Overwhelmed by the rising tide of environmental regulations?

I am particularly proud of this postcard mailer I drew and designed for a industrial hygiene colleague in Hawaii in March 2016:

Postcard mailer drawn and designed by the Industrious Hygienist.

The artistic styling for the top half of the postcard is borrowed from Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, one of my favorite animated films of all time. The artistic styling for the bottom half of the postcard is, as usual, borrowed from Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist series. 

I'll only be posting one more manga, the traditional (and final!) Holiday Manga. I'm changing the focus of this blog slightly, and the manga take a significant amount of time that I will be spending on coursework for the doctorate I am hoping to start in March 2017.

How to Study For and Pass the CIH Exam

Note: A shortened version of this article was posted as a blog by ASSE on the Industrial Hygiene Practice Specialty Member Portal. The original, unedited version is below.

There are many different occupational safety and health certifications available to increase your marketability to employers and clients. As part of our efforts to educate and inform our members, the volunteer Advisory Committee of the Industrial Hygiene Practice Specialty is developing a series of articles about some of these certifications. This article focuses on the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) designation from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). In this article, we�ll share some of our study tips, useful free resources on the internet to help with difficult topics, and explain why this certification may benefit your career. Relevant websites are hyperlinked throughout the article.

What is a CIH?

A CIHis someone who has qualified for and passed the CIH exam administered by ABIH. The CIH designation is the premier certification available for practicing industrial hygienists and academic professionals. CIHs work in many fields, from consulting to electronics, pharmaceuticals to oil and gas, public health to wastewater, healthcare to academia, and many more.

Who Can Take the CIH Exam?

ABIH has established clear guidelines to determine your eligibility for the CIH exam, including an Eligibility Self-Assessment Form and a Path to Certification. In order to be eligible for the exam, you must have completed at least a four-year Bachelor�s degree with a science, engineering, safety, or industrial hygiene focus. You must also have at least four years of professional-level, broad-scope industrial hygiene experience. Questionnaires from two professional references are needed; one of them must be a CIH. There are additional requirements for academic contact hours and continuing education, including a 2-hour ethics course requirement. Make sure to review the Candidate Handbook for the most up-to-date information. 

The ethics coursework can be completed from some of the following providers:

• Ethics for the OH&S Professional � American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
• Professional Ethics and the Practice of Industrial Hygiene � Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
• Many comprehensive industrial hygiene review courses include the ethics requirement as part of their study package
  

Study Tips for the CIH Exam

ABIH has recommendations to help you prepare for the exam. This is a difficult test � you should provide plenty of time for study and review. For some of us, that meant years of studying and multiple tries to pass the exam.  You can take a CIH certification preparation class (there are in-person and online options available from many different providers) to assist you with determining where to focus your studying. The exam is 5 hours and 180 questions, delivered via computer-based testing at a Prometric testing center. If you haven�t taken a computer-based exam in a while, Prometric has a �What to Expect� website to familiarize you with the operations of the testing center. AIHA has developed a 12-step �Preparing for the CIH Exam� guide for students and young professionals. 

Free Resources for the CIH Exam

The Advisory Council developed this list of free internet resources to assist you in studying particularly challenging topics.

General Safety and Health (Multiple Topics)

•  OSHA Technical Manual
• NIOSH Safety and Health Topics 
• NIOSH Publications and Products

Air Sampling

• Personal sampling for air contaminants
• Guidelines for air sampling and analytical method development

Analytical Chemistry

• NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods 
• OSHA Sampling and Analysis

Basic Science

• Crash Course science episodes on YouTube on chemistry, biology, anatomy/physiology, physics, and math 
• Khan Academy science resources

Biohazards

• CDC QuickLearn Biosafety training course
• OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen regulations
• CDC Bloodborne Pathogens 
• WorkSafeBC: Protecting Workers from Infectious Disease

Biostatistics and Epidemiology

• CDC Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health (free e-course) 
• Biostatistics: Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Biostatistics Lecture Series
• Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases � Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
• Statistics Review � Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University

Community Exposure

• ATSDR�s Environmental Public Health Training (3-phase free online course) 
• Occupational Health and Vulnerable Worker Populations � Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
• Environmental Health � Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health

Engineering Controls and Ventilation

• Industrial Ventilation Workbook
• OSHA Safety and Health Topic: Ventilation
• Smithsonian Institution Safety Manual � Chapter 27: Ventilation for Health Hazard Control World Health Organization (WHO) Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust � Chapter 7 � Control of Dust Transmission

Ergonomics

• NIOSH Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders

Health Risk Analysis and Hazard Communication

• ICMM Health Risk Assessment Guidance
• OSHA Hazard Communication 
• U.N. Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, 3rd Edition (2009)
• Stanford University � Industrial Hygiene: Exposure Assessment Strategy, Surveying, and Monitoring Guidelines CDC Qualitative Risk Characterization and Management of Occupational Hazards: Control Banding

