Podcasts about american industrial hygiene association

Prof. J. David Miller has focused his research on mycotoxins and damp buildings and health for the last 40 years first at Agriculture Canada and then at Carleton University in Ottawa. Dr. Miller has published over 370 papers on fungi and fungal toxins and has co-written 10 books on the public health aspects of exposures to fungi and fungal toxins, and has several patents. Miller has served on many national and international committees on the regulation of mycotoxins as well as on mold and dampness in the built environment. This includes on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology committee that produced practice parameters for environmental allergens. He was chief editor of the American Industrial Hygiene Association “Green Book” (2008, 2020) and “Field Guide” (1996, 2005) that lay out guidelines for addressing mold and dampness in public buildings. He drafted several chapters of the recent ACGIH Bioaerosols guidelines, second edition. In 2013, Miller was elected as a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. In 2021, he received the inaugural Philip R. Morey award from the ACGIH for contributions to bioaerosol guidance.

This week, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Trenell Boggans, the immediate past president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association‘s Minority Special Interest Group, about an industrial hygienist's view of psychosocial hazards. Industrial hygiene is the science of identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards that can impact the health and safety of workers and the community. It's also known as occupational hygiene. Industrial hygienists use various methods, including environmental monitoring, workplace analysis, and scientific methods. Industrial hygiene standards include: · Proper handling, transportation, and storage of substances and equipment · Protective clothing · Workplace ergonomics · Ventilation design This episode will spotlight an industrial hygienist's role in ensuring the safety of workers in the workplace and the community at large. This conversation will also focus on psychosocial hazards from the view of a relatively new member of the IH profession.

This week we welcome Dr. David Miller for a discussion on how relative humidity affects indoor environments. Dr. Miller let me know that he has something important to say and when he does, we listen. Prof. J. David Miller Dr. Miller received his secondary education at the University of New Brunswick, before studying at the University of Portsmouth in England, where he was also a NATO Science Postdoctoral Fellow. His post-university career started at Agriculture Canada, where he became head of the Fusarium mycotoxin program. He became a Professor & NSERC Research Chair in fungal toxins and allergens at Carleton University in 2000. In 2020, he was appointed as a Distinguished Research Professor. From 1999-2008, he was a visiting scientist and science advisor at Health Canada in the air health effects division. Among other tasks, Dr. Miller helped to draft the guidelines for mold and dampness published by Health Canada. Over the past several decades, he has co-managed many large studies of housing and health including in First Nations Communities. Dr. Miller has published >350 papers on fungi and fungal toxins and has co-written 10 books on the public health aspects of exposures to fungi, and has several patents. Miller has served on many national and international committees on mold and dampness in the built environment including on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology committee that produced practice parameters for environmental allergens. He was chief editor of the American Industrial Hygiene Association “Green Book” (2008, 2020) and “Field Guide” (1996, 2005) that lay out guidelines for addressing mold and dampness in public buildings. Miller is an elected member of the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences. Among other awards, he received the AgExcellence Award from Agriculture Canada, the Toxicology Forum Scott Award for contributions to toxicology, the Applied Research Award from the Ottawa Life Sciences Council, an AIHA award for contributions to the field of industrial hygiene and the 2017 Award of Merit from the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association. In 2013, Miller was elected as a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. In 2016, he received the prestigious NSERC Synergy Award for his research partnership with JD Irving, Limited. In 2021, he received the inaugural Philip R. Morey award from the ACGIH for contributions to bioaerosol guidance.

This week we are updating and adding photos to a great flashback show with Ed Light and the late Marty King. This was an excellent show on the assessment of smoke Damage which is once again a hot topic again. With all the wildfires, train wrecks and recycling fires this show from 3-23-12 is as relevant today as it was then. Let's learn from those that have been there and done that Marty King and Ed Light. Martin King was the Restoration Industries Association Technical Adviser for 30 years, where he developed a broad range of restoration procedures and published over 300 articles in trade journals. He also served as CEO of Martin Churchill Associates, Inc. Damage Investigators and Appraisers and has investigated and prepared formal reports on over 2000 property damage cases. Recently Light N King have been working together to improve the knowledge and science behind fire damage restoration and repair. Unfortunately, fire damage and restoration issues often times take a back seat to more “sexy” mold. It seems that mold gets all the attention even though fire damage is an extremely important issue. Ed Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees. In the 1980's, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides. In the 1990's, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI). As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station. He has been admitted as an expert witness in numerous litigations. LEARN MORE at IAQRadio+.

Many of us take workplace safety for granted, but not Dr. Steve Thygerson. Listen as he highlights its importance and discusses the implications of its absence, particularly in developing countries. He and his students aid in “capacity building” in countries that lack the understanding of workplace safety and the resources to implement it. He then encourages listeners to shift their mindset when it comes to driving safety. BioDr. Steve Thygerson is an environmental and occupational health professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Prior to his appointment at BYU in 2008, he worked for 9 years in various occupational and environmental health settings in the public and private sector. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and past chair of the International Affairs Committee of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. As a Workplace Health Without Borders member, he mentors other occupational hygienists and provides occupational health training worldwide. Those countries include Nepal, Peru, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Pakistan. He loves taking students to these countries as well as focusing on global occupational health. For the past 20 years, he has authored first aid, CPR, and wellness textbooks.While not at work, he loves to run, mountain bike, backcountry ski, set out on family backpacking trips, and is a wanna-be overland expedition enthusiast. Click here to read about Dr. Thygerson's occupational health work in Nepal.Recorded, Edited & Produced by Paige Sherwood, Isabella Loosle, and Tanya Gale

LLN (2/14/23) – A Georgia House committee is scheduled to discuss a bill to allow 90,000-pound trucks on roadways. Meanwhile, a bill moving through the Washington state Senate would give truck drivers operating throughout the state access to restroom facilities at shippers and receivers. Also, a series of electronic logging devices have been revoked from the FMCSA's approved list. So what does that mean to the truckers who use them? And it's not uncommon for a truck driver to put their own well-being in second place to get the job done. Donna Heidel of the American Industrial Hygiene Association talks about a new resource they're offering that has safety at front of mind. 0:00 – Newscast.  09:43 – Revoked ELDs. 24:34 – Personal safety. 39:17 – Heavy trucks in Georgia.

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon OSHA and SAIF Corporation signed the first state-wide Total Worker Health® Alliance to expand the knowledge and application of Total Worker Health® principles by leveraging the strengths of three state-based organizations. This unique Alliance is forging partnerships between Oregon's state OSHA, Oregon's not-for-profit, state-chartered workers' compensation insurance company, and an Oregon-based academic research institute. Liz Hill is the Total Worker Health Adviser for SAIF Corporation. Liz has twenty five plus years of experience in professional health and safety and a short stint of international health work. Prior to working at SAIF, Liz worked in a variety of industries from oil and gas to higher education. Liz has B.S. in Industrial Hygiene and a Master's of Public Health. She has designation as a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional. She is currently serving as chair on the American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA) Total Exposure Health/Total Worker Health® Advisory Group, as a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative for Occupational Health Professionals and is past chair of AIHA Safety Committee. Dede Montgomery is Program Manager for Our Good Health and Well-Being at Legacy Health. She has more than 35 years of experience working in occupational safety, health and well-being in academia, consulting and government sectors. She has her B.A. in Biology, M.S. in Public Health/Environmental Health Sciences and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist. Dede is past president of the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of American Society of Safety Professional ASSP, participated on ASSP Total Worker Health Task Force, and served as Co-Principal Investigator for Outreach and Education at the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, one of NIOSH's ten academic Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health. Dede recently worked at the Institute supporting outreach for 18 years. Dede is also an avid blogger and the author of four books. Resources: Learn more about the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/oregon-total-worker-healthr-alliance SAIF Total Worker Health resources: https://www.SAIF.com/TWH Upcoming OccHealthSci Total Worker Health training and symposia: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/training-and-symposia NIOSH Total Worker Health: https://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/twh- NIOSH Total Worker Health Affiliate Program: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/affiliate.html Total Worker Health Toolkits and Tools from Oregon Healthy Workforce Center: https://www.yourworkpath.com --- Episode information: What's Work Got to Do With The Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance? Guest: Liz Hill, MPH and Dede Montgomery, MS, CIH Produced and Hosted: Anjali Rameshbabu, PhD Produced and edited by: Helen Schuckers, MPH Music by: Sam Greenspan, MPH Connect with us Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center on social media: Twitter: twitter.com/OHSUOccHealth Facebook: www.facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/occhealthsci Blog: blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences/ Community feedback is important to us. If you love our podcast and want to further support our podcast, please consider leaving us a positive review. Thank you!

This week we welcome Dr. David Miller for our first "Founding Fathers of IEQ" shows. Dr. Miller is a Distinguished Research Professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. He and some others we will talk about have been instrumental in getting Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) recognized as a public health issue. We will learn about his career and how he and others were able to help ensure that IEQ is recognized as a public health issue that has science based guidance from cognizant authorities. When it comes to affecting change Dr. Miller says: “It's hard to run away from evidence”.    Prof. J. David Miller Dr. Miller received his secondary education at the University of New Brunswick, before studying at the University of Portsmouth in England, where he was also a NATO Science Postdoctoral Fellow. His post-university career at Agriculture Canada, and became head of the Fusarium mycotoxin program. He became a Professor & NSERC Research Chair in fungal toxins and allergens at Carleton University in 2000. In 2020, he was appointed as a Distinguished Research Professor. From 1999-2008, he was a visiting scientist and science advisor at Health Canada in the air health effects division. Among other tasks, Dr. Miller helped to draft the guidelines for mold and dampness published by Health Canada. Over the past several decades, he has co-managed many large studies of housing and health including in First Nations Communities.   Dr. Miller has published >350 papers on fungi and fungal toxins and has co-written 10 books on the public health aspects of exposures to fungi, and has several patents. Miller has served on many national and international committees on mold and dampness in the built environment including on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology committee that produced practice parameters for environmental allergens. He was chief editor of the American Industrial Hygiene Association “Green Book” (2008, 2020) and “Field Guide” (1996, 2005) that lay out guidelines for addressing mold and dampness in public buildings.   Miller is an elected member of the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences. Among other awards, he received the AgExcellence Award from Agriculture Canada, the Toxicology Forum Scott Award for contributions to toxicology, the Applied Research Award from the Ottawa Life Sciences Council, an AIHA award for contributions to the field of industrial hygiene and the 2017 Award of Merit from the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association. In 2013, Miller was elected as a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. In 2016, he received the prestigious NSERC Synergy Award for his research partnership with JD Irving, Limited. In 2021, he received the inaugural Philip R. Morey award from the ACGIH for contributions to bioaerosol guidance.   LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

This week we're going to explore some Practice to Research with real world examples from Mr. Ed Light. Ed has been doing research on his own projects and has some interesting results to pass along to our audience. We'll be discussing mold growth and climate change, MERV 8 vs. MERV 13 for particulate control and a critique of research support for COVID response measures in buildings.   Ed Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees. In the 1980's, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides. In the 1990's, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI). As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station. He has been admitted as an expert witness in numerous litigations.

