AIHA, the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS), is embarking on two initiatives that will advance the OEHS profession in developing nations. The first initiative is a partnership between AIHA and the Occupational Hygiene Training Association (OHTA), Workplace Health Without Borders-U.S. Chapter (WHWB-US), and the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (BGC) that will assist qualified OEHS technologists in developing nations. The second, a delegation to Vietnam led by AIHA President Nicole Greeson, MS, CIH, will allow AIHA members to meet with their counterparts and visit their facilities. Both efforts help AIHA realize its vision of a world where all workers and their communities are healthy and safe.

OHTA is a global not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide consistent, quality training on the core aspects of occupational hygiene and related health and safety topics. OHTA-approved trainers work in both underserved and developed countries to offer a selection of courses, successful completion of which results in the ICertOHTA. ICertOHTA certificate holders from developing nations who have a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering and five years of professional-level work experience in occupational health and safety are eligible to apply for the CIH. Through the partnership with OHTA, AIHA will help these ICertOHTA certificate holders prepare by offering them access to the CIH Exam Crash Course at a discounted rate. Those interested in obtaining CIH certification through this pathway should email OHTA Secretariat Vicky Upstell at team@ohtatraining.org.

WHWB-US, another member of the strategic partnership to improve global access to the CIH credential, will provide mentors who will help qualifying ICertOHTA through the CIH certification process. WHWB-US is a not-for-profit organization that aims to raise awareness of the need for effective control of workplace hazards and risks for underserved workers and communities in the U.S. and developing nations.

“This strategic partnership of leaders in the profession enables us to have a profound impact on the world, one industrial hygienist at a time,” said OHTA Co-Chair Chris Laszcz-Davis, MS, CIH, COH, FAIHA, FAIC.

According to WHWB-US President Albert J. Tien, ScD, the partnering organizations “have created a cost-effective path to provide world-class training and mentoring for professionals who want the prestigious CIH credentials.”

The AIHA membership delegation to Vietnam will arrive in Hanoi on Oct. 26, 2024, and depart from Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 1. The AIHA delegates will network with their counterparts in Vietnam to learn about the country’s advancements and challenges in OEHS. Topics for discussion will cover formal processes for ensuring worker health and safety; training, certification, and educational standards for OEHS professionals; OEHS technology related to Vietnam’s growing semiconductor industry; and the country’s recent advances and research initiatives in OEHS. The delegation’s preliminary schedule of activities (PDF) outlines their planned professional and cultural opportunities.

According to an official AIHA email communication, the delegation will be directed by the non-profit Cultural Vistas’ Citizen Ambassador Program. Cultural Vistas has also implemented the International Visitor Leadership Program, Fulbright Internship programs, and J1 visa programs for major U.S. corporations.

“Our delegation will continue the legacy of advancing leadership through engaging citizens and forming networks between the U.S. and international high-level counterparts,” said Nicole Greeson.

AIHA also offers OEHS professionals working in developing nations discounts on AIHA membership fees and digital versions of products such as reference books. Those interested in international membership rates should email AIHA at infonet@aiha.org. More information about discounts on reference books may be found in this PDF.

About AIHA

AIHA is the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and safety in the workplace and community. Founded in 1939, we support our members with our expertise, networks, comprehensive education programs, and other products and services that help them maintain the highest professional and competency standards. More than half of AIHA's nearly 8,500 members are Certified Industrial Hygienists, and many hold other professional designations. AIHA serves as a resource for those employed across the public and private sectors, as well as to the communities in which they work. For more information, visit www.aiha.org.

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