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Category : Sessions

Session Spotlight: IH and Safety in Ukraine
  5/24/2017 9:04 AM


As IH/OH professionals, we are responsible for the safety, health, and environment of today’s workspace – around the world. At AIHce, our sessions won’t just be focusing on the issues in the U.S., but globally, which is why we’re excited to feature Andrey Korchevskiy and his session.

Korchevskiy was born and grew up in the former Soviet Union, in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. After earning his PhD in Mathematics in Kazakhstan and his doctorate in Biology in Moscow, Korchevskiy moved to the U.S. in 2009 to receive his CIH designation. Over the course of the past few years, he’s kept an active connection to the diverse and complex environment of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia. In 2016, Korchevskiy has a chance to participate in an international training program for nanotoxicology, presenting a few lectures in Kazan Medical University in Russia. His most recent trip was to Ukraine to discuss potential collaboration between American and Ukrainian scientists.

We talked to Korchevskiy about his session at AIHce and the importance of communication between IH/OH professionals across borders.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about the IH industry in Ukraine?

Not many people in the U.S. actually know a lot about Ukraine. It is a large country, with a well-developed industry and agriculture. Industrial hygiene regulations were implemented under the Soviet Union, similar to what we can observe in other former Soviet Republics. Ukraine currently trends toward Western experience and standards, though it is not always clear how it should be technically implemented.

For example, we expect that asbestos will finally be banned in Ukraine very soon. However, you can imagine that most of the roofing materials in Ukraine, especially in rural areas, contain asbestos. It is not enough to ban asbestos. You need to have a special program to protect the population and workers, you have to learn how to deal with all existing asbestos-containing products, as well as with naturally-occurring asbestos. It seems that we can just use Western experience in post-Soviet countries, but in many situations your solutions should be different.     

What are the most persistent problems? 

In an agricultural country, you should remember about pesticide risks and agricultural dusts that still pose significant respiratory hazards. Ukraine is famous for its welding proficiency. Recently, we heard that Ukrainian welders participated in the building of new branch of the Panama Canal. So, it is important to address the problem of welding fumes, especially when new methods of welding are being developed. We also should remember the Chernobyl catastrophe; not only that it happened in Ukraine, but many Ukrainian professionals took part in the recovery operations and received doses of radiation.

Why is it important for us to have better communication between the U.S. and Ukraine in the IH field moving forward?

Ukraine is an important example for establishing international relationships between AIHA and colleagues in other countries. AIHA has a significant potential in this collaboration, between American professionals who are highly valued in Ukraine. Ukraine wants to be a part of the international community. Recently, European Union established a visa-free travel regime with Ukraine. At the same time, we have a lot of things to learn from Ukrainian counterparts. I already mentioned welding fumes issues. However, Ukrainian IHs also pioneered some of the nanotoxicological works in the region. With open borders, not only problems become globalized, but solutions can also be international. We can create a better global future for all regions and countries.

You created a survey for your AIHce session. Can you tell us a little bit about the survey? 

This year we will be trying something new in how we present the Ukrainian story for AIHce in Seattle. The session is called “Industrial Hygiene and Safety in Ukraine: Focus of the Collaboration.” Preparing for this session, we distributed a special survey about current IH problems and collaborative ideas; around 25 industrial hygienists in Ukraine responded to our short questionnaire. During the session, we will ask our audience to respond to the same questions. We will use PowerCom devices, special instant polling equipment, in order to compare the results in real time. We will be creating a “mental” communication between two audiences, two countries, separated by thousands of miles. I am sure that we will see some differences but certainly we expect many similarities. 

I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Alexandra Demestka from Kiev who helped us prepare for this session and conduct the survey. We will certainly invite Ukrainian friends to visit us next year for AIHce 2018. We will also start developing proposals for a special IH workshop or conference in Kiev, a beautiful city on the banks of the Dnipro River.     

Who should attend your session at AIHce in June?

We expect all people interested in international collaboration. Our session will be short (just one hour), but we want to start some kind of a movement for industrial hygienists to learn more about Eastern Europe, to participate in discussions and projects, to find like-minded people there, to travel, to teach, to learn. It should be fun, and we can really bring value and improve health and safety conditions not only in Ukraine, but in Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, beautiful countries that would be fascinating to travel to.  