Dr. Joe Nieusma returns to the program to discuss very important proven methods to keep from getting sick, reversing cell damage from the mRNA shot, neutralizing and removing spike proteins, detoxing graphene oxide, and more. We can survive this bioweapon attack and fight back against the worst tyranny ever subjected onto humanity. Learn more about Dr. Joe Nieusma at SuperiorToxicology.comSee Solutions to keep from getting sick and to reverse mRNA damage – Dr. Joe NieusmaSupport the show by signing up SarahWestall.TV or Ebener (what is Ebener??)! Sign up at SarahWestall.com/SubscribeC60-complete-small-150x150 Solutions for Healing from the mRNA BioWeapon - Suramin, Ozone, Chlorine Dioxide & more w/ Dr. Joe NieusmaC60Complete Black Seed Oil & Curcumin Gel Capsules – World Best Immunity Builder!Censorship is serious. To stay informed of all the latest episodes, sign up for my weekly newsletter @ SarahWestall.com/SubscribeLearn more or get your bottle of Z-Stack, Dr. Zelenko's Vitamin Pack specifically for building your immune system and protecting you from getting sick (a weapon to protect you from the “vaccine” weapon): Get Z-Stack NowMUSIC CREDITS: “Do You Trust Me” by Michael Vignola, licensed for broad internet media use, including video and audioDr. Joe Nieusma BiographyJoeNieusma-headshot-Dec2019-300x200 Solutions for Healing from the mRNA BioWeapon - Suramin, Ozone, Chlorine Dioxide & more w/ Dr. Joe NieusmaDr. Joe Nieusma is our fearless CEO/Chief Toxicologist here at Superior Toxicology & Wellness, an international scientific consulting firm that he founded. Dr. Nieusma is also a co-founder for TwinOxide North America, a company working to improve water quality in all aspects of life from municipal treatment plants to livestock operations. TwinOxide removes all carcinogens from treated water and is the right thing to do.Dr. Nieusma is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Vitro Biopharma, a firm that brings new stem-cell related products for diabetes research to scientific, pharmaceutical, and ultimately medical markets. Dr. Nieusma is also on the editorial staff for the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, published by Informa Healthcare.5-150x150 Solutions for Healing from the mRNA BioWeapon - Suramin, Ozone, Chlorine Dioxide & more w/ Dr. Joe NieusmaTetrogen Fat Burning – It will work for you guaranteed or receive your Money Back!Dr. Nieusma was a Senior Toxicologist for Affygility Solutions from October 2005 to February 2018. Affygility is a company providing strategic environmental health and safety solutions to life science companies. Dr. Nieusma left Affygility to focus on Superior Toxicology & Wellness, as well as TwinOxide-Colorado. Dr. Nieusma was an Industrial Toxicologist for Sandoz (formerly Geneva Pharmaceuticals) from May of 1998 to April of 2004. He left Sandoz to open Superior Toxicology & Wellness. Dr. Nieusma has participated as an editorial board member for Micromedex, Inc. since May of 2001 primarily to provide toxicological evaluation of potential new products and databases as needed. Dr. Nieusma has participated in research for a human health risk assessment involving over 100 chemicals of interest from a US Naval incinerator in Osaka, Japan. Dr. Nieusma worked for Dow Chemical in the Biotransformation group from September 1989 until July 1991.Dr. Nieusma earned his B.S. from Central Michigan University with a major in pre-med biology and a minor in chemistry. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Colorado, School of Pharmacy and the Molecular Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences Program. The title of his dissertation research is “Stereochemical aspects of 1,3-Butadiene Metabolism and Toxicity”. His research characterized the very different pattern of metabolism and toxicity mainly due to the orientation of various side chains around chiral carbons of a small molecule hydrocarbon with multiple double bonds.Dr. Nieusma has been actively involved in toxicology research for the past 30 years with six published manuscripts. The majority of his work, especially in the pharmaceutical industry and consulting, has been conducted in an industrial setting and published only within the company or to a client. These potent compound classification reports for pharmaceutical agents were written to assess occupational hazards that may exist during the manufacturing process for a drug.Dr. Nieusma has completed over 1500 drug monographs which highlighted potency, pharmacokinetics, acute adverse effects, chronic adverse effects, irritant properties, sensitizing properties, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, requirements for medical attention in an exposure, cumulative effects and developmental or reproductive effects of these pharmaceutical agents. Dr. Nieusma is involved in the determination of causation when there are reported effects possibly due to drug exposure in a worker population. Through his experience, professional judgment and knowledge of the drug, he formulates an opinion as to whether a certain effect is possibly due to exposure to a pharmaceutical agent in question. These opinions have been utilized for deciding who was responsible for treatment of the injured worker, and whether a drug exposure was intentional by an employee or accidental in the course of work performed for the company.Routinely in the pharmaceutical industry, preparations of various drugs will become contaminated with foreign debris or degradation products from the chemical ingredients and Dr. Nieusma writes a justification for the presence of these entities and provide the toxicological background to show that they would be harmless and pose little to no risk to the end user. Frequently, these justifications are based on a structure-activity relationship analysis comparison of similar chemicals. On a regular basis Dr. Nieusma is asked to review specific jobs in specific environments with multiple potential exposures to drugs, chemicals, and excipients for potential reproductive hazards of occupational exposure.Dr. Nieusma has worked with private clients to review their medical records and help them to eliminate unnecessary prescription drugs from their profile. Through a detailed history of symptoms as described by the client/patient or family members, combined with an analysis of the medical history, he recommends changes and ultimately eliminations to their current drug therapies to improve the quality of life of the patient by reducing or eliminating unnecessary drug side effects.Dr. Nieusma is a member of the Society of Toxicology which requires nomination and membership is based on scientific expertise in the field. Dr. Nieusma has served as a lecturer for the Toxicology and Occupational Health Course at the University of Colorado Graduate School, the American Industrial Hygiene Association and for the conference for “Environmental, Health and Safety for the Life Science Industry”. Dr. Nieusma's qualifications are described in detail in his curriculum vitae which has been provided.You can reach him @ https://superiortoxicology.com/

