The American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) Board of Directors has approved a slate of public policy priorities for 2018 and also established a permanent government relations working group.

New public policy priorities for 2018 fall under the following topics:

• hazards (such as beryllium, silica, and first responder exposure to opioids),
• assessments (including hazard banding, sensors, and teen workplace safety), and
• profession (IH Professional Pathways and title protection).

The Board has also approved the "graduation" of the Government Relations Beta Group to a more formal structure, the ACTIONS (AIHA Coalition of Technical Influencers on New Solutions) Committee. All 300-plus members of the Beta Group will be given the opportunity to join the ACTIONS Committee. ACTIONS will work with AIHA's other volunteer groups to implement our public policy goals and propose new goals and activities, and to help develop specific language for legislation and regulations at the federal, state, and local levels.

About AIHA

Founded in 1939, the AIHA’s membership consists of 8,500 occupational and environmental health and safety professionals who play a crucial role on the front line of worker health and safety every day. Members represent a cross-section of industry, private business, labor, government and academia. More information is available at www.aiha.org.

For more on AIHA’s 2018 priorities, read the President’s Message by AIHA President Deborah Nelson, PhD, CIH, in the November 2017 issue of the Synergist.