IOHA HISTORYGLOBAL EXPOSURE MANAGER
International OccupationalHygiene Association

7th International Industrial Hygiene Conference and PDC,New Delhi, India
Maharshi Mehta, International Safety Systems, Inc., e-mail: maharshi.mehta@isseh.com
The Central Industrial Hygiene Association (CIHA) of India conducted
its 7th International Industrial Hygiene Association Conference andProfessional Development Course in India from 3 to 5 February, 2020.
The conference was held in collaboration with the American Industrial
Hygiene Association (AIHA), the International Occupational Hygiene
Association (IOHA), the Indian Association of Occupational Health(IAOH), the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (BGC), and the Instituteof Science and Technology for Advanced Studies and Research (ISTAR).

The conference was supported by Nanozen, SKC/Swan, Dupont, andReliance Industries Limited (RIL).
Kathy Murphy, president of AIHA, and other industrial hygiene
professionals from India presented technical papers on various aspects
of industrial hygiene and ethics. Shrenik Ranpura, former secretaryand board member of CIHA, presented a most engaging full-day PDC
on industrial ventilation.

Participants in the 7th International Industrial Hygiene Association Conference and Professional Development
Course of the Central Industrial Hygiene Association (CIHA) of IndiaPhotograph: Maharshi Mehtar

International Occupational Hygiene Association activities
Thomas P Fuller, IOHA president-elect, e-mail: tpfuller1@gmail.com
The IOHA is currently working on its 2021–2025 strategic plan. Many
ideas have been raised for the promotion and recognition of ourprofession. Feel free to contact our president, Rene Leblanc, should
you wish to express your opinion.
The IOHA2020 conference that was scheduled to be held in Deagu,
Korea in October 2020 has been postponed to 21–26 August, at thesame venue. Conference registration information can be found at
http://www.ioha2020.org/index.php. New information and deadlines
for symposium, podium, and PDC submissions will posted shortly.
The IOHA board meeting that was scheduled to be held inBristol, England at the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)
conference on 18 April 2020 was, instead, held by teleconference,42

Vol 26 No 3 May/June 2020as the conference was postponed to 28 September–1 October
2020. The National Accreditation Recognition Committee and theStrategic Planning Committee meetings were held the next day, byteleconference, on 19 April 2020.
The IOHA Spanish Certification Development Task Force is meetingmonthly to move towards the creation of an independent certification body and exam programmes. The group is currently creating
governance documents, exam development and implementation
protocols, and exam questions.
As you can see, we are very actively representing the voices ofoccupational hygienists, and providing resources to reduce illnesses
and fatalities to workers, globally.

Occupational Health Southern Africa

www.occhealth.co.za

IOHA HISTORYGLOBAL EXPOSURE MANAGER
International OccupationalHygiene Association

Société Française des Hygiénistes du Travail (SOFHTY)
Nathalie Argentin, Solvay Industrial Function, HSE/Industrial Hygienee-mail: presidence@sofhyt.fr
For several years, Société Française des Hygiénistes du Travail (SOFHTY)
has combined its annual conference with other activities. This year,
SOFHYT will combine several activities on 18 and 19 November 2020
in Paris, France. Administration of the SOFHYT certification exam andSOFHYT general meeting will take place on 18 November 2020, andwill be followed by the annual conference on 19 November 2020.
For this conference, SOFHYT will be aligned with the EuropeanAgency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) current campaign
theme (musculoskeletal disorders); thus, the annual conference will
be dedicated to ergonomics. This is an opportunity for SOFHYT tobenefit from the expertise of Société d’Ergonomie de Langue Française(SELF) – the French-language Ergonomics Society – and initiate
collaboration with this society, in addition to our internationalsocieties (IOHA and IEA).
During the conference, participants will have the opportunity
to listen to presentations on the science of ergonomics, and theEU-OSHA campaign for assessment methods. They will also getfeedback from international groups and small companies, and will
be able to engage in discussions about musculoskeletal injuries andprevention. Attendees will be invited to participate in an interactive
workshop based on a real-life study case. The conference will also allow
participants to meet, exchange ideas, and increase their networks.
For more information and conference registration, visit https://www.
sofhyt.fr/forum-2020.

COVID-19 WEBPAGE
SOFHYT has created a COVID-19 page on its website: www.sofhyt.fr/cov.

The webpage provides a place for all valuable French-language documents on the topic, including articles, fact sheets, and links to otherwebpages or videos. The aim is to help our occupational safety andhealth colleagues easily and quickly find useful information.
Several chapters are available on the COVID-19 page, including:• reference websites (e.g. WHO, CDC)
• how to manage the pandemic at work (with some documents
on ventilation, disinfection, etc.)• hygiene measures• respiratory personal protection equipment (with a focus on
the different types of masks, the way to adjust them, and theirdisinfection)• home offices and ergonomics
On this page, people can find not only French references butalso Canadian or Swiss ones. This information has been sent to theBelgian Society for Occupational Hygiene (BSOH), Swiss Society ofOccupational Hygiene (SSHT) and Conseil Canadien d’Agrément
des Hygiénistes du Travail (CCAHT) boards to be shared with theirmembers and networks.

American Industrial Hygiene Association
Thomas P Fuller, IOHA president-elect, e-mail: tpfuller1@gmail.com
The American Industrial Hygiene Association has created a COVID19 ‘Back to Work Safely’ initiative to help employers and employees
get back to work safely with industry sector-specific guidelines
and resources. The AIHA has created a series of free guidelines that
include recommendations on ventilation, personal hygiene, physicaldistancing and enhanced cleaning. Guidelines are available for thefollowing industries:• At-home service providers• Construction• General office settings• Gyms and workout facilities

Occupational Health Southern Africa

www.occhealth.co.za••••

Hair and nail salons
Retail establishments
Restaurants
Rideshare, taxi, limo and other passenger driver-for-hire servicesAll resources are available to download on www.backtoworksafely.org. Additionally, COVID-19 resources on personal
protective equipment (PPE) and re-entry into the workplace
hazards can be found at the AIHA media outreach page athttps://www.aiha.org/about-aiha/communication- center/aiha-media-outreach-regarding-covid19-pandemic.

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