In June 2021, the FDA revoked its Emergency Use Authorization for Filtering Facepiece Respirators.  Learn what an EUA is and how it affects the use of non-NIOSH approved N-95 respirator in healthcare.     Peter Koch: [00:00:04] Hello, listeners, and welcome to the MEMIC Safety Experts podcast, I'm your host, Peter Koch, and the topic today is revoked EUAs. Often I need to hear or read something a second time to understand what's going on. And it's not for lack of education or interest. It's just sometimes a sentence tries to do way too much with too few words or letters or using abbreviations to try to help with understanding. So try to wrap your brain around this. Early on in the sars-cov-2 pandemic, the FDA as a department of the DHHS, created the FRREUAs for HCP in conjunction with NIOSH and the CDC to help combat the spread of covid-19 now due to the increase in availability of NIOSH approved and n-95 FRRs, the FDA has revoked the FRREUA for [00:01:00] HCP. Got it. Yeah, I don't. I didn't either. Every one of those, TLAs adds meeting to the message. And a TLA is a three letter abbreviation, by the way, so that's way too many TLAs packed into two sentences to be functional and I expect that if it was in print you would have to read it again and maybe again and maybe google some of those to figure out what all the pieces are. But just listening, I expect it was almost as confusing as it was to read. And if I were to pull a number of us who heard that headline for the first time, everyone would have a different opinion on its meaning. And unfortunately, many times when I'm in the field talking with clients about new regulations or safety standards, there's often confusion and most often a different opinion on the meaning or applicability. And the FDA's recent revocation of the FRREUA is no exception. So to help clear the air on the [00:02:00] podcast with me today is Steve Badger, CSP, OHST and safety management consultant with MEMIC. Steve has more than 35 years of experience working in the paper, medical sterilization and construction industries. He's an authorized training instructor for the OSHA Training Institute in Manchester, New Hampshire, and is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Steve uses his experience in different industries and formal training in industrial hygiene practices and indoor air quality testing to help the companies he works with manage their respiratory protections, challenges and others today. Steve is going to help us shed some light on the recent FRREUA revocation. So, Steve, welcome back to the podcast. Steve Badger: [00:02:45] Thank you very much, Peter. Glad to be here. Peter Koch: [00:02:47] That's fantastic. It's been a little while since we've had a conversation here. So I was really happy to I actually read some information that you sent out about the revaccinated EUAs and [00:03:00] it sparked the conversation for us about what they are and why they got revoked. And I thought it would be an interesting conversation to have on the podcast and try to get the word out about some of this. So I'd like to start by jumping right in and define some of those TLAs or three letter abbreviation. Let's start right with an EUA. What isn't EUA in the first place and why are they issued? Steve Badger: [00:03:26] Sure. And an EUA stands for emergency use authorization is really a mechanism to facilitate the availability and the use of medical countermeasures such as vaccines and other medical equipment during public health emergencies. And you see this happen rarely they're not done frequently. But as it says in their own definitions, that the public health emergencies, we don't have a lot of them, but when we have them, we need to be able to use our resources and things that are available to try to help us get [00:04:00] beyond that. And obviously, the covid-19 pandemic has proved to be that in more than one area, including the vaccines, as well as the filtering Facebook's respirators. Now, under this particular EAU, the FDA meeting, the Food and Drug Administration is the one that issued this particular set of EUAs and they can do, as I mentioned earlier, medical products, vaccines to diagnose or treat or even prevent serious life threatening diseases and conditions when there's no approved or adequate available alternatives. In this case here, you know, we're talking about filtering face piece respirators. And as we know that has been a contentious issue from the beginning as to the availability of NIOSH approved respirators. Peter Koch: [00:04:52] Why don't we help people understand? Because there's lots of different terminology about respirators and some people just think a mask is [00:05:00] a respirator or a respirator is a mask. We see we see people in a doctor's office wearing a mask. We see people on a construction site wearing a mask. We see firefighters wearing a mask. So when we talk about an n-95 respirator, what are we talking about and what's the difference between, say that and like a half face respirator and maybe that surgical mask that you might find in your doctor's office? Steve Badger: [00:05:27] Great question. The really the difference comes down to what is doing the filtering and filtering face piece respirator. The ones that we're talking about here, the mask itself is the filter. It's filtering out everything that you're breathing in. The whole entire thing acts as a filter and you know it. The same with a surgical mask is designed to filter out throughout your whole breathing zone everything that's there as opposed to say, you know, elastomeric like a half face or a full face, negative pressure [00:06:00] respirator that is fit tested. They've got it. It's got a seal that has to seal. And then the ear that's getting to you is being filtered through actual filters, cartridges that are designed to filter out different types of contaminants. So there's a big difference between those and the filtering face piece in its function and its ability and its protective qualities. Because if you think about a filtering face piece, it's filtering in both directions, whereas the elastomeric respirators, the cartridges you're breathing in, when you exhale, you're breathing out through an exhalation valve that's not filtered. So this was one of the reasons why these this particular type of respirator wasn't the first and best choice when it came to the health care professionals, Peter Koch: [00:06:51] Because it's filtering the filtering face piece or like a paper mask. Respirator would filter both ways, both in the inhalation and the [00:07:00] exhalation, as I hear you correctly. Steve Badger: [00:07:02] Correct. Peter Koch: [00:07:02] Now, with the filtering face piece and especially the n-95 respirators, some of the similarities beyond the filtering on the inhalation, they do have to be fit tested, is that correct, the n-95 respirators? Steve Badger: [00:07:18] Yes, that is correct. They do have to be fit tested. And the initial people that are first using these things, it was absolutely mandated that everyone had to be fit tested before they could wear them and they had to get a medical approval before they could even do the fit testing to make sure that they were physically capable of wearing these respirators with the people that had already been fit tested. And maybe they've been beyond that year from the initial time that they had been tested. They were given a, I will say, a waiver, but an extension so that they did not have to get that additional fit test within that year, that they as long as they were using the same type and brand of filtering [00:08:00] face piece respirator, that they could extend that fit test beyond that year deadline. Peter Koch: [00:08:07] Oh, good. So that that actually took some pressure off the numbers of people that would have to be tested for an n-95 or one of the respirators that would have been covered under the EUA originally. Now what's the biggest difference between that filtering face piece and say like the surgical mask that you might see in the doctor's office or the dentist office? Steve Badger: [00:08:34] The largest difference really comes down to the pore size. And when we talk about pore size, we're talking about what is the maximum, you know, filtration of that particular respirator or in this case, surgical mask. Now, with the filtering face piece, we know that it will filter out 95 percent of the particles at a certain size and which is which is a very good filter, a very good filter, 95 percent, [00:09:00] as opposed to a surgical mask, which really doesn't have the small enough pores to prevent the viruses from actually getting through that. And they're not fitted as well so that people, if they don't have them appropriately put across their nose or across their face, there's still gaps in them that can allow the escape of the of the virus. Peter Koch: [00:09:24] Good. So that makes sense then why someone who would be required to say treat or come into contact with someone who might have covid-19 needing to wear that n-95 mask instead of just the surgical mask? But, you know, there again, that's the requirement, higher level of protection, especially when there's a significant exposure. And then for everyone else, when there's other options for us to go out there. That's why that cloth face mask or even a surgical type mask would be functional for someone of the public [00:10:00] who maybe isn't required to come into contact with someone who has covid-19, I remember early on masks, you couldn't find them, you couldn't find n-95 mask's anywhere. And I know just outside of the covid-19 pandemic, I mean, respirators are used in industry all the time for particulate respiratory protection, chemical respiratory protection. There's many reasons why you might use an a 95 respirator and you couldn't find them. You just couldn't find them anywhere. So I guess this is a good time to maybe talk a little bit about the history here and to get a better understanding of why the EUAs were issued in the first place. So we did talk about the FDA, the federal Food and Drug Administration, and they are in charge of approving medical products and vaccines for use, and especially when it comes to the medical industry themselves to be approved for [00:11:00] medical use. It's not just, say, NIOSH. Correct. So if I'm going to use a respirator, an approved respirator for medical use, NIOSH isn't the only organization that will approve that respirator for use, is that correct? That needs to be the FDA. Steve Badger: [00:11:17] Well, it is the NIOSH does the approval and how to look at this is that they do the testing, they do the approval. And then the FDA says, OK, based on the NIOSH testing and approval, we will accept these particular respirators. Peter Koch: [00:11:35] Gotcha, I think that's a that's a good point for qualification there. So NIOSH still doing the testing. And then the FDA is saying that these are the group of respirators that are going to be functional for a health care setting. Awesome. All right. So let's look more about the historical context. And if we all remember back to the start of the covid-19 pandemic, which seems like forever [00:12:00] ago, but it wasn't all that long ago, actually, that the virus was determined to be transmitted through the air and into the respiratory system via the droplets expelled when an infected person coughed, sneezed or they spoke. What wasn't really well understood then was how a mask could protect you and why someone in a health care settings should wear an approved n-95 mask and someone not in health care could wear a mask that wasn't approved. So let's talk a little bit about what an n-95 is and then what makes it approved and then we'll get into the timeline. So Steve, take us through what an n-95 respirator n-95 mask is and what makes it approved versus a mask that might not be approved. Steve Badger: [00:12:41] You know, certainly the n-95 respirator is exactly what it sounds. It's designed to filter out 95 percent of the particles within its range, what it's approved for. And so, you know, when we take a look at what's on the outside of the respirator [00:13:00] and what gets inside, it's designed to filter out 95 percent. And that approval process, as we mentioned earlier, is done by NIOSH, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. And they do a lot of testing on these respirators and they put them through their paces to make sure that they really are what the manufacturer tells us they are and that they're going to, you know, meet those standards. Now, to take that one step further, these n-95 respirators, which were, you know, being approved obviously very quickly, the supplies of these got used up. And so they started looking at these different alternatives as to, OK, maybe these aren't approved yet, but there are respirators out there that have been through other trials, through other organizations throughout the world that may be good enough to be able to provide some protection for the health care professionals. Peter Koch: [00:13:58] Oh, all right, I [00:14:00] think I understand so NIOSH is going to approve an n-95 respirator based on their testing and it has to meet a minimum qualification for the for filtering out 95 percent of a certain size particle or particles above a certain size. But there are other organizations I know Canada has their own organization and other countries have their own certification organizations for different types of personal protective equipment. So but it might not be the same testing method or it might not be they might not have the same standard possibly that NIOSH does so when the supply got short. Am I correct that businesses started to look for other supply chains that might not be approved by NIOSH? Am I correct in that? Steve Badger: [00:14:50] Absolutely, that is correct. They started looking outside of the U.S. because of the fact that the U.S. supplies fell [00:15:00] behind very quickly. And so they started looking at countries that everywhere from, you know, Vietnam to New Zealand to places Europe, Italy, that that had companies that were creating respirators that met their standard for it would be an n-95. But they had not yet approved them for use in the United States. Peter Koch: [00:15:24] Very good. So that that sets up kind of sets up a challenge. Right. So as your safety person at the hospital or OSHA or the FDA are going to say, these are the things that you have to use, the companies might not have enough of those things. So they go look someplace else, find other respirators that meet a certain standard, but not the NIOSH standard. So now there's a challenge there. There are companies that are trying to protect their workers, but there aren't enough of the NIOSH approved [00:16:00] n-95 filtering face pieces to go around. So the FDA takes the next step. And I'm expecting that's the emergency use authorization, correct? Steve Badger: [00:16:12] Correct. You know, any time that there is an emergency use authorization, there has to be some reasoning behind it. And for this case here, you know, they gave three main reasons as to why they wanted to implement this. And, you know, first of all, it was the sars-cov-2 virus that causes covid-19 causes serious life threatening disease. There was no question about that at this point, including severe respiratory illness. The second reason was that based on scientific evidence available to the FDA, that there was some benefit of using these filtering face piece respirators, even though they were not NIOSH approved. And third of all is that, you know, there just wasn't any other available alternatives. There was just nothing else out there that was in the pipeline that could possibly [00:17:00] take the place of that or help supplement that. So this is why the FDA decided that this was a good time to implement this particular EUA. Peter Koch: [00:17:13] That's great. And as I understand it, too, there were multiple or at least there were two EUAs that were issued. So talk to us about the first EUA that was issued and then we can talk about the second one. Steve Badger: [00:17:26] Sure. The first EUA was the imported NIOSH Non-NIOSH approved disposable filtering face piece respirators, and that one really covered respirators that were made outside of the United States everywhere but China. And we'll talk about a little bit about that in the second one as to why they separated those. But this particular one this first one was for every other country, the Italy, the Australia, the New Zealand that were making respirators that had not been previously [00:18:00] NIOSH approved. And within that EUA, they had what's called exhibit one. Exhibit one was the list of approved filtering face piece respirators that could be used by health care professionals under this EUA. Peter Koch: [00:18:17] Ok, so once that EUA was issued, they had a list of all the different respirators. So the health care community could go out and choose from that list. They couldn't find NIOSH approved filtering face pieces. They could then look at which ones were then being approved through the emergency use authorization. That's cool. So that list one was a pretty critical list for people to have get their hands on. And then I think it was still hard to find some of those. And then there was another EUA that was issued and you referenced that earlier. That was the one for respirators manufactured in China. So can you talk a little bit about that one? Steve Badger: [00:18:56] Yes. The first EUA approved about 50, [00:19:00] I believe it was 54 different types of respirators from different countries. And as we talked about the use and the need and far outweighed the number that were available. So the second EUA was issued in October of 2020, and that was for respirators that were constructed in the country of China. Now, that particular list was also quite extensive and they actually had about 200 approved respirators that went into Appendix A of that EUA that were approved from that point that the EUA was initiated. So now they've brought in the they had the rest of the world will say in the. First, the EUA and then China and their respirators were the second EUA. Peter Koch: [00:19:55] Right, and so through your reading, were you able to determine why they had a [00:20:00] separate EUA for the respirators made in China versus the ones that may have been made in the other parts of the world? Steve Badger: [00:20:07] There's been nothing that I've been able to find in the reading that would indicate why? You know, there's a lot of conjecture out there as far as, you know, thinking about the fact that, you know, early on they thought that maybe, you know, they wouldn't have to go to that extreme to get enough respirators available. But, yeah, there's definitely nothing in writing that I've been able to find that's indicated as why it was separate after the fact. You know, when we talk about here later on, but after the fact, it became obvious that there were a lot of knockoffs and a lot of, you know, fake respirators that were being sent in, ones that weren't nearly close to approval. And so, you know, after the fact, they started, you know, weeding out those pretty quickly when they started testing them. Peter Koch: [00:20:59] Yeah. [00:21:00] So I do remember some of that information coming through. There were a number of respirators that were packaged to represent themselves as being NIOSH approved or had the OSHA seal of approval, which isn't a thing. You know, she doesn't approve those. They just say you're supposed to wear a particular type of PPE. And then there were some testing information that was placed out there, too, about how the NIOSH respirators and respirators made in other parts of the world and even some of those in China did come it did come very close to meeting that NIOSH standard over the samples that they had. But there are others that didn't do it at all. And so part of the approval, as I see it, is how I've come to understand this as a safety professional is one of the reasons that you want in a third party testing and approving is because it provides you with some information about [00:22:00] the minimum amount of protection that you're going to get. So if you buy something that's going to have the stamp of approval on it, you should you should be able to feel comfortable that it will that it will protect you at this particular level. And so then if you take that protection level and then you look at what you're trying to be protected from, if they match up and you use it the way it's supposed to, you have managed the hazard or exposure to that hazard in a good way. But if it's not going to meet that base level of approval, then it may very well put you at greater risk if you're going to use something that that doesn't have that minimum level of protection. Peter Koch: [00:22:42] Let's take a quick break, integrating workplace safety into your business is a key part of the long term success of any company. And like most components of success, there is no one size fits all solution. MEMIC is committed to partnering with employers across all industries for workplace [00:23:00] safety. And we recognize the key to that partnership is understanding the unique demands of the industries that we ensure our safety experts bring experience from the industries that they serve. And this experience provides a unique perspective through a critical eye when it comes to understanding the particular exposures and challenges of an industry from construction, retail and manufacturing to hospitality and health care. Our team of experts will work with policyholders to identify opportunities to improve safety. Interested in finding more about MEMIC, check us out at MEMIC.com. Or better yet, contact your local independent insurance agent for more information. If you're already insured by MEMIC, then check out our safety resources at MEMIC.com/workplacesafety and sign up for access to our video lending library, our LMS platform or our Safety Director Resource Library. Now let's [00:24:00] get back to today's episode. Peter Koch: [00:24:04] I think as we as we start to look at the EUAs this, you know, the podcast is pretty short today. There is a pretty focused topic. There's not a ton that we need to go through. But we learned about what an EUA is, what the FRRs are, who does the approval process, who issued the emergency use authorization in the first place and why. Now, let's talk about the well, the title of the podcast is that they have been revoked or the EUAs have been revacated. So why were the EUAs revoked here? Why did the FAA pull the EUAs for those filtering face pieces? Steve Badger: [00:24:48] Yeah, looking at, you know, the beginning of this, where they were authorized, the EUAs were issued from that point on, we had a list for [00:25:00] the exhibit one and also for Appendix A for the second. And that list of respirators were really, you know, for lack of a better term, we're really unknowns. And so what NIOSH did was they started doing testing on these particular filtering face piece respirators to see if they met the n-95 standard that 95 percent filtration. And so the process that they would go through is they would take ten samples that were sent to them by the manufacturers. They would test them and come up with an average filtration. And so as they started going through and doing these testing, they found out early on that there were many that either didn't make it or that were very bad respirators that they could tell that they were bad, they tell that they were they were the fakes, that they were the fraudulent ones. And so what they did was they started [00:26:00] eliminating some of these from that list, from that approved list and a couple of different times during 2020, they took some of these out, started weeding them down to the ones that actually that they could say would filter out 95 percent. Now, it's important to note at this point that this did not give them a NIOSH approval. OK, what all this did was that NIOSH did this testing and that they were able to say that in this testing that it did reach that 95 percent. So none of these respirators were able to gain NIOSH approval numbers from this particular testing. So as time went on, the manufacturers that NIOSH had approved previously started catching up on the numbers of respirators that were being in demand as the pandemic, you know, slowly started coming down and the number of cases and the health care workers were able to better protect themselves with NIOSH respirators. [00:27:00] These lists, this Appendix A and exhibit one, they started becoming less and less important. And so in the end of June or actually towards the end of June, the FDA decided to revoke both of these EUAs, meaning that these respirators are no longer approved for use by health care professionals. Peter Koch: [00:27:25] And that's another interesting point to note, that the lists were kind of live. So the Appendix A. And the list one, as NIOSH started testing, they actually eliminated some of the respirators from those list. Is that correct? Did I hear that correctly? Steve Badger: [00:27:43] Yes, they did, they initially they eliminated from the second EUA, the ones from China there was about I want to say it was about 75 respirators that did not meet the first cut right out of the gate. And there was a there was several from [00:28:00] the first the UK from the European and other nations that were creating them. And so they were slowly, you know, they would get several of these on that list and they would eliminate them. And so they would, you know, say, OK, from this point on, from this date on, these are no longer part of this EUA and therefore the health care providers should not be using these. Peter Koch: [00:28:23] Yeah, and I think that's a good point, because if this ever does happen again and another EUA is issued for non-NIOSH approved filtering face pieces that. The purchasing groups for these health care organizations need to understand that, unfortunately, we can only work as fast as we can work and that those lists could be live. So are the lists will be live. And as more testing gets done, those lists might change. So it's important to go back to those lists on a regular basis, work with your suppliers to make sure that you have [00:29:00] you're working off the most accurate list and you're getting the equipment that's best suited for your for your workers. So we come to the end and the EUAs are revoked and what I'm hearing, Steve, is that you're saying because manufacturing picked up enough with the NIOSH approved n-95 respirators, that that there are enough now to go around to outfit the needs of our health care professionals. So that's really the reason why they were revoked, because there wasn't a need for emergency use anymore. We were able to use the approved respirators in most cases. Is that correct? Steve Badger: [00:29:43] Yes, it is correct and you know, and obviously there's a couple of reasons for that. I mean, one, we don't have the certainly have not had the number of cases that we had initially early on, you know, and also, you know, we have to think about respirators as they are. They're the last [00:30:00] line of defense. And so when we think about, you know, you know, hazards and controls that, you know, the controls that have been put into place have also helped eliminate a lot of these potential exposures to the point where maybe not as many respirators are needed to be used because they are that last line of defense. And therefore, you know, if something happens to them, the respirator fails, that person could still be exposed. So we want to try, you know, to eliminate those hazards initially before you get to that respirator point. Peter Koch: [00:30:32] Very good now. All right. So the EUAs are revoked the non NIOSH approved respirators are no longer approved for use in a health care setting. What do I do, I've got maybe a stockpile of respirators that were once approved by the EUA and they're no longer functional or at least no longer proved to be used in a health care setting. So does the FDA have [00:31:00] any recommendations going forward? Steve Badger: [00:31:03] Yes, they do. They have several recommendations for the stockpiles of these things that  they're assuming that are out there for the health care professionals. And just because these respirators are no longer a part of this EUA, doesn't mean that they can't be used for other purposes outside of the health care organizations that you could, you know, actually, you know, redistribute these through, you know, into non health care settings, such as, you know, construction or even general industry? You might be able to you know, they offer the suggestion that maybe you could donate them to other countries or other places where approved respirators are still in very short, you know, short quantities as they're very much in demand. They also, you know, tell us that we may even consider, you know, holding on to them to [00:32:00] be used for other purposes so that's where they've kind of left it with us, that we don't want to just, you know, we just don't want to throw these things away, that there are other uses for them. And I think that's very good advice. Peter Koch: [00:32:12] Yeah, I think it's great advice as well. So just because you have a resource, make sure you're using the resource appropriately just for that health care setting of if I'm a health care professional and I'm going to be exposed to someone who potentially has covid-19, I want to make sure I'm protected. So you want to make sure you're using that NIOSH respirator. And since you should be able to have sourced enough of those for the exposure potential that that is out there now. But like you said at the end, there again, it's a good idea. As we you know, we look at where we are currently and there's starting to be an uptick in cases, an uptick with the Delta variant and maybe some other variants that are coming down the road. It's [00:33:00] always good to be prepared. So we don't want to be in a place again where we're scrambling to find respirators. We want to make sure that we have things in stock. So, you know, good advice, use it or do with those stockpiled respirators, what you, as your company feels is going to be the best use for them. And if that is a donation grade, if that's moving them to a different industry, fine, too. If that is holding on to them just in case, that's not a bad idea either. So, Steve, why don't we try? So we learned a lot today in a very short time. And I think most of it is kind of clearing up some of those three letter abbreviations like EUA and FRR and even some larger abbreviations like NIOSH or CDC. So why don't we take that sentence those two sentences we had in the intro and let's try to add the actual words that come up and see if it makes any more sense to us. So here we go. Early [00:34:00] on in the sars-cov-2 or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus two pandemic the Food and Drug Administration as a Department of the Department of Health and Human Services created the filtering face piece respirator emergency use authorization for health care providers. They did this in conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health, or NIOSH and the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, to help combat the spread of covid-19. Now, due to the increase in availability of the NIOSH approved n-95 filtering face piece respirators, the Food and Drug Administration has revoked the filtering face piece respirator emergency use authorization for health care providers. Makes a little more sense. Still a mouthful to say, but there seems to make more sense to that. So I [00:35:00] guess at the end here, Steve, as you were going through the emergency use authorization, the process and how they were revoked, is there anything else that you want to add to that or maybe something that you found really interesting as you were going through that? Steve Badger: [00:35:17] Yeah, you know, I would say that I probably one of them the most interesting things that I found going through this was, you know, the ability of the government organizations to be able to work together to get to that point where these EUAs were being issued. Because, you know, it wasn't just the FDA. They had to rely on the NIOSH group for their testing and approval. And, you know, and that all, you know, in conjunction with the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, that they had to all work together to make this work. And I think that that's the part that really drove home to me. The point that, you know, when we're in a crisis and these things happen, that these people can work together, that they can, you [00:36:00] know, do you know the right thing and get these things out to people and in a big hurry. I mean, this was these are not something that typically happens overnight. And in this case, here it did. These were given this temporary approval and this emergency approval. And so they were they were able to help that health care professionals out of a very tough position. Peter Koch: [00:36:26] Yeah, I think that's a really good point. The working across departments at the federal level can be challenging at times. And they definitely collaborated well together and came up with a with good response for a very, very challenging situation for sure. So, Steve, if someone had more questions about the FDA or and or the emergency use authorizations, something happens in the future. They see something over the Internet that there was a new EUA or they want to learn more about these [00:37:00] EUAs in particular, where would they go for more information? Steve Badger: [00:37:05] Certainly the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA has a website that you can go on and, you know, you can look and search for EUAs under that website and it will bring up all of them. And they're, quite frankly, right now there's quite a few of them out there for different types of medical processes and procedures. And also the vaccines, the very vaccines that we're taking to prevent covid fall under these EUAs. So you kind of have to do a little bit of searching through there. And the other place that I would look in regards to the filtering face piece respirators is whether or not the respirator that you've chosen that you have in your hand, is it NIOSH approved or not? Easy enough to go on to the NIOSH website and actually determine that you can do a search and look to see which respirators are really approved? You know, it's not just stamped [00:38:00] on the box from, you know, someplace, you know, out of nowhere that you can actually make sure that that thing is actually what it says that it is so that you're getting that protection factor that you're expecting. Peter Koch: [00:38:12] That's a great point. And to not all, you know, don't always trust the packaging. So if you're looking to purchase n-95 respirators, a  good idea is to double check them against the list there for the NIOSH approved respirators. And you'd find that you said right on the NIOSH site or is that the FDA site, Steve? Steve Badger: [00:38:33] You would find it on the NIOSH site for which respirators are approved and they will be given approval number. And you can determine that, you know, from that list is whether or not that one you have in your hand, if it's NIOSH approved, it's going to have a number associated with it that matches up with that NIOSH site. Peter Koch: [00:38:53] Very good. And most of your reputable distributors are going to be familiar with that and be able to help [00:39:00] you if you're purchasing PPE for your organization, whether your health care or not, they should be able to work with you and then know what's approved and what's not approved. And if you ask them questions, is it on it? What's the number they should be able to give you that. So if you're wanting to double check, you can always ask those questions of your supplier. All right. Very good. Steve, thanks so much for coming on and sharing your expertise with us today. Steve Badger: [00:39:27] You're very welcome, Peter. Thank you for having me. Peter Koch: [00:39:29] Excellent. We'll have to bring you on again and talk some more about respirators. I, I know we've been chatting back and forth about a podcast, around respiratory Protection, and it's a pretty enormous topic. And we've got to kind of whittle it down so we can fit it in within our podcast format here. So we'll have you back on again. And I'm looking forward to speaking with you. Steve Badger: [00:39:50] Thank you. Peter Koch: [00:39:50] Perfect. So thanks again for joining us. And to all of our listeners out there today on the MEMIC Safety Experts podcast, we've been speaking with Steve Badger, safety management [00:40:00] consultant, with a MEMIC about the Food and Drug Administration's revoked emergency use authorizations for filtering face piece respirators. If you have any questions or would like to hear more about a particular topic on our podcast, e-mail me at podcast@MEMIC.com. Also, check out our show notes at MEMIC.com/podcast, where you can find additional resources and our entire podcast archive. Did you know we've had more than 50 episodes so far and we're still going strong and hope to do another 50. And while you're there on the website, sign up for our safety net blog so you never miss any of our articles or safety news updates. And if you haven't done so, I'd appreciate it if you took a minute or two to review us on Stitcher, iTunes or whichever podcast service that you found us on. And if you've already done that, thanks, because it really helps us spread the word. Please consider sharing this show with a business associate friend or family member who you think will get something out of [00:41:00] it. And as always, thank you for the continued support. And until next time, this is Peter Koch reminding you that listening to the MEMIC Safety Experts podcast is good, but using what you learned here is even better.  