We’re definitely looking forward to the session, Andrey! If you’re interested in attending this incredible session at AIHce, you can find the full details here.

AIHce 2017 EXP, held in Seattle, Washington June 4-7, is the EXPerience of the year for IH and OEHS professionals across the country. You’ll be exposed to the latest trends, needs, and research impacting worker health with experiential education sessions, networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and the tools you need to solve your workplace challenges. This highly-rated event also offers a robust virtual experience for those that want to reap the benefits of conference without the travel. To learn more, visit AIHce2017.org.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Sessions; Speakers
Five Ways to Promote Your Presence at AIHce EXP
  3/31/2017 8:57 AM


Have you registered as an attendee, a speaker, a sponsor, or an exhibitor? Well, show us what you got: spread the word that you’ll be at AIHce EXP in June!

Are you unsure how to do that? That’s quite all right – here are some quick tips to consider to help you leverage your upcoming presence at this year’s conference. Some require an active approach, while others are simpler and more passive.

Social media. Online social interaction is an essential part of today’s communication strategy, so we’re combining this into our first and second points. Twitter and LinkedIn are your best avenues to promote yourself professionally through social media channels, so if you’re even a casual user of either, consider investing a little time in promoting your attendance, booth, or session. (And note, we’re not knocking other social media channels; if you’re a pro at using Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and others – feel free to adapt the materials we’ve provided and go for it!)

Look up various hashtag ideas in Google (or even Twitter’s search function) and see what conversations are happening in that space. If the audience seems relevant to you or your subject matter, start using that hashtag as you begin promoting yourself.

For LinkedIn, find and join relevant groups for your area of expertise (if you haven’t already); the AIHA members group is a great place to start. Make sure you read and understand the group’s rules about posting first, then construct a topic where you can mention your session or booth and invite discussion. It’s important here to not “spam” these groups; you should be interested and involved in talking about a topic or subject that is relevant to your attendance goals.

Other professional networks. Are you a member of another local, regional, or national group that serves your profession? You can promote yourself through their communications as well, often through an article or mention on their website, blog, or social media feeds. Take a moment to reach out to them and find out what they need; you’ll often be surprised as these groups are always looking for great information to share with members.

Personal contact. You can promote yourself at AIHce through a more passive method via your email. While you could send out a personalized message to all of your contacts, we’d recommend a more passive approach – use your email signature! (Check your company’s signature policy first before altering your work email. You can also adjust most public email signatures as well, such as yahoo, gmail, me.com, and others; just check your options/settings in your email program on how to do it.)

A few simple lines after your name that includes a link to the conference, your session, and/or your company’s booth is all you’ll need to add:

Jordan Smith
Join me at AIHce EXP in June. I’ll be talking about Legionella and water systems; see you there!

You can add a reduced-size image from one of our promotion tools as well, if allowed.

Your other presentations. Do you often speak at other professional gatherings? If you’re presenting at a meeting or other event that includes peers and other IH professionals, consider slipping in an AIHce EXP promotional slide at the end of your deck. It will show as you wrap up, giving the audience (and possibly their network) another way to connect with you.

And there you go – five ways you can actively or passively promote your presence at this year’s AIHce EXP in Seattle. You have information that is important to share, so why not let people know it?

For additional ideas and tips, check out our recent video tutorial, our promotional resource page, and a more detailed look at how you can leverage your social presence for conference. See you online!

AIHce 2017 EXP, held in Seattle, Washington June 4-7, is the EXPerience of the year for IH and OEHS professionals across the country. You’ll be exposed to the latest trends, needs, and research impacting worker health with experiential education sessions, networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and the tools you need to solve your workplace challenges. This highly-rated event also offers a robust virtual experience for those that want to reap the benefits of conference without the travel. To learn more, visit AIHce2017.org.

Category: Information; Sessions; Speakers; Attendees
EHS Issues with Taxidermy Specimens
  3/27/2017 8:31 AM


Our agenda is full of educational and interesting topics, and we want to make sure you get the most out of your conference experience! As we count down to AIHce in June, we’ll be spotlighting sessions, speakers, and attendees. Today’s spotlight is on a session that piqued our team’s interest.

Birds, skeletons, and alligators, oh my! Did you know that arsenical soap recipes have been around since the 1800s and may date as far back as the 1600s? This is just one of the fun tidbits we came across when we spoke with Mr. Jeffrey Sotek, PE, CSP, CIH, who wants to get you thinking about the EHS issues with taxidermy specimens.

