legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry.   See the next meeting page for additional details and online registration form.

Minutes from the July 2019 meeting are posted on the Meetings page and linked HERE.  Any questions or comments can be directed to info@pittsburghaiha.org or any member of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee met in July for the Summer Business Meeting and developed the proposed schedule of events listed below.  There are still OPEN dates - if you have any suggestions or ideas for a local section event, send email to info@pittsburghaiha.org, or contact any member of the Executive Committee. 

• September 26, 2019 - recommended event:  MASHA Safety and Health Conference, Cranberry RLA
• October 2019 - Rivers of Steel - Carrie Blast Furnaces - Guided Tour, Presentation, Lunch (details coming soon!)
• November 2019 - OPEN; propose ASSP Western PA collaboration for Nov. 13th (at IUP this year)
• December 2019 - Winter Business Meeting
• January 2020 – I.H. Analytics – AM Health & Safety Offices
• February 2020 – President’s luncheon 
• March 2020 - NIOSH Modeling/Asbestos/IAQ Food Trucks – Cardno ChemRisk office
• April 2020 – SHE Ethics
• May 2020 – recommended event: AIHce 2020
• June 2020 – OPEN
• July 2020 - Summer Business Meeting