This week we welcome Dr. Jennifer Sahmel and Kirk Phillips to explore the concepts of Total Exposure Health (TEH) and Total Worker Health (TWH). TWH's primary goal is to improve the well-being of the U.S. workforce by protecting their safety and enhancing their health and productivity. Total Exposure Health is a strategy to evaluate individuals' exposures to hazards at work, from the environment, and lifestyle choices, integrating these evaluations with health promotions initiatives to better ensure the long-term health of the individual. TEH and TWH take a more holistic approach to health, safety and well being. The concepts are gaining traction and this week we have two of the leading proponents joining us.   Dr. Jennifer Sahmel is a Managing Principal Scientist with Insight Exposure and Risk Sciences in Boulder, Colorado. She is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional with 25 years of experience in exposure assessment science and workplace health and safety. She has worked in a variety of public and private sector positions including the U.S. EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics the National Park Service and Comprehensive Health Services at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She earned her MPH degree in Environmental Health and Industrial Hygiene from the University of California at Berkeley and her PhD in Environmental Health at the University of Minnesota. She is a Research Fellow with the University of Minnesota's Exposure Science and Sustainability Institute. She is also active in the American Industrial Hygiene Association and is a past member of their national board of directors.   Colonel (ret) Kirk A. Phillips currently holds the position of Director, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA), Washington DC. Prior to his current position Kirk was the Health Safety and Environmental Practice Leader and Vice President at LJB Inc. In 2018, he retired as the BSC Associate Chief for Bioenvironmental Engineering (BE) in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General. In 2014 he developed Total Exposure Health as a strategic initiative to institutionalize primary prevention in work, environmental and lifestyle exposures. Prior to his current assignment, Col Phillips was the Director of Policy and Programs for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, Pentagon, Washington DC. Mr. Phillips entered the Air Force from a four-year AF ROTC scholarship in 1985. He obtained his BS in Aerospace Engineering and his MS in Engineering and Environmental Management. Colonel Phillips has held a broad range of leadership positions throughout the Air Force.

