AIHA TeleWeb Series Shares The Latest Information On Respiratory Protection
Fairfax, VA — The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has announced the 2006 Respiratory Protection Series, a special distance learning opportunity. Part I, "Respirator Protection and Selection for the Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Professional," will be held on September 27, 2006, from 2–4:30 p.m. ET, while Part II, "AIHA/ANSI Z88.6: Implementing Physical Qualifications for Personnel Respirator Use," will be held on October 18, 2006, from 2–4:30 p.m. ET.
Part I: Respirator Protection and Selection
Industrial hygienists, respiratory program managers, OEHS managers, supervisors, and directors, and consultants will benefit from Part I of the series, presented in cooperation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The TeleWeb will cover basic principles of both respirator performance and construction. Presenters will discuss and answer questions regarding the key factors involved in respirator selection and explain how selection can impact workplace conditions. Students will be provided with tools that enable them to correctly identify tasks requiring respiratory protection and the ability to determine when there is a need for negative pressure, APRL, PAPR, SAP, and SCBA.
Presenter Roland Berry Ann is the acting program manager for respiratory protection at NIOSH's National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL). Berry Ann has worked as a senior level engineer/program official within the NIOSH respirator certification program for the past 13 years and served on the agency's respiratory protection advisory group for the past 10 years.
Co-presenter Heinz Ahlers, JD, is the chief of the technical evaluation branch at the NPPTL. He has extensive experience in document development related to preventing workplace illness and injury.
Part II: AIHA/ANSI Z-88.6
The second TeleWeb in the series will focus on the new AIHA/ANSI Standard Z88.6-2006: Physical Qualifications for Personnel Respirator Use. The authors of the standard will provide a comprehensive review of the document as well as guidance on evaluating the medical suitability of workers to use respiratory protective devices. They will also discuss applicable regulations and guidance documents. As an added bonus, students participating in Part II will receive a complimentary PDF copy of the standard.
Presenters Ronald J. Mack, MD, MPH; Ross L. Clay, MD, MPH; James S. Johnson, PhD, CIH, QEP; and Mary C. Townsend, DrPH, were all active participants in the development of this new standard. Mack, who served as chair of the Z88.6 Subcommittee, is medical director of PSEG. He oversees the design and implementation of programs to assure medical/psychological job suitability and regulatory compliance. He has more than 20 years of experience in providing programs for medical certification to use respiratory protective devices.
Clay is a board-certified physician specializing in occupational medicine. He is a member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine.
Prior to his retirement on July 1, Johnson had worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory since 1972. He most recently served as section leader of the Chemical and Biological Safety Section in the Safety Programs Division. He is an AIHA Fellow, the past president of the International Society for Respiratory Protection, and a member of the AIHA Respiratory Protection Committee, as well as chair of the full Z88 Committee. Johnson is now a part-time consultant.
Townsend is an epidemiologist and pulmonary function testing consultant for industrial and research clients and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. For more than 20 years, she has designed spirometry quality assurance programs and taught health professionals how to conduct spirometry tests.
TeleWeb Virtual Seminars deliver cutting-edge educational content live via the Internet and telephone from the convenience of an attendee's home or office; multiple attendees can participate for the cost of a single registration. Nearly 3,000 individuals participated in AIHA TeleWebs in 2005 alone, and more than 10,000 individuals have utilized this convenient and cost-effective continuing education format since its debut in 2000.
Participants need Internet access and a telephone, or just a phone, to be part of these live educational events. Additionally, an archive copy of the TeleWeb will be available on CD for purchase (pre-TeleWeb only).
To learn more about pricing for either or both parts of the Respiratory Protection Series, or to register, please call toll-free at (800) 651-7916 or register online at http://www.aiha.org/Content/CE/DL/telewebs.htm. Special discounts are available to sites registered for both parts of the series.
Every site registered will receive materials prepared by the course presenters that may be duplicated for each participant.
SOURCE: American Industrial Hygiene Association