We spoke with Sotek about his background, what piqued his interest in taxidermy, and who should attend the Taxidermy Specimens session at AIHce 2017.

First, could you please tell me a little bit about yourself and your background?

I graduated from WPI in Worcester, Mass., with a BS in Civil Engineering back just before environmental engineering was its own separate discipline. I spent most of my initial career with environmental consulting and engineering projects for manufacturers. I got my PE license in environmental engineering and worked at a small startup office where everyone had to do everything.

Around that time, I started to get involved with safety and industrial hygiene projects and OSHA compliance and started to also work with financial institutions and government agencies, as well as colleges and universities. I obtained my Certified Safety Professional and Certified Industrial Hygienist certifications soon thereafter with the idea of obtaining a certification for each of the disciplines I was practicing in (Environmental, Health, and Safety). I have been very fortunate to be able to work for a broad group of client sectors, see many types of operations, and consult on a variety of topics. I have recently been assisting several museums with their industrial hygiene issues. I am an Associate Industrial Hygienist for Amec Foster Wheeler, and I also manage their Clifton Park, N.Y., office.

How did you first become interested in this topic?

I got interested in this topic through my work with colleges and universities. One college client had an exposure risk issue with their natural history collection and I was assisting them. At that time, I realized there wasn’t a lot of information on the subject readily available. As I walked through the local museum in Pittsfield, Mass., with my daughters, I realized museums would have the same issue. So I contacted some museums and eventually was put in contact with staff at the Smithsonian, who provided some of their knowledge. The rest is history. Colleges, universities, museums, and other places with archival collections are wonderful, interesting places with some unique issues.

Who should be attending the “EHS Issues with Taxidermy Specimens” session?

EHS professionals involved with museum collections, natural sciences at colleges and universities, or those who are just simply interested in natural history.

Any other fun and interesting tidbits you'd like to share to get people interested in coming to this session?

Arsenic isn’t the only concern with natural history collections.

This certainly sounds interesting to us!

We wonder what other hidden requirements there are when it comes to taxidermy and the use of arsenicals, as well as mercury-based preservatives. When you’re at AIHce and want to strike up a conversation with Sotek, ask him about his love of the outdoors and his goal to see all the National Parks.

If you’re interested in this session on EHS Issues with Taxidermy Specimens, it’s scheduled for Monday, June 5, at 10 a.m. PT.

AIHce 2017 EXP, held in Seattle, Washington June 4-7, is the EXPerience of the year for IH and OEHS professionals across the country. You’ll be exposed to the latest trends, needs, and research impacting worker health with experiential education sessions, networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and the tools you need to solve your workplace challenges. This highly-rated event also offers a robust virtual experience for those that want to reap the benefits of conference without the travel. To learn more, visit AIHce2017.org.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Sessions
Earn Additional CE Credits with AIHce On Demand
  3/16/2017 9:54 AM


Have you seen the full conference schedule for AIHce 2017 yet? Our education team listened to what our attendees have said and turned AIHce into an educational EXPerience. Twelve tracks are packed with 161 sessions during the main conference days…and that’s not counting the 59 Professional Development Courses (PDCs) being presented before and after the conference.

With a packed schedule like this, deciding which sessions to attend can be difficult. Our team wanted to take the stress out of those decisions, which is why we offer AIHce On Demand with your onsite registration (for free!).

When you add the AIHce On Demand option to your onsite AIHce registration, you’ll have more time to spend networking, browsing the Hub and Expo, and taking advantage of other opportunities during the conference without worrying about missing any of the sessions or opportunities to earn credit.

The AIHce On Demand option is different than the Virtual Conference, which includes a live broadcast of sessions from AIHce in Seattle. With AIHce On Demand, attendees will receive session recordings of audio synched to the presenter’s slides. Please note that unlike the Virtual AIHce, the On Demand recordings are for personal use only and cannot be shared.

In addition to being invaluable for your onsite planning in June, credit is also available for the AIHce On Demand recordings. The On Demand platform used makes it simple for attendees to obtain credit! To get credit using the On Demand platform, you must watch the recording in its entirety and complete a session evaluation.