The use of surrogate testing is a valuable tool in ensuring that contained dust collectors are meeting several requirements including environmental, employee health and safety and production cleanliness and efficiency. Traci Purdum, executive digital editor of Chemical Processing, spoke with David Steil, pharmaceutical market manager at Camfil Air Pollution Control, to better understand surrogate testing. David has a Bachelor of Science degree in safety and industrial hygiene. He spent more than 12 years with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals as a member of its corporate environment health and safety group. David is a member of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering and the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Ed Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees.  In the 1980's, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides.  In the 1990's, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI).  As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station.  He has been admitted as an expert witness in numerous litigations.

Few 18-year-olds know what an industrial hygienist is. So it makes sense why Jeremy Sawyer didn’t consider that major during his first year of college. After realizing physical therapy wasn't for him, he spoke to a counselor who opened his eyes.“I said … ‘The curriculum is really what I'm interested in — math and science — but I also want to be able to help folks,’” he recalls on this episode of the No Accident podcast, presented by TRUCE. “She pointed me in the direction of industrial hygiene.”After working as an industrial hygienist for six years, Jeremy became a health and safety supervisor at a chemical company, which led him down a more safety-oriented path. Now, he’s Deputy Director of Environment, Safety and Health at California-based SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.Regardless of whether a workplace is more science-driven than profit-driven — like a lab — Jeremy said it’s still crucial to maintain a successful safety program. His approach to avoiding incidents is to first gain buy-in from the C-suite, which he does without focusing on the cost of injuries. “When you're talking with leaders, you want to ensure that they understand that our most important resource and the reason that we are able to be successful is our folks in the field,” he says. “We need to make sure that they have the tools … because if sites get shut down for whatever reason, then they're not making money.”On this episode of No Accident, Jeremy also discusses the importance of not policing employees and showing that you genuinely care about their well-being. “I think failure in our line of work can be absolutely catastrophic. Not in a financial sense, but in a people sense. We want to make sure that failures don't result in people getting hurt.” Featured Guest

This week we have a conversation with Jennifer Maclachlan. In 2020, she became Chair of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) Teen Workplace Health & Safety Committee. We discuss her experience in working first hand with teenagers and current resources available. To learn more listen to the episode and click on the link for more information on the Safety Matters initiative: https://www.aiha.org/get-involved/safety-matters-center

Information to help people who work and those headed back to work after COVID19 shutdown. Also, timely guidelines here for employers and the general public. That Expert Show host Anna Canzano interviews Kathleen Murphy, president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.  WATCH THIS EPISODE http://bit.ly/AIHAExpertWEB GET TIPSHEET FOR THIS EPISODE http://bit.ly/AIHAExpertTIPSHEET CONNECT with THAT EXPERT SHOW Facebook http://Facebook.com/AnnaCanzano Twitter http://Twitter.com/Anna_Canzano Instagram http://Instagram.com/AnnaCanzano LEARN ABOUT THAT EXPERT SHOW https://ThatExpertShow.com

This week we welcome Larry Sloan CEO of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Mr. Sloan stepped into the role of CEO at the AIHA in October 2016. Prior to this, he served as President/CEO for seven years at the Society of Chemical Manufactures and Affiliates (SOCMA), a trade association representing the US specialty chemical industry. Larry entered the non-profit sector in 2001 by serving first as a director with a subsequent promotion to president at the Adhesive and Sealant Council.   Larry began his career as a chemical engineer at Air Products and later worked for Nalco Chemical Company in marketing, manufacturing and sales capacities. Mr. Sloan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Chemical Engineering. Later he returned to Northwestern University where he earned his MBA. In 2006, Larry received his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation through the American Society of Association Executives.   Larry is a rare combination of CAE with extensive field experience in industry. We look forward to having him help us LEARN MORE on IAQradio+.

