February 2018 President’s Message

There have been several bills moving around in the NJ state legislature that the NJAIHA Executive Committee is tracking – IAQ for ice rinks and indoor sports, mold and legionella in cooling towers. Not that any of these topics are new, but we will continue to track and engage our membership and AIHA government affairs staff if these bills gain any traction and need input from our profession. (See pages 6 and 9-16 of the February newsletter for more information and website links).

Additionally, efforts are ramping up to solicit NJAIHA student scholarship nominees. Our website has had the 2018 program information posted for several months and right now we have had only one applicant. So we’d ask you, our membership to consider students you know who may be looking for some additional financial aid that we have money available and to check out our website for details on how to apply (http://www.njaiha.org/students/2018-scholarships/). These are the IH and EHS professionals of the future and we want them to be successful and understand there is an organization like NJAIHA to support them.

Also please don’t forget to make an effort to attend our monthly meetings. Every third Thursday at Snuffy’s. Please join us for lively discussions and relevant presentation topics.

And finally, just a personal thought for the day relevant to how we strive to keep our workforce safe on the job. My Mom always told me to not walk in the puddles this time of year as I’d get my feet wet. Well, of course she was right. But translate that to what we do, and sometimes it’s the simple rules of thumb that help people the most. For example, in a recent write-up I reviewed on exposure control for silica dust, I noticed that there was no mention of the common sense measure of don’t walk through or stand in the dust plume – stay up wind. So, I had the author include that. And in industrial settings, literally not stepping in the puddles avoids potentially tracking materials around the plant. So don’t forget the importance of the keep it simple principal, people tend to remember them easier.

Best Regards,
Craig R. Doolittle, PE, CSP
President NJAIHA