Industrial Hygiene Program Management

• Johns Hopkins University Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene Full e-course
• The Army Industrial Hygiene Program
• Industrial Hygiene Site Programs lecture slides � SESHA Academic Lecture Tour (2001) 
• Fundamentals of Program Evaluation � Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Noise

• NIOSH Noise webpage
• OSHA Noise webpage 
• Johns Hopkins University � Noise lecture slides

Non-Engineering Controls

• PPE
• Fit Testing 
• Breathing Air Specifications

Radiation, Ionizing

• NIOSH textbook (free)
• OSHA Ionizing Radiation webpage

Radiation, Non-Ionizing

• OSHA Non-Ionizing Radiation webpage
• NIOSH Non-Ionizing Radiation

Thermal Stressors

• CDC Heat Stress 
• CDC Cold Stress

Toxicology

• Toxicology Tutorials from NIH
• ToxLearn from NIH
• Public Health Toxicology � Johns Hopkins University of Public Health

Work Environments and Industrial Processes

• Confined space entry
• Spray painting
• Welding, cutting, brazing 
• Abrasive blasting
• Vapor degreasing (solvents)
• Foundry operations
• Hazardous waste site remediation 
• Indoor environmental quality

Other Useful Topics

• FEMA Independent Study Program (courses on hazardous materials, radiation safety, managerial safety and health, emergency management, etc.) 
• MIT Open Courseware (courses in biology, chemical engineering, chemistry, electrical engineering, health sciences and technology, nuclear engineering, and many more) 
• Washington Department of Labor & Industries online safety training, many topics

Certification Preparation Courses/Software

The following CIH certification preparation courses are currently available. 

• Bowen EHS CIH Certification Examination Preparation course, online or in person
• DataChem CIHPrep software 
• Tectonic EHS � exam preparation 
• University of California Los Angeles � CIH Exam Review
• University of Colorado Denver � CIH exam preparation and certification maintenance courses 
• University of North Carolina � CIH exam preparation course

Good Luck with your Studying!

If you�ve decided to start the process of studying for the CIH exam, good luck! There are many free resources to assist you, and previous test takers are often willing to share their experiences and challenges.

New job, snow, and creativity

It's been a couple of months since my last post.

My reason? I took a new job! I'm now an Assistant Professor in the Safety and Health Management Program (Department of Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction) at Central Washington University. At the very end of August, we packed up our meager belongings and Alaskan Malamute and drove up to Ellensburg, WA.

This is Central Washington University (CWU):

Image credit CWU

The campus is gorgeous, with red brick buildings throughout, grassy areas, a canal, several bike paths, and my personal favorite location: a Japanese Garden (video tour on YouTube here). There is also a Starbucks on the edge of campus, so I can walk over within 10 minutes.

Ellensburg is also a spiffy college town - the weekend after we arrived, it was the annual Ellensburg Rodeo for all of Labor Day weekend. This rodeo started in 1923, so it is one of the oldest rodeos. Where we used to live, in Prescott, AZ, they have had a rodeo since 1888 and rock the "World's Oldest Rodeo" vibe throughout town. 

Ellensburg is a town of ~18,000 people and the speed limit around town ranges from 20-35 miles per hour. After our experiences in Phoenix the last few years, with a population of ~1.5 million people and some really aggressive drivers, this has been a nice change. Seattle is about 2 hours away, and Spokane is 2.5 to 3 hours away.

My colleagues and family keep asking how we are adjusting to life in the Pacific Northwest. My answer is usually congenial, something along the lines of: "It's ... fine?" We haven't explored around much and I have been working consistently long hours, as is expected when you are new faculty. Last week, when we had our first real snow, I freaked out a little bit, but have since learned how to drive in snow (with my fancy new snow tires), how to walk in snow (with my fancy new YakTrax), and learned the value of layered clothing. We raided the Columbia outlet in Anthem, AZ on our way out of Phoenix.

The Alaskan Malamute is deliriously happy, building himself little dens in the fresh snow, and bounding inside covered in snow flakes. We are deliriously happy to not have to answer the "How does he do in the summer? Do you shave him?" questions we were asked by everyone in Phoenix. (He did great, he's an inside dog).

Shadow practicing his best "stoic" look in the snow.

I'm preparing some exciting new content for the blog over winter break. But I'm also working on two academic research papers, one on construction project EHS budgets and the optimal budget amount for reduced injury and illness rates (co-writing with two excellent CWU professors), and one on "Practical Tools for Gender Equal Protection in OSH Programs" that will be presented at Safety 2017 in Denver, CO. 

On a professional note, I've had some fun new volunteer experiences arrive this fall/winter: (1) I was elected the Assistant Administrator of the Training and Communications Practice Specialty within ASSE, (2) I was asked to step in as Secretary of the Industrial Hygiene Practice Specialty within ASSE, and (3) I get to serve on the Editorial/Press Advisory Board for the National Safety Council. So things are very busy for the Industrious Hygienist, but as always, I am up for the challenge!