This week on IAQ Radio+ we welcome J. David Miller, PhD. back to IAQ Radio+ for a discussion on the newly revised AIHA Green Book "Recognition, Evaluation and Control of Indoor Mold" and an in depth discussion of mycotoxins. Dr. Miller received his secondary education at the University of New Brunswick, before studying at the University of Portsmouth in England, where he was also a NATO Science Postdoctoral Fellow. He began his post-university career at Agriculture Canada in 1982, and became head of the Fusarium mycotoxin program in 1988. He became a Professor & NSERC Research Chair at Carleton University in 2000. From 1999-2008, he was a visiting scientist and science advisor in the air health effects section of Health Canada. His work involves the development of methods to assess exposure to determinants of respiratory health in indoor environments and on fungal toxins in food and feed. Dr. Miller has published >350 papers on fungi and fungal toxins and has co-written 10 books on the public health aspects of exposures to fungi, and has several patents. He has served on many national and international committees on mold and dampness in the built environment. He is a fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

This week on IAQ Radio+ we welcome Jack Springston, CIH, CSP for a discussion on mold and IEQ in NYC and around the country. There are a lot of current events and new guidance documents out or coming out and Jack is on top of it.   Jack Springston has over 30 years’ experience in industrial hygiene and occupational health. He’s been a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) since 1993, and is one of less than 50 active CIHs who also hold a sub-specialty certificate in Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). He is the current Chair of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) Continuing Education Committee, and in 2012, he was made a distinguished Fellow of AIHA. Jack is currently the Industrial Hygiene Services Manager for ATC Group Services in New York City, Albany, and Long Island.   Jack received a BS Degree in Environmental Biology from LIU/Southampton College and a MS Degree in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from Hunter College. He is a past-Chair of AIHA’s Indoor Environmental Quality committee and Biosafety & Environmental Microbiology committee. In addition, he is currently the Vice Chair of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist’s (ACGIH) newly reformed Bioaerosols Committee.   LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+!

Powered by iReportSource We know by now that the application of a safety management system (SMS) can drastically improve organizational safety performance. Even OSHA's Partnership program, VPP, relies on management system principles, and you can see the results that participants encounter on their website. So, back in 1999, ANSI started a committee to begin work on what would become known as the Z10 standard. The committee looked at existing national and international standards in occupational safety and health. Initially approved in 2005, it was revised once and reaffirmed in 2017. More recently, the collaboration between ANSI and the American Industrial Hygiene Association was replaced on the Z10 committee by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), which is why you will now see the standard now titled ANSI/ASSP Z10. ANSI Z10 encourages participants to integrate other management systems with the safety management system. Mainly because most other systems follow the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) model as the basis for continuous improvement, so it should be familiar to most organizations. Not only that, it is incredibly useful! The stated purpose of the standard is to provide organizations a valuable tool for continuous improvement of their safety and health performance. The standard focuses mainly on the strategic aspects of policies and the things that go into making sure they are carried out. What ANSI Z10 does NOT do is provide companies with things like detailed procedures and job instructions. So let's get into what is required by this voluntary standard. Like other voluntary standards, the ANSI/ASSP Z10 is broken down into sections. According to the Table of Contents, the seven sections are as follows: Scope, Purpose, & Application Definitions Management Leadership & Employee Participation Planning Implementation & Operation Evaluation & Corrective Action Management Review Scope, Purpose, & Application Just as in the case with ISO 45001, ANSI/ASSP Z10 starts with the Scope, Purpose & Application. It defines the minimum requirements for the safety management system, and its primary purpose is, again, to provide a tool that organizations can use to reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Of course, the standard can be applied to any organization regardless of size and type. Management Leadership & Employee Participation The top management has to mandate all parts of the organization to establish, maintain, implement, and maintain the SMS per the standard. This mandate starts with top management establishing a documented EHS policy. Companies have to make sure that, at a minimum, the safety policy includes the following: Protection and continual improvement of employee safety and health. Meaningful employee involvement. Require conformance with the organization's safety and health program requirements. Require compliance with established safety and health laws and regulations. The top leadership must also accept ultimate responsibility for safety and health by doing the things we come to expect in these safety management systems: Provide financial and professional resources to carry out the management system requirements. Define roles and responsibilities, accountability, and authority to carry out the management system requirements.  Integrate the SMS into other business systems and processes, which includes performance reviews, compensation, rewards, and recognition programs are in line with the SMS. Employees also have to assume responsibility for parts of the SMS over which they have control, like following safety rules and procedures. All of this must be communicated to all employees as well as be made available to relevant external interested parties. According to ANSI, top leadership should not only hire a safety professional and delegate all of this to them. They must be visible in their leadership by participating in carrying out aspects of the SMS as well. Employee Participation The organization has to establish a process that ensures meaningful employee participation throughout all levels. At a minimum: Provide employees the means, time, and resources needed to participate in the planning, implementation, evaluation, corrective action, and preventative actions required by the SMS. Provide employees access to information related to the SMS. Effectively remove all barriers to meaningful involvement. Planning ANSI states that the planning process goal is to identify and prioritize SMS issues such as hazards, risks, SMS deficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. The organization must also establish goals and objectives to improve upon the SMS as well. There are four parts of this section: Review Process Assessment and Prioritization Objectives Implementation Plans and Allocation of Resources Let's talk about Review; I often mention the need to conduct a gap assessment. Well, so does ANSI. You need to identify the differences, the gap between the organization's SMS, and the requirements of the Z10. Not only does this need to be done when implementing Z10, but also periodically after that. The organization must document these activities. The activities you should document include: Relevant business systems and processes Operational issues like hazards, risks, and controls Previously identified issues Allocation of needed resources Applicable regulations, standards, and other EHS requirements Risk assessments Opportunities for employee participation Results of other audits Any other relevant activities Implementation & Operation This section is where ANSI spells out which elements an organization needs for the implementation of an effective SMS. These elements are considered foundational elements of the SMS and feed into the planning process. ANSI believes the implementation fo these elements also generates the much-needed experience and knowledge that will be looped back into the planning process continuously. The elements are as follows: Risk Assessment Education, Training, Awareness, and Competence Communication Document and Record Control Process Here I want to focus on the first element. The organization must establish and implement a risk assessment process that addresses the nature of the hazards and level of risks in the business. In the Risk Assessment element, ANSI spells out the use of the hierarchy of controls, design review, management of change, procurement processes, contractor management, and emergency preparedness. These all must be addressed to comply with the standard. Evaluation & Corrective Action In this section, ANSI covers the requirements for processes to achieve the following: Evaluate the performance of the SMS through monitoring, measurement, assessment, incident investigation, and audits. Take corrective action when the organization discovers deficiencies. Consider the results of audits as part of the planning process and management review. The purpose is to help evaluate SMS performance by measuring the company's efforts at reducing risks. ANSI spells out five areas that will help: Monitoring, Measurement, and Assessment Incident Investigation Audits Corrective and Preventative Action Feedback to the Planning Process In the end, the findings and lessons learned will loop back into the continuous process of improving the SMS overall. Management Review In this section, ANSI defines the requirements for occasional management reviews. The reason is for top management, along with crucial leaders in the organization, to do a strategic evaluation of the performance of the SMS and recommend improvements. The difference being that this speaks specifically to top leadership. Things to consider using during any management review include: Any reduction of risks identified The effectiveness of the organization's ability to identify, assess, and prioritize risk The effectiveness in addressing underlying causes and contributors to risks and deficiencies  Input from employees The status of corrective actions determined to be needed Progress on any stated SMS goals and objectives The reason top management needs to conduct these reviews is that they have the authority to make the necessary decisions about allocating resources about choices.  The results need to be summarized, spelling out action items top management needs to address. These go into action plans with targets to achieve as well as identifying those responsible for seeing them through. To recap, the ANSI/ASSP Z10 Standard has requirements under the following sections: Scope, Purpose, & Application Definitions Management Leadership & Employee Participation Planning Implementation & Operation Evaluation & Corrective Action Management Review I wanted to cover ANSI Z10 as I did for the ISO 45001 Standard in the last episode. Which one do you think you would recommend following? Why? I like aspects of both, but the ANSI Standard reads better. They formatted the standard into two columns. The left-hand side spells out standard requirements while the right-hand side offers recommendations or best practices related to each. It is pretty easy to follow in that regard. Let me know what you think - ISO or ANSI at this point? Post a LinkedIn update, letting me know. Be sure to @ mention Blaine J. Hoffmann or The SafetyPro Podcast LinkedIn page. You can also find the podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Today on Iaqradio+ we welcome Ed Light and Paul Haas. They're CIH's but actually work with contractors to solve building problems! The "dynamic duo" (Ed and Paul are with the Indoor Air/Mechanical Engineering consulting firm, Building Dynamics), will address elusive questions such as, "Will mold grow here?" and "What do these moisture readings mean?" We are also going to have a special musical introduction from Ed Light.   Mr. Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees.  In the 1980's, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides.  In the 1990's, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI).  As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station.  He has been admitted as an expert witness in numerous litigations.  Paul Haas CSP, CIH is a consultant with Building Dynamics, LLC - industrial hygiene and mechanical engineering consultants. He has an MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Southern California and a BA in Environmental Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has authored many peer-reviewed scientific publications, including widely-used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints. He is a member of ASHRAE, AIHA, and an elite group of surfers who enjoy bluegrass music. As a consultant, Paul has directed multi-disciplinary Building Science and IEQ investigations of 100's of facilities and managing air quality in buildings under construction. He is a practicing industrial hygienist, and also participates in the successful design and construction of numerous buildings and public health aspects of the indoor environment for more than 25 years.

