Advanced Industrial Hygiene

Part 1:

Hello Everyone! My name is Jeffrey and I am currently located in Bellevue, Nebraska. My job in the military brings me to Offutt AFB in Nebraska where I manage a team of twelve technicians in the preventive health field. My goal is to complete my master’s degree in occupational safety before I retire in the military.

Part II:

I understand that only Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards are legally enforceable, however, every facility’s safety department should be exploring other professional organizations published standards outside of OSHA who may have a more up-to-date data, and who may have more recent research conducted on certain chemical or hazard of interest. Additionally, we know that it takes decades before OSHA standards are updated and funding certain research are difficult in the government, thus, as a safety professional, we must look at other reputable organizations with published exposure limits for certain hazards. I recall conducting a workplace assessment and completed an air sampling for a certain chemical which was prevalent in the military, but OSHA has no readily published limits. During this time, Air Force medical service issued a guidance memo and provided an exposure limit to use which was adopted from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).