If you’re still deciding on whether AIHce is a good EXPerience for you, learn about AIHce by the numbers. Still working on convincing your boss to send you to AIHce in Seattle? We’ve got you covered.

Advance registration ends on April 3, 2017, so hurry! We look forward to seeing you in Seattle in June.

AIHce 2017 EXP, held in Seattle, Washington June 4-7, is the EXPerience of the year for IH and OEHS professionals across the country. You’ll be exposed to the latest trends, needs, and research impacting worker health with experiential education sessions, networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and the tools you need to solve your workplace challenges. This highly-rated event also offers a robust virtual experience for those that want to reap the benefits of conference without the travel. To learn more, visit AIHce2017.org.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Information; Sessions; Fun Facts
Risk Assessment Bootcamp with Andrey Korchevskiy
  2/10/2017 1:35 PM
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When you’re in Seattle for AIHce 2017, you can take advantage of our Professional Development Courses (PDCs) to supplement your learning. PDCs are formalized learning experiences that enhance technical competence and provide practical tools and skills for the modern workplace. 

Dr. Andrey Korchevskiy, PhD, CIH, is the director of research and development at C&IH (Wheat Ridge, Colo.), a U.S. organization that provides risk assessment and corporate governance solutions. He has arranged and taught risk assessment classes in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Ukraine, and has authored more than 150 scientific publications in the fields of industrial hygiene, epidemiology, toxicology, and biostatistics. Korchevskiy has been a part of AIHce since 2013, instructing a variety of PDCs as well as technical sessions. We spoke with him about his background and this year’s “Risk Assessment Boot Camp for IHs” that he will be teaching along with Eric Rasmuson.

How long have you been teaching courses on risk assessment?

Korchevskiy: "Risk Assessment Boot Camp for Industrial Hygienists" is a comparatively new initiative. We taught it for the first time at the 2016 AIHA Fall Conference in San Antonio, Texas. In 2017, this class will be offered at AIHce 2017 in Seattle and also at the BOHS conference in Harrogate, England, in April. However, this class borrows a lot of its ideas and principles from another class that we’ve taught at AIHce since 2013 and for BOHS in 2016 on asbestos health risk assessment. For us, asbestos remains one of the best examples of why and how to perform risk assessment in the frames of an industrial hygiene professional practice, which is why our students at the Boot Camp will learn a lot about asbestos.

Who should take PDC 801?

Korchevskiy: Risk assessment classes are usually among the best attended at AIHce conferences. We see people with very different backgrounds. If we consider our future audiences, we think about representatives of various industries; industrial hygienists from mining, oil and gas, healthcare, high-tech and other sectors; and also students, consultants, and scientists.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about risk assessment when walking into this course?

Korchevskiy: Sometimes people expect to receive simple instructions, similar to the “risk assessor” qualification for lead-based paint hazards. Instead, during our course, they will be immersed in the much more sophisticated science of risk assessment. We want the participants to be familiar with all four stages of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) paradigm and be able to attempt health risk predictions as the alternative to the “yes/no” comparison with pre-defined standards. It is not that easy. However, we will demonstrate how risk assessment approaches work for very different types of hazards: asbestos, silica, lead, and benzo[a]pyrene. In eight hours, it is tough to learn so many new things, but we want our students to get intrigued enough to continue self-education long after our class is completed.

What's the number-one risk all industrial hygienists face around the globe?

Korchevskiy: We all know that respiratory hazards are the number-one factor for workers worldwide. In many countries, asbestos is still produced and used. We started to pay more attention to crystalline silica, but even the new OSHA standard in the United States is not health-based, and it is not enough to just keep the exposure below some known level. Also, industrial hygienists often encounter problems that are not well recognized. It is possible that we will have to deal with significant, but still emerging hazards, like nanoparticles, erionite, and fibrous tremolite in unusual settings. It is amazing how many workers smoke in developing and even developed countries, potentially aggravating risks caused by other workplace carcinogens.

How has the risk assessment paradigm changed over the past decade, if at all?

Korchevskiy: In my opinion, risk assessment as a procedure gradually moves from the realms of pure science to the cabinets of field practitioners. As I already mentioned, it is a usual situation when our standards are not health-based. There are numerous hazards without a PEL or TLV. What if an industrial hygienist found an unknown fibrous mineral in the dust samples? It may be not regulated asbestos, but it is most likely dangerous—possibly carcinogenic. Industrial hygienists should be familiar with all stages of the risk assessment methodology: hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response relationships, risk characterization. The paradigm initially summarized by NAS remains the same, but more and more people are involved in its practical applications—or, I would say, should be involved, and we would like to help.