This week we look forward to our interview with Eugene C. Cole DrPH. Dr. Gene Cole is Director of Research for LRC Indoor Testing & Research, Cary, NC; and formerly Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. He has 35 years of research experience, with a primary focus on the ecology of indoor and work environments, with special emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, human exposure assessment and control, product evaluation, cleaning and restoration, mold and sewage remediation, and biocides.   Since 2000, he has continued to conduct research on the relationship between the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products in the home, and antibiotic resistance; as well as on the effectiveness of cleaning to reduce the transmission of disease agents in schools. He has also worked with national and international organizations to address environmental health and infectious disease concerns such as medical waste management in Central Europe and South East Asia, hygiene promotion in Africa, and healthy homes and buildings in the U.S. and Asia.   Dr. Cole is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), and a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology and a Doctor of Public Health in Biohazard Science and Occupational Health, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This week we look forward to our interview with Eugene C. Cole DrPH. Dr. Gene Cole is Director of Research for LRC Indoor Testing & Research, Cary, NC; and formerly Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. He has 35 years of research experience, with a primary focus on the ecology of indoor and work environments, with special emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, human exposure assessment and control, product evaluation, cleaning and restoration, mold and sewage remediation, and biocides. Since 2000, he has continued to conduct research on the relationship between the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products in the home, and antibiotic resistance; as well as on the effectiveness of cleaning to reduce the transmission of disease agents in schools. He has also worked with national and international organizations to address environmental health and infectious disease concerns such as medical waste management in Central Europe and South East Asia, hygiene promotion in Africa, and healthy homes and buildings in the U.S. and Asia. Dr. Cole is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), and a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology and a Doctor of Public Health in Biohazard Science and Occupational Health, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This week on IAQ Radio we Flashback to two of three shows we have done with author and indoor environmental professional Jeff May. Radio Joe has gone back to show 25 and show 117 with to put together a highlight show with Jeff May. Mr. May is Principal Scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations, LLC in Tyngsborough, MA. He is the author of four books on IAQ (published by The Johns Hopkins University Press), including My House is Killing Me and The Mold Survival Guide, Jeff has been investigating building problems in homes, schools and office for over 25 years, and has examined by microscopy over 35,000 air and dust samples. A nationally recognized speaker on IAQ topics, Jeff is a member of IAQA, the Pan American Aerobiology Association, American Chemical Society, and the New England Chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, among others. He is a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP, Association of Energy Engineers), and is a licensed Mold Assessor in the state of Florida. He holds a B.A. from Columbia College (chemistry) and an M.A. from Harvard University (organic chemistry), and has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. LEARN MORE with Jeff May this week on IAQradio!

This week on IAQ Radio we Flashback to two of three shows we have done with author and indoor environmental professional Jeff May. Radio Joe has gone back to show 25 and show 117 with to put together a highlight show with Jeff May. Mr. May is Principal Scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations, LLC in Tyngsborough, MA. He is the author of four books on IAQ (published by The Johns Hopkins University Press), including My House is Killing Me and The Mold Survival Guide, Jeff has been investigating building problems in homes, schools and office for over 25 years, and has examined by microscopy over 35,000 air and dust samples. A nationally recognized speaker on IAQ topics, Jeff is a member of IAQA, the Pan American Aerobiology Association, American Chemical Society, and the New England Chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, among others. He is a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP, Association of Energy Engineers), and is a licensed Mold Assessor in the state of Florida. He holds a B.A. from Columbia College (chemistry) and an M.A. from Harvard University (organic chemistry), and has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. LEARN MORE with Jeff May this week on IAQradio!

Mr. Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees. In the 1980s, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides. In the 1990s, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI). As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station. He has been admitted in numerous proceedings as a litigation expert in industrial hygiene.

Mr. Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees. In the 1980s, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides. In the 1990s, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI). As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station. He has been admitted in numerous proceedings as a litigation expert in industrial hygiene.

This week on IAQ Radio we are going to play Part Two of our interview from the Maine IAQ Council 2015 Northeast IAQ and Energy Conference. Bob Krell of Healthy Indoors Magazine and I interviewed some of the speakers at the event and we have both audio and video recordings to play back for our listeners and readers. The conference was a great success and every year they draw some of the top speakers in the industry. For part two this week we will be replaying our interviews with Sam Rashkin, Paula Schenck, MPH, David Shea, P.E. and Jack Springston, CIH, CSP, FAIHA. We will talk some building science, sampling vs. non sampling, mold and health, vapor intrusion and more! For those of you expecting our Brett Singer, PhD interview we had to push that back a week to accommodate a last minute change in Dr. Singer's plans. Sam Rashkin Chief Architect, Building Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy - Washington, D.C. As Chief Architect Mr. Rashkin's work includes leading DOE's world-class research program, Building America, and overseeing the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home voluntary labeling program for leading edge builders. In his prior position, he managed Energy Star for Homes since its start in 1996. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University; completed Masters of Urban Planning studies at New University; York and is a registered architect in California and New York. Paula Schenck, MPH Director of Indoor Environment & Health Programs, UConn Health - Farmington, CT Paula was part of a group that established the Center for Indoor Environments and Health at to UCONN on this objective. She developed multiple initiatives directed at improving indoor environments in schools and offices. At the UCONN Occupational Medicine clinic, Paula is called upon to provide guidance on environmental and/or workplace interventions as part of patient treatment. She also teaches environmental health at UCONN, instructs in the masters in public health program, is a seminar leader on asthma and environment and coordinates segments on occupational health in the medical school. David Shea, P.E. Sanborn Head & Associates - Concord, NH As a Principal Engineer with Sanborn, Head & Associates in Concord, New Hampshire, he is responsible for leading vapor intrusion and environmental remediation projects throughout the US and abroad. He has conducted vapor intrusion and mitigation assessments at sites involving more than hundreds of structures and millions of square feet. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from M.I.T. He is a licensed professional engineer in 13 states. Jack Springston, CIH, CSP, FAIHA TRC Environmental Corporation - New York, NY Jack Springston has over 27 years of experience in industrial hygiene and occupational health. He has been a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) since 1993, and is one of only approximately 50 active CIHs who also hold a sub-specialty certificate in Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). Jack received a BS Degree in Environmental Science and Biology from LIU/Southampton College and a MS Degree in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from CUNY/Hunter College. He is a past-Chair of both the American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA) Indoor Environmental Quality committee and the Bio-safety and Environmental Microbiology committee and is an AIHA Distinguished Fellow.

Join us this week on IAQradio when we welcome Jeff May to discuss two presentations he gave at the Indoor Air Quality Associations 19th Annual Meeting; Mold in the Mechanical Leading Cause of Sick-building Symptoms and Under Recognized Sources of Indoor Bio-Aerosols. Some of the bio-aerosols he will discuss are obscure and others are surprising. We will also do a short preview of the EPA sponsored Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine conference on The Health Risks of Indoor Exposure to Particulate Matter. The conference is next week in DC and Radio Joe will be covering it for IAQ Radio. Jeff May is Principal Scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations, LLC in Tyngsborough, MA. Author of four books on IAQ (published by The Johns Hopkins University Press), including My House is Killing Me and The Mold Survival Guide, Jeff has been investigating building problems in homes, schools and office for over 25 years, and has examined by microscopy over 35,000 air and dust samples. A nationally recognized speaker on IAQ topics, Jeff is a member of IAQA, the Pan American Aerobiology Association, American Chemical Society, and the New England Chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, among others. He is a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP, Association of Energy Engineers), and is a licensed Mold Assessor in the state of Florida. He holds a B.A. from Columbia College (chemistry) and an M.A. from Harvard University (organic chemistry), and has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. LEARN MORE with Jeff May this week on IAQradio!

Join us this week on IAQradio when we welcome Jeff May to discuss two presentations he gave at the Indoor Air Quality Associations 19th Annual Meeting; Mold in the Mechanical Leading Cause of Sick-building Symptoms and Under Recognized Sources of Indoor Bio-Aerosols. Some of the bio-aerosols he will discuss are obscure and others are surprising. We will also do a short preview of the EPA sponsored Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine conference on The Health Risks of Indoor Exposure to Particulate Matter. The conference is next week in DC and Radio Joe will be covering it for IAQ Radio. Jeff May is Principal Scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations, LLC in Tyngsborough, MA. Author of four books on IAQ (published by The Johns Hopkins University Press), including My House is Killing Me and The Mold Survival Guide, Jeff has been investigating building problems in homes, schools and office for over 25 years, and has examined by microscopy over 35,000 air and dust samples. A nationally recognized speaker on IAQ topics, Jeff is a member of IAQA, the Pan American Aerobiology Association, American Chemical Society, and the New England Chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, among others. He is a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP, Association of Energy Engineers), and is a licensed Mold Assessor in the state of Florida. He holds a B.A. from Columbia College (chemistry) and an M.A. from Harvard University (organic chemistry), and has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. LEARN MORE with Jeff May this week on IAQradio!

This week IAQ Radio welcomes back Mr. Ed Light, CIH to discuss alternatives and limitations to IAQ Testing. Is the industry too reliant on testing? What is the science behind clearance testing for mold? What is the science behind the LEED VOC testing requirements? What is the engineering approach to clearance? Times change, the science changes, people change but we still see many of the same clearance methods that were used 15 years ago. What are the limitations of these methods and what are the alternatives? Mr. Light has specialized in the indoor environmental sciences since 1982, when he directed a pioneering IAQ Program for the West Virginia Department of Health. A Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, he has published extensively. As a consultant with Building Dynamics, he has conducted over 1000 IAQ investigations, including assessments of the White House, South Pole Station and Sing Sing Prison. In his other life, Ed is lead singer and first chair banjoist with the All New Genetically Altered Jug Band and author of There's A Fungus Among Us! LEARN MORE on IAQ Radio Friday's at noon eastern!

This week IAQ Radio welcomes back Mr. Ed Light, CIH to discuss alternatives and limitations to IAQ Testing. Is the industry too reliant on testing? What is the science behind clearance testing for mold? What is the science behind the LEED VOC testing requirements? What is the engineering approach to clearance? Times change, the science changes, people change but we still see many of the same clearance methods that were used 15 years ago. What are the limitations of these methods and what are the alternatives? Mr. Light has specialized in the indoor environmental sciences since 1982, when he directed a pioneering IAQ Program for the West Virginia Department of Health. A Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, he has published extensively. As a consultant with Building Dynamics, he has conducted over 1000 IAQ investigations, including assessments of the White House, South Pole Station and Sing Sing Prison. In his other life, Ed is lead singer and first chair banjoist with the All New Genetically Altered Jug Band and author of There's A Fungus Among Us! LEARN MORE on IAQ Radio Friday's at noon eastern!

