IOHA NEWSLETTERGLOBAL EXPOSURE MANAGER
International OccupationalHygiene Association

Edited by Dr Thomas P Fuller: IOHA president
e-mail: tpfuller1@gmail.com

University of Puerto Rico industrial hygiene graduate students
support the Spanish Certification Exam Development Task
Force by translating the Occupational Hygiene Survey ofProfessional Practice and Consent Form
Carla Dumas Vegae-mail: carla.dumas@upr.edu
In January, students from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) graduate programme in industrial hygiene supported the IOHA SpanishCertification Exam Development Task Force by helping with thetranslation of two important project documents. These were the Surveyof Professional Practice in Occupational Hygiene and the associatedSurvey Consent Form translations from English to Spanish.
The survey is being conducted to better clarify and document theactivities of occupational hygienists who practise their profession in
their nations and regions. The results of the survey will assist in thedevelopment of the certification exam, which is intended to verify
competency in the various areas of practice in these same nationsand regions, in the field of occupational hygiene.
Led by graduate student, Carla Dumas Vega, and supported by Prof.
Sergio A Caporali Filho, the team of graduate students from the Medical
Science Campus (UPR-MS) translated the six-page survey and onepage consent form, from English to Spanish. Other valued participantsof this project included UPR-MS graduate students, Erika Gonzalez,David Vélez Román, Alexis Ortiz Vega, and Antonella Lopez Rivera.
To coordinate the project, Carla created a special file drive so thatthe group could upload their progress during, what she termed, the‘Survey Translation Project’. On that drive, an itinerary was created witha deadline of one month. Each student on the project worked on thetranslation of the two documents from mid-January to mid-February.
The group participated in periodic online reunions to equally divideand coordinate the workload. After each student submitted his or
her designated parts, the documents were assessed and corrected toassure that the translation was well organised and concise. Dr Caporali
partook in the final revision of the documents before the official submission to Dr Thomas Fuller and the Exam Task Force.
A special Thank You! to the students of UPR-MS Industrial Hygiene Program
for their dedication and support to IOHA and the field of occupational
hygiene (Thomas P Fuller, IOHA president)

Back L to R: Carla Dumas Vega, Alexis Ortiz Vega, Antonella Lopez Rivera, David Vélez Román and Erika Gonzalez;
Front: Prof. Sergio A Caporali Filho
Photograph: courtesy of Carla Dumas Vega

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Vol. 27 No. 2 March/April 2021

Occupational Health Southern Africa

www.occhealth.co.za

IOHA NEWSLETTERGLOBAL EXPOSURE MANAGER
International Occupational
Hygiene AssociationAmerican Industrial Hygiene Association
Ina Xhanie-mail: ixhani@aiha.org

AIHA offers major discounts on education products for IH/
OEHS professionals in developing economies
To expand awareness and promote the importance of industrial
hygiene/occupational and environmental health and safety (IH/OEHS) education across the globe, the American Industrial Hygiene
Association (AIHA) offers digital versions of a series of PDF publications
and e-learning courses at discounted pricing. Among the discounted
products are the AIHA White Book, the Noise Manual, the Basic
Principles of Occupational Hygiene e-course, and many more. Use
discount code DEVNAT to take advantage of this offer. Please note thatthe publications and e-learning courses are in English only.

AIHA announces Spanish-language workplace healthresources
In January, the AIHA announced Recursos en español, a comprehensive
library of public resources written in the Spanish language, which
promotes health and safety in workplaces and communities. This newreserve of documents and tools was launched shortly after the AIHA’s
announcement that the Back to Work Safely guidance documents,
developed in response to COVID-19 business closures, were also available in Spanish. These two initiatives help the AIHA to get closer tofulfilling its mission: healthier workplaces and a healthier world; first,by making vital information about workplace health and safety accessible to close to 43 million people whose first language is Spanish; andsecond, by creating an opportunity to reach out to Spanish-speaking
IH/OEHS professionals and communities, and expand our circle ofcollaborators throughout Latin American countries. Translating theseresources is only half of the work; we need your help to let people knowthat they exist. Please share them with your colleagues to help makethe world a healthier place.

AIHA announces Virtual AIHce EXP 2021
The AIHA has announced that the annual American Industrial Hygiene
Conference and Exposition (AIHce EXP) will be held from 24 to 26 May
2021, as a virtual event, with professional development courses (PDCs)
offered on 22, 23 and 27 May. The virtual conference will be packed withthought-provoking keynote addresses, practical case studies, and actionable education sessions related to COVID-19, as well as dozens of othercutting-edge OEHS topics, to help OEHS professionals like you stay upto date. Every full registration automatically comes with access to AIHce
OnDemand session recordings, enabling you to catch up on sessions
you missed or earn additional contact hours until 31 December 2021.
The virtual platform has multiple benefits, including seamless accessto quality education; matchmaking with other attendees, exhibitorsand sessions, based on participant interest areas; creative networkingoptions; video presentations by poster presenters; and an extensive
virtual exhibit, featuring video and written chat functions. Register
before 15 April 2021 and use the code VIRTUALPRO for US$100 off
member and non-member rates for the virtual full conference, using
this link: AIHA University Risk Assessment Virtual Conference.
The Risk Assessment Virtual Conference kicks off on 6 April with anintroductory course!
Learn the fundamental principles of risk assessment with two 2-hoursessions on 6 and 8 April 2021. Or learn more about internationallyrecognised industrial hygiene risk assessment processes, and communicating risks to decision-makers, with our intermediate or advanced
courses. Can’t make every session? With 60-day access to each session
recording post-event, we’ve got you covered – LEARN MORE

Spotlight on a member country – Canada
Rene Leblance-mail: rene.leblanc@ghd.com
Canada was a founding member of IOHA in 1987. Occupational
health and safety are well supported in provincial and federal
regulations in Canada, although only a few provinces recognise
the profession of occupational hygienist.
The Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists(CRBOH) promotes and registers the profession of occupational
hygiene in Canada. Two levels of registration are provided: occupational hygienist (OH), and occupational hygiene technician (OHT).
As of 2021, there are approximately 360 members: 300 OHs and60 OHTs. For more information, please visit the CRBOH website athttps://crboh.ca/.
Throughout Canada, many provinces have their own occupational health and safety associations, some of which are also local
AIHA chapters.

Occupational Health Southern Africa

www.occhealth.co.za

There are several universities in Canada that offer Master’s andBachelor’s degrees in occupational hygiene or occupational safety.
Many colleges also offer technical degrees in occupational hygiene.
However, graduating with a degree in occupational hygiene is not
the only path to become a registered hygienist. Many professionals
have university degrees in chemistry, biology, physics or toxicology,
in addition to many years of experience, allowing them to sit for theCBROH exam.
The future is bright for the profession of OH and OHT in Canada,although we would like to see more provinces and the federal government increase their recognition of our profession in their regulations.

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