Anything else those interested should know about PDC 801?

Korchevskiy: We will try to make the class very dynamic, and will use real-life polling devices to get instant answers for our discussion. We also like learning from our students. Come with your ideas, your experience, and examples. It should be a lot of fun!

AIHce 2017 EXP, held in Seattle, Washington June 4-7, is the EXPerience of the year for IH and OEHS professionals across the country. You’ll be exposed to the latest trends, needs, and research impacting worker health with experiential education sessions, networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and the tools you need to solve your workplace challenges. This highly-rated event also offers a robust virtual experience for those that want to reap the benefits of conference without the travel. To learn more, visit AIHce2017.org.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Sessions
Corey Briggs Brings You "The Worst Plant"
  2/6/2017 9:01 AM

Corey Briggs, CIH, CET, FAIHA, is a senior manager at the Ramboll-Environ International Corporation. The primary focus of his work is to assist clients with technical and management problems related to occupational health, industrial hygiene and potential employee workplace exposures, personal and equipment safety, process safety management, and occupational health and safety (OHS) regulatory compliance (OSHA, MSHA, International).

Corey is no stranger to training and seminars. He’s been conducting trainings, program orientations, and seminars for over three decades. This is why he wanted to come up with a training session that was out of the ordinary. Briggs wanted to put together a program that had hygiene and safety aspects, but with a large audit component. We interviewed him about PDC 113 "The Worst Plant": A Virtual H&S Audit being offered at AIHce 2017.

Welcome to "The Worst Plant"

“If there are 50 people in the room, that means there is a good chance of having more than 1,000 years of experience with you.”

This isn’t your typical PDC presentation. The second you step into the room, you will become a part of an audit team, where you’ll spend the next 8 hours going through regulatory compliance audits and assessments covering the full-range of OHS topics: from abrasive wheels to Subpart Z.

Briggs speaks passionately about this PDC. The first time this course debuted at AIHce was in Salt Lake City at AIHce 2015. He and his team create the “worst plant” with pictures they’ve taken over the course of their career at client sites and take the participants through an audit. Get ready to dive into topics that you may not be directly involved with at your organization.

Briggs and his team reach out to confirmed attendees prior to the conference to learn more about them. This helps create the audit teams on the day of the PDC. If you were planning on just sitting with people you know during the day, be ready. A big part of this PDC is facilitation and networking. You will walk away having learned a few new things, and made a few new contacts as a result of the networking component.

So, get ready to learn, ask questions, and network. We don’t want to give away too much of the professional development course, but we will leave you with this: Are you ready to spin "the Wheel of Health and Safety"?

AIHce 2017 EXP, held in Seattle, Washington June 4-7, is the EXPerience of the year for IH and OEHS professionals across the country. You’ll be exposed to the latest trends, needs, and research impacting worker health with experiential education sessions, networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and the tools you need to solve your workplace challenges. This highly-rated event also offers a robust virtual experience for those that want to reap the benefits of conference without the travel. To learn more, visit AIHce2017.org.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Sessions
Meet Ken Jennings and John Medina, Our Keynote Speakers
  1/25/2017 10:36 AM

No conference is complete without great opening and closing sessions, and we’re excited to introduce you to the speakers who will be bookending AIHce in Seattle this year.

Opening Keynote - Ken Jennings

Do you love puzzles and trivia? We bet you don’t love them as much as Ken Jennings, the all-time Jeopardy! champion who swept the nation in 2004. Born just outside of Seattle in 1974, Jennings grew up overseas where his father worked as an attorney. During the 15 years he spent in Korea and Singapore, his only lifeline to American pop culture was the Armed Forces Network, where he watched Jeopardy! religiously after school.

While double majoring in English and computer science at Brigham Young University, Jennings captained the university’s academic competition team, which consistently finished in the top ten at national quiz bowl tournaments. Post-graduation, Jennings’ childhood dream of appearing on Jeopardy! was realized while he was working as a software engineer for a Salt Lake City healthcare staffing company.