Happy Tanabata (sort of)

Last year, I entered a piece of art in the Ro Ho En Japanese Friendship Garden of Arizona's Annual Anime Drawing Contest - it was my first time entering into an art contest as an adult.

Industrious Hygienist art on display at Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, AZ.

I didn't win, but it was fun to see the other entries and meet some of the other artists. 

I've waited to post the art until now, because I wanted to post it on the day of Tanabata, since that is the Japanese celebration I made my manga about. There is some confusion about the date of Tanabata - some people celebrate it on July 7, some on August 7, and if you're actually following the Gregorian calendar as it compares to the Japanese lunisolar calendar, the "official" day to celebrate it is August 9, 2016 for this year. 

I figured that if Google decided to celebrate it today, I could celebrate it today. Check out Google's doodle for the 2016 Tanabata celebration. 

The manga has two of the main characters from a space opera novel I am working on and is entitled "First Tanabata Together! (Lunar Colony) - July 7, 2102." The characters have written their wishes on slips of colored paper and hung them on a makeshift tree made of gears and other accessories they scrounged from their living quarters on the Moon. They've made other decorations, including origami and a poster of the traditional Tanabata song. My favorite piece of the manga is the extension cords hanging in the backdrop, tied in some of the creative ways my contractors tie their cords. 

Characters from my in-process space opera novel - celebrating Tanabata on the Moon.

The poem/song on the poster is a traditional Tanabata song, which goes:

"The bamboo leaves rustle,
shaking away in the eaves.
The stars twinkle
on the gold and silver grains of sand.
The five-color paper strips
I have already written.
The stars twinkle,
they watch us from heaven."

If you look closely on the manga, you can see the two dieties that the celebration is about, Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair, separated by the Milky Way), on the two wall-screens. The Tanabata legend says that the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, according to the Japanese lunisolar calendar. 

During Tanabata celebrations, participants write down wishes on colorful paper (called "tanzaku") and hope the two lovers were able to meet. I've written my wishes and will burn them on midnight as is tradition. Hopefully, next year, I'll have another piece of art from the space opera novel to post on Tanabata, with a short story introducing the characters and the story world. Happy Tanabata!

Pre-Conference Activities at #Safety2016

While we were at #Safety2016 in Atlanta, the Industrious Hygienist put together this quick video of the pre-conference adventures experienced by Piper Pangolin on Saturday, June 25, 2016. 



Before attending the Council on Practices and Standards with ASSE, the Industrious Hygienist and Piper did some reconnaissance of the Omni Hotel, CNN Center, and Georgia World Congress Center. We were dismayed to see that the Cartoon Network store next to the CNN Studio Tours Store seemed to be closed for construction (since we love cartoons!), but we still enjoyed the bear statues. 

After the Council on Practices and Standards meetings, we attended the House of Delegates meeting and were impressed by the generous contributions by ASSE Chapters and individuals to the ASSE Foundation during the "Lightning Round" of fundraising in celebration of the ASSE Foundation's 25th Anniversary. The student section from Keene State College were present at the House of Delegates and contributed to the ASSE Foundation as well. We can't wait to see the videos they create with Sammy the KSC Safety Squirrel.

We love the ASSE Foundation's "I [heart] Safety" campaign! Looks like we found another non-profit to donate to (when we have profits to do so)...

Happy (late) 25th Anniversary to @ASSEFoundation

Piper Pangolin is ready for Safety 2017

The Industrious Hygienist and the team at Sock Puppet Safety are already excited for Safety 2017 in Denver! We used some of the footage from our #Safety2016 conference recap video to try out an iMovie trailer for Safety 2017.



We hope you like our first attempt at a trailer. We have great video-making plans for the rest of 2016. 

Piper Pangolin at #Safety2016

We had an amazing experience at #Safety2016 - Piper Pangolin toured the expo hall and many of the vendors were courteous enough to let her showcase their spiffy products. We learned that pangolins are not great at CPR and chest compressions. We also learned that the Coca-Cola Bear is ginormous. We found some spoggles from Haber Vision, LLC (i.e., Advanced Safety Eyewear) that look lovely on Piper, with built-in prescription lens capability. 

The Industrious Hygienist co-presented a concurrent session on gender equity for occupational safety and health (OSH) programs that was well-received. Thanks to attendees of Session #769 for sticking it out to the end of the conference and attending our session! 

We hope to see all of our new friends at Safety 2017 in Denver, CO from June 19 to 22, 2017. Enjoy the video(s) and let us know if there is a particular topic you'd like to see in future Sock Puppet Safety videos.  



(Sock Puppet Safety and the Industrious Hygienist received no promotional consideration for the products in this video. This video is educational in nature and intended to show what safety professionals can expect to see at future professional development conferences from the American Society of Safety Engineers.)