13th IOHAInternational
ScientificConference
Dublin, Ireland
June 2024

The Occupational Hygiene
Society of Ireland (OHSI) andthe British OccupationalHygiene Society (BOHS) are
privileged to jointly host thisconference and to contributeto its successful outcome.
The conference theme has
been confirmed as - ‘Protecting
workers from health hazards:
Advancing in this changingworld’.
The conference aims topromote occupational hygiene
and worker health protection
by the minimisation of worker
exposure to hazardous agents
globally through plenary
sessions, keynote lectures,
parallel talks, workshops,
poster presentations andprofessional development aswell as networking
opportunities and socialfunctions.
A strong Global media
campaign will publicise themain causes of occupational
disease throughout theconference.
More information including
venue, dates and abstract
submission arrangements will
be announced very soon.
Please mark your diaries forJune 2024 in Dublin, Ireland!

Vol. 29, No. 1 2023

IOHA NEWSLETTERGLOBAL EXPOSURE MANAGER
International Occupational
Hygiene Association

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

Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement(JAWE) – Joint Workshop and Presentation Session on
Occupational Hygiene and Working Environment
Measurement 2022, Himeji, JapanShigeru Asukae-mail: sit_as101@jawe.or.jp
The Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement(JAWE) and the Japan Occupational Hygiene Association (JOHA)
held their Joint Workshop and Presentation Session on OccupationalHygiene and Working Environment Measurement 2022 in Himeji
where the world heritage Himeji-jho (castle) is located, from 26 to
28 October 2022. This event marked the 43rd annual meeting for
JAWE and the 61st for JOHA.
This annual event was held both in person and virtually due toCOVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The conference provided a good
opportunity to discuss and exchange views on their daily technical issues for some 400 participants (the most ever), made up of
researchers and technical experts in working environment control.
Partcipants included JAWE-certified occupational hygienists (JAWECOH), manufacturers/dealers of measuring equipment, and otherinterested people.
There were 57 presentations on research and case studies by
researchers and experts, among which were 25 presentations onwork environment measurement and analysis, eight on work environment improvement, five on case studies of risk assessment for
specific work, and five on evaluation of exposure to noise.
An exhibition of measurement-related equipment was held concurrently with this event, in which 21 manufacturers participated.
The exhibition covered a wide range of equipment such as respiratory protection, protective clothing, digital dust monitors, air samplers, mini-pumps, local ventilation systems, respiratory protection
fit-testing, acoustic cameras, real-time monitors, and air purifiers.
The 3.5-hour annual joint seminar by JAWE and JOHA enticed
most of the 400 conference participants. The theme related to therecent Japanese Government announcement of the change in theregulatory system for occupational health management of hazardous chemicals, including its overall impacts on occupational health inworkplaces. There were presentations by three lecturers, followed bya panel discussion comprising five panelists, including the Director

41Vol. 29, No. 1 2023of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is in charge ofthis matter. According to the new policy, the number of chemicals
for which employers will be required to exercise risk assessment forhandling will increase dramatically from the current 674 to around
2 900, within in a few years. Approximately 800 of the 2 900 chemicals will eventually be assigned air concentration exposure limits
by the Government. Employers will be obliged to keep workers’
exposures below these limits.
The underlying goal of the Government, in this regulatorychange, is to foster voluntary safety and health management among
employers amid the increasing number of potentially hazardous
chemicals, as defined by the Globally Harmonised System. 1 The
question remains, however, whether the regulations will work insmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where occupationalsafety and health staff are often scarce or non-existent. As this newpolicy will be enforced in 2024, employers should start preparing
for the changes now.
The next Joint Workshop and Presentation Session will be heldin November 2023 in the city of Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, locatedabout 90 km northeast of Tokyo.

REFERENCES
1. International Labour Organization. The Globally Harmonized Systemof Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Geneva: ILO; 2021.
Available from: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/--lab_admin/documents/genericdocument/wcms_841722.pdf (accessed9 Jan 2023).

Occupational Health Southern Africa

www.occhealth.co.za

IOHA NEWSLETTERGLOBAL EXPOSURE MANAGER
International OccupationalHygiene Association

Report on the 6th Asian Network of Occupational
Hygiene (ANOH) Conference, 2022
Mila Tejamaya
e-mail: mila.tejamaya@gmail.com
The 6th Asian Network of Occupational Hygiene (ANOH) (hybrid)
Conference, in conjunction with the 7th Indonesian Industrial
Hygiene Association (IIHA) Conference, was held in Indonesia, from19 to 23 September 2022. The theme was Exploring the AsianWay: Protecting Workers’ Health in a Challenging World. More than
200 onsite participants and almost 100 online participants from
18 nations attended the conference. Six professional development courses (PDCs) were delivered: 1) chemical risk assessment:
strategy, limit values, modeling, 2) noise engineering control, 3)industrial hygiene risk management, 4) chemical risk assessment:
measurements, health surveillance, compliance testing, 5) certification exam preparation, and 6) connected wearable occupational
hygiene monitoring devices.
There were eight keynote addresses at the conference:• ‘Exploring the Asian way: protecting workers’ health in a challenging world’, Prof. Doo Yong Park• ‘Mental health and psychosocial topics’, Jacqueline Agius• ‘OEL-based regulations for management of chemicals – theforthcoming big change in Japan’, Haruo Hashimoto• ‘Sustainable workplaces under the challenge of the Pandemic –the possibility of working from home’, Prof. Jean Feng-Jen Tsai
• ‘University laboratory management plans’, Ass. Prof. Sjahrul MNasri• ‘Ventilation and air purification for the indoor environment– how good is the evidence for reducing the risk of airborne
infectious diseases?’, Adj. Prof. Dino Pisaniello• ‘Strengthening global occupational health capabilities
through standardised credentialing practice’, Philip Hibbs• ‘The science of fit’, Vinay Pathak
Prior to the conference, the IIHA organised two importantmeetings: the ANOH Board meeting and the International
Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) Board meeting andannual general meeting. Several issues were addressed at theANOH meeting, such as financial reports and activities held under
the presidency of Prof. Dong Uk Park, a presentation from ANOH’s
Advisory Board, and strengthening industrial hygiene in Asia byProf. Doo Yong Park. These were followed by the election of Philip
Hibbs from Australia as the new ANOH President for the January
2023–December 2024 period. Furthermore, it was decided,
through voting on 5 October, that the next ANOH Conference will
be held in Manila, Philippines.
During the IOHA meeting, committee reports from stakeholder
communication, national accreditation recognition, education,and governance were delivered. The meeting was closed by
the welcoming of the new International Occupational Hygiene
Association President, Maharshi Mehta, and an appreciation ceremony for the Past President, Norhazlina Mydin.

ANOH Conference attendees
Photograph: courtesy of Mila Tejamaya

Occupational Health Southern Africa

www.occhealth.co.za

Vol. 29, No. 1 2023

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