Since his 6-month Jeopardy! run, Jennings has been keeping busy. He speaks about the importance of learning at college campuses and corporate events, and has co-invented two trivia games. He has released the book Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs about his bizarre Jeopardy! adventures and about the phenomenon of trivia in American culture, as well as Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks, a book about the allure of geography. His latest book is Because I Said So: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids.

Jennings will kick off AIHce at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 5.

Closing Keynote - John Medina

Our closing keynote speaker has a lifelong fascination with how the mind reacts to and organizes information, so we’re sure he and Jennings will have a lot to discuss between their keynotes at the AIHce conference. Dr. John J. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. He has spent most of his professional life as a private research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health.

Medina was also the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute, a Seattle-based research center originally focused on how infants encode and process information at the cognitive, cellular and molecular levels. His celebrated book Brain Rules was not only a New York Times bestseller, it has also become the standard handbook of understanding and improving the brain, which in turn improves our lives.

The only thing that rivals Medina’s genius is his energy. When he speaks, the room is filled with passion and enthusiasm, leaving his audience riveted, reeling, and also quite refreshed. The solutions to seemingly complicated questions become easy to discern after experiencing his presentations. Medina’s been named Outstanding Faculty of the Year at the College of Engineering at the University of Washington; the Merrill Dow/Continuing Medical Education National Teacher of the Year; and, twice, the Bioengineering Student Association Teacher of the Year.

Medina will be closing out AIHce at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7.

We look forward to hearing both of their speeches at AIHce in June! Be sure to register if you haven’t already.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Events; Sessions; Speakers
Electrical Safety with Paul Zoubek
  1/19/2017 12:48 PM

When you’re in Seattle for AIHce 2017 this summer, you can take advantage of our Professional Development Courses (PDCs) to supplement your learning. The PDCs are formalized learning experiences that enhance technical competence and provide practical tools and skills for the modern workplace. We’ll be highlighting courses and instructors over the next five months.

We spoke with instructor Paul Zoubek, CSP, CIH, CESCP, about his PDCs on electrical safety. Zoubek has been a part of AIHce since 2002, presenting a 2-day course every year (with the exception of 2016). This year, participants will have the option of either taking either one or both days as the courses have been split into Electrical Safety I (Basic Principles/Engineering Controls) and Electrical Safety II (Energized work practices/NFPA 70E).

Who should be taking these courses?

Zoubek: Anyone in the safety profession should take Electrical Safety I as it goes through engineering controls that should be addressed regardless of organization. It also covers basic electrical principles that all safety professional should know. Electrical Safety II goes through worker protection issues if a qualified person is performing energized work on equipment that is not brought to safe levels by engineering controls. Employers whose employees perform voltage testing need to be familiar with best safety practices in NFPA 70E, which is the focus of Electrical Safety II.

What kind of hands-on practice can participants expect during the course?

Zoubek: Participants will be broken out into four teams of 8 people each. Participants will perform hands-on and tabletop exercises after each powerpoint lecture section. In Electrical Safety I, participants will apply skills learned through hands-on laboratory sessions/team exercises on basic principles, reverse polarity, and hazardous location electrical installation requirements. In Electrical Safety II, participants will apply skills learned through hands-on laboratory sessions/team exercises on risk assessment, and PPE/personal protection assignment based on shock and arc flash potential.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about electrical safety standards when walking into this course?

Zoubek: I often get the question “what version of NFPA 70E does OSHA enforce?” OSHA does not enforce NFPA standards as they are best practice consensus standards. For example, OSHA Subpart S for general industry states the employers keep workers safe from arc flash and shock hazards. It does not tell you how to do it. The NFPA standards are the “how to” for worker safety.

Anything else those interested should know about the course?

Zoubek: Electrical Safety I is intended for professionals with little or no knowledge in electrical safety. It covers concepts that every safety professional should know. Electrical Safety II is slightly more advanced in that it covers concepts needed to reduce risk to the worker from arc flash and shock hazards, such as voltage testing as a result of lockout verification procedures and energized work where the worker is exposed to greater than 50 V. Participants can sign up for either or both days depending on their background and applicable workplace situations.

Check out all of the PDCs being offered this year at AIHce 2017.

Berrak Sarikaya is a brand amplifier based out of Seattle, WA. Follow her on Twitter.

Category: Speakers; Sessions
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