  Biopharma EHS Podcast Episode #9 Opening So for today, first off, I'll mention what we discussed last time, then we I'll cover our main topic for today - which is how to be a road warrior of environmental, health and safety, and then finally, I will mention important upcomings and happenings that are applicable to environmental, health and safety professionals in the Biopharma industry. So, in our last podcast, episode 8, I discussed the future of EH&S.  Now, when I'm talking about the future, I'm not talking what's on OSHA's regulatory agenda for this year or next, I'm talking about 15 to 20 years ahead.  In that episode, the key issues and technologies that I personally forecasted and will impact environmental, health and safety professionals include the untethering of the workplace, the widespread use of mobile phone applications for environmental, health and safety, industrial hygiene, environmental compliance and more; managing environmental, health and safety in crowdsourcing; just-in-time EHS training; conferences becoming much more social; and finally "occupational toxicology on a chip".  If any of this interests you, I would strongly suggest that you go back and listen to the entire episode. Let's now go ahead and move on to the next topic, and get started with how to be an effective road warrior of environmental, health and safety? So what exactly is a Road Warrior?  Well, a road warrior is typically, is typically, thought of as a person that travels frequently on business.  So far, in my lifetime, I've seen environmental, health and safety professionals that traveled anywhere from once a quarter to provide environmental, health and safety compliance support to facilities under their control, to those that left home on Sunday afternoon and didn't returned home till Friday evening.  These EH&S professionals included internal auditors, contract manufacturing auditors, consultants, and EH&S managers that were responsible for managing multiple facilities throughout the world.  On the extreme end of things there are some professionals that travel 250,000 air miles per year.  To put that in perspective, that's approximately one roundtrip flight from Denver to India per month. So if you're a Road Warrior of EH&S, how do you make the best out of this situation where you are always gone away from the office? First off, being an effective EHS Road Warrior starts well before you think about going to the airport and requires careful planning.  When you travel a lot you need to develop a routine.  To the extent possible, try to schedule your trips at the same time every month and then block them out on your calendar. Plan trips carefully and at least two months ahead.  Make sure you have a way to compare your business calendar with your personal calendar.  After all you don't want to schedule a trip and then realize that it's conflicts with important life events. Next, you will also want to get the right kind of luggage, the right kind of laptop computer case, and other travel accessories.  Look for luggage with lots of outside pockets to stash away all your gear.  True Road Warriors hardly ever check luggage.  It's just not worth the delay waiting to check/pickup your bags, and the risk of having your luggage lost.  You may also want to arm yourself with a really good set of headphones.  I personally use a set of Bose noise-cancelation headphones and they are great the next time you have a screaming baby sitting next to you. If you drive your own car to the airport, try to always park in the same general area.  This will reduce the chance that you will forget where you park your car.  This is especially true when you start having back-to-back trips.  If you can't always park in the same place take a picture of the parking lot location sign with your smartphone's digital camera. When traveling frequently to the same location, whether as a routine visit or for a project, try need to find a good hotel that you like and make a habit of staying there.  You want it to feel like home. And, if you check into a hotel and walk into the room and it's crap, don't be shy and afraid to go to the front desk and say "I'm going elsewhere."  I remember many years ago I had to perform some emergency response training in the middle of nowhere in Georgia.  I got to my hotel and there where roaches running across the floor and the toilet was all yellow urine stained.  I didn't last 3 minutes till I went to the front desk and said bye.  This doesn't mean you have to be a jerk, it just means you need to have personal standards and try to maintain them while traveling.  The typical things I look for when selecting a hotel: first off, it needs to be close to the facility that I'm visiting.  I hate, I absolutely hate, having to wake up super early just to fight traffic to get to the facility, 2) it better have a decent in-hotel workout facility.  If you're traveling frequently it is extremely important that you maintain an exercise routine - otherwise, airplane and airport food will cause your health to decline rapidly and you'll be dead before your 55.  3)  In-hotel bar or restaurant with free Wi-Fi and friendly staff.  Avoid the feeling of isolation and loneliness by getting to know the people that work there, especially the front desk people and the bartender.  Hey you never know, you might be able to teach the bartender a thing or two about potent compound safety. Join the Loyalty Programs Take advantage of every customer loyalty program you can envision.  Frequent flier programs are no brainer, especially if your company allows you to personally accumulate the miles.  As a consultant in potent compound safety, occupational toxicology, and industrial hygiene for pharmaceuticals, I have received many free flight tickets that I've used for my family to travel places.  Don't use the frequent flier miles for yourself or you won't get the miles for the trip. Use them for your family. Another benefit of enrolling in the customer loyalty programs is getting miles for elite status which may entitled you to early boarding and free upgrades.  For rental cars, again it's a no-brainer, nothing is better than by-passing the long lines at the counter and heading straight to your car. Keys in the ignition, show the guy your license, and you're gone.  For hotels, most hotels have sophisticated databases that know how many times that you have stay there and if you make it to a certain level they will jump through hoops for you.  Again, another reason to stay at the same place. I should mention that as you join customer loyalty programs, you will accumulate a lot of cards - don't put them in your wallet or purse. Instead, go to to one of those leather store in the airport or mall, and buy one of those long leather wallets where you can stash all your loyalty cards.  If you can, stash a way a couple of extra twenty dollar bills in there as well.  You don't know when you might need it. If travel more than twice a month, you should consider joining one of the airline clubs.  Depending upon the airline, you can get free wi-fi, comfortable seating, snacks, and free drinks.  You'll be thankful you joined the day you get delayed for several hours. Take Advantage of Technology When you travel a lot, you have to be organized and travel light.  Even if you have to pay for it out of your own pocket, get a great smartphone and a light laptop.  In addition to a decent phone, your smartphone should have a great GPS mapping system, otherwise you're going to get lost, a digital camera, a calendar system, a digital music player, and the ability to install apps.  Carry as few of books or papers as you can or you're going to hate life carry all this crap through the airport.  Especially, with the way security is these days.  So, let's just assume you're not big on listening to music. That's o.k., then listen to podcasts, in addition to the Biopharma EHS podcast, there are many other great podcasts or digital books out there. Get with the program and use technology to your advantage.  Use digital technology to record notes. Programs like Evernote work great for recording all the tidbits of information.  For compliance related items such as regulatory compliance tasks and corrective action software, I use Affytrac.  In order to be an effective road warrior, you must be able to retrieve information quickly and without saying "Uhh, it's back at the office."  Remember that effective Road Warriors has no office.  Your office is in your bag on your shoulder and on your phone.  Another benefit with recording compliance related tasks digitally is that if your bag or laptop gets lost or stolen, it's simply a manner of changing your password and all is good. While we're on the subject of apps you might want to check out Affytrac Mobile - a simple and affordable way for you to manage all your compliance and corrective action management system requirements from the convenience of your smartphone.  If you have questions about Affytrac Mobile, give me a call on my mobile phone at 303-884-3028. Still on the subject of apps, I should mention that restaurant apps such as Yelp or Urban Spoon are also great for finding that great restaurants. You can use location-based apps such as Foursquare or Gowalla to check-in and keep a virtual "journal" of your trips. Make it fun and don't worry about oversharing. Get to know the Local Environmental, Health and Safety Community Chances are that if you're visiting a specific facility frequently, that the people you need to meet can't be available for the entire time that you're there.  This is especially true if you're there more than once a month.  Also, in general, these people will likely have family obligations and having to entertain you every evening while your there gets old. Don't wear out your welcome and find something else to do, but at the same time make good use of your time.  With a little bit of research, you might find that the local chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, or the American Society of Safety Engineers, or some other professional organizations will either have a lunch or dinner meeting at certain times of the month.  Schedule your routine trips for those times and attend those meetings.  In addition to meeting new people, you begin to get a deeper understanding of the local regulations. Stay Connected Back Home O.k. you may be so old school that your idea of technology adoption is using a mechanical pencil - get over it and learn some new stuff.  The world is not going to rewind to your style and you have to learn new skills or you will get replaced.  You should also consider that maybe, just maybe, that those evening hours alone in the hotel bar or in your room are just the time to learn them.  If you're a Road Warrior you really need to be on LinkedIn and Facebook in order to stay socially connected to the the new professional friends that you meet while on the road and the family you have back home.  Don't be afraid to post pictures of that really cool castle that you drove by when you where going to a potent compound safety review meeting in the middle of Germany.  People love that stuff.  They want to see you as a real person, not some robot.  While I'm on that subject you can connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook.  Please invite me to be a connection on LinkedIn and "Like" us on Facebook.  In either case just search for "Affygility Solutions" and you will find us. Go with the flow Traveling on business is full of unexpected things. No need to stress out about it, and be nice to people.  During my travels, I've run into more than my fair share of jerks.  You know the ones that act like they are the only ones that matter - yelling at everyone that crosses their path, cutting in lines, and just about every rude act you can image.  My feeling, if you hate traveling that much find another job. Well, that does it for the Road Warrior segment of today's episode. I'm sure many of you out there have lot's of other great suggestions, so feel free to email at dcalhoun@affygility.com or call them in to me. Next, let's go over some important events and happenings that may be of interest to environmental, health and safety professionals in the Biopharma industry. Discuss events  

Mr. Light has specialized in the indoor environmental sciences since 1982, when he directed a pioneering IAQ Program for the West Virginia Department of Health. A Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, he has published extensively. As a consultant with Building Dynamics, he has conducted over 1000 IAQ investigations, including assessments of the White House, South Pole Station and Sing Sing Prison. In his other life, Ed is lead singer and first chair banjoist with the All New Genetically Altered Jug Band and author of There's A Fungus Among Us!

Mr. Light has specialized in the indoor environmental sciences since 1982, when he directed a pioneering IAQ Program for the West Virginia Department of Health. A Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, he has published extensively. As a consultant with Building Dynamics, he has conducted over 1000 IAQ investigations, including assessments of the White House, South Pole Station and Sing Sing Prison. In his other life, Ed is lead singer and first chair banjoist with the All New Genetically Altered Jug Band and author of There's A Fungus Among Us!