CIH


AIHA Releases IH Calculator App

AIHA recently released the free IH Calculator LITE  app, a calculator that aids industrial hygienists in performing OH&S calculations quickly and efficiently on their mobile device.  Topics include: Noise, Heat Stress, Ventilation, Exposure Assessment and is complimented with a range of conversions such as volume, distance, pressure, temperature, TLVs, and more.  The app is currently only available on Apple products (iOS).

Source: AIHA


Free Online Safety and Training Courses

The state of Washington is offering some invaluable online safety and training courses on their website.  Topics include:

  • Accident Investigation
  • Safety Checklists
  • HAZCOM
  • Ergonomics
  • Fall Protection
  • Janitorial Services
  • Job Safety / Hazard Analyses
  • Lockout / Tagout
  • Noise
  • Process Safety Management (PSM)
  • and much more

You can find the courses and modules on the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries website.


Confessions of a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) Examinee

OHShub.com interviews recent successful examinees of the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) exam administered by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH).  The resultant text is as follows:


OHShub.com:  When did you decide to take the CIH exam?

Examinee:  I decided in 2003 to make it a goal of mine to obtain the CIH certification.

OHShub.com:  When did you obtain certification?

Examinee:  I actually obtained certification in May 2010.

OHShub.com:  What is your current career field and how do you feel it prepared you?

Examinee:  Currently I am in the consulting field.  I feel that it (i.e. being a consultant) prepared me by having the ability to complete a multitude of traditional IH projects.  The great thing about being a consultant is that there is always something new and fresh in meeting the needs of the client, which exposes you to a variety of the traditional “IH rubrics”.

OHShub.com:  How long had you been in the IH/Safety career field when you sat for the CIH exam?

Examinee:  Less than 10 years.  I believe it was actually 9 years.  While you can take the test after 5 years, I have always personally regarded the CIH designation highly.  I felt that it was important and wanted to have a certain “skillset” prior to sitting for the exam.

OHShub.com:  Are you saying that you did not just want to have a “certification” but wanted to be able to exemplify the characteristics of most CIH’s in the field?

Examinee:  Exactly.  That is precisely my thoughts and feelings.

OHShub.com:  What was/is your work/career-life like?

Examinee:  I consider myself very fortunate to have a very well qualified mentor (who is a CIH) and excellent IH support staff around me.  Personally, I feel that it would have been much more difficult to obtain such a high level IH skillset without those continuing resources.

OHShub.com:  Personally, how many hours do you think you studied in preparation for the CIH exam?

Examinee:  Great question.  But one that I thought about many times after many months of studying.  I’d imagine that I studied somewhere in the range of 700-800 hours in all.  Granted, this was over a few years.  However, over the final year leading up to the exam, the final breakdown was probably somewhere in the range of:

  • > 12 months out = 120 hours
  • 12 – 6 months out = 200 hours
  • 6  – 3 months out = 200 hours
  • 3 – 1 months out = 120 hours
  • < 1 month out = 60-90 hours

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Free Online Training Modules in Occupational Hygiene

The Occupational Hygiene Training Association (OHTA), has created a new website, www.OHLearning.com, where free course materials for international occupational hygiene training modules are posted.  Find training materials, learn about occupational hygiene, or develop your existing skillset.

Modules currently available include:

  • Noise
  • Asbestos
  • Measurement of Hazardous Substances
  • Health Effects of Hazardous Substances
  • Control of Hazardous Environments
  • Thermal Environments
  • Ergonomics
  • Basic Principles of Occupational Hygiene

According to the website, OHTA mission is as follows:

OHTA was formed to promote better standards of occupational hygiene practice throughout the world.  We develop training materials and make them freely available for use by students and training providers.  We also promote an international qualifications framework so that all hygienists are trained to a consistent, high standard, recognized in all participating countries.


Results for OHShub.com’s Occupational Health & Safety Salary Survey


The results are in from OHShub.com‘s Occupational Health & Safety Salary Survey.  300 Occupational Health and Safety Professionals responded to the survey request for information pertaining to career length, certifications, salary, geographic location, etc.  The results are as follows:

Of the 297 respondents, nearly three quarters were male.

Age followed a typical bell curve with the majority of respondents being between 35-60 years of age.

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Average Salaries: Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional, EHS Manager

(Be sure to check out OHShub.com’s Occupational Health & Safety Professional Salary Survey here for detailed salary information provided by professionals like you!)

Below are the average salaries for occupational health and safety professionals (industrial hygienists, certified safety professionals, and environmental, health, and safety managers) in the US.  The salaries are based upon the average salaries for nationwide  job postings and are a good representation of the salaries available.  Please note that the salaries can have a significant range and depend upon industry, experience and position.

Industrial Hygienist Salary


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OHShub.com’s CIH Exam Prep Questions to Continue in June ’10

OHShub.com will be taking a short leave from posting examination preparation questions for the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) exam.  Questions will resume in June 2010 after the Spring American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) exam window has closed.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the over 250 questions that OHShub.com currently offers to use in your study efforts.    Additionally, be sure to stay tuned to OHShub.com as some new and exciting examination preparation materials will soon be available.


AIHA Podcasts: Combustible Dust, CIH Certification, Noise

Have you checked out AIHA’s Safe & Sound Podcast lately? Very good information being delivered by Craig & Melissa at AIHA. Take a listen at home, work, or in the car (all files are .mp3 format).

Some of the latest highlights include:

Combustible Dust

John Astad, Director and Research Analyst of the Combustible Dust Policy Institute, joins Safe & Sound to educate us about combustible dust. Most recently Mr. Astad’s incident data was utilized in OSHA’s proposed combustible dust rulemaking (ANPRM), so stakeholders can understand the probability of occurrence in the industrial sector. The Combustible Dust Policy Institute and Mr. Astad’s work can be found at http://www.combustibledust.com.

CIH Certification & ABIH

Craig & Melissa talk about the CIH certification, and how to get certified with Torey Nalbone, PhD, CIH, the newly elected Chair of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). Dr. Nalbone provides Safe & Sound with some insights as to what the ABIH is doing and what his goals are as the Chair.

Noise

Melissa and Craig discuss noise induced hearing loss, the Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR) update, and general noise safety that you can practice everyday with Lee Hager, a Noise Conservationist for 3M. Lee lets us know that there is such thing as over protection and tells us that if you listen to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones at full volume (like they should be) you may want to take a break in order to preserve your hearing.

Source:  AIHA.org


NTP (Normal Temperature & Pressure) Definitions

A few questions have arisen regarding the term NTP (Normal Temperature and Pressure).  The following table helps to sort any potential confusion.

Agency Pressure Temperature
Traditional

(Chemistry/Physics)

29.92 “Hg

760 mm Hg

492 ˚R

273 ˚K

ACGIH

(TLV)

29.92 “Hg

760 mm Hg

530 ˚R

298 ˚K

NIOSH/AIHA

(Traditional)

29.92 “Hg

760 mm Hg

537 ˚R

298 ˚K

ASHRAE

(Ventilation)

29.92 “Hg

760 mm Hg

528 ˚R

293 ˚K

Source: Useful Equations, Practical Applications of OH&S Match: D. Jeff Burton, PE, CIH


CIH Exam Prep Questions – February 2010, Part I

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The latest CIH exam prep questions have been posted to OHShub.com. You can find these 25 questions covering a wide range of IH topics HERE.

We told you to sharpen those math skills, this entry in the OHShub.com bi-monthly CIH Exam Preparation Questions is all math. Sharpen those pencils, bring out the calculator, grab a cup of coffee and get going!

Please note: OHShub.com has made the questions and solutions much easier to read. Check out our improvements!

Please leave your results in the poll in the left sidebar. Thanks & Good Luck!!!


CIH Exam Prep Questions – January 2010, Part II

cih_exam_prep_questions_png

The latest CIH exam prep questions have been posted to OHShub.com. You can find these 36 questions covering a wide range of IH topics HERE.

This entry is math free!  Better sharpen those math skills for February!

Please note: OHShub.com has made the questions and solutions much easier to read. Check out our improvements!

Please leave your results in the poll in the left sidebar. Thanks & Good Luck!!!