The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) and the California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) are asking lawmakers in California's State Legislature to ensure that Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) have a seat at the table by requiring their membership on the California Toxic Substances Board, which would be created by Senate Bill 774. As currently written, the bill restricts membership on the Board to only one person from any of the following diverse professions: toxicology, chemistry, geology, industrial hygiene, or engineering specific to the statutory responsibilities of the Board.
"More than half of AIHA's 8,500 members are CIHs. These professionals have demonstrated a high level of competency in a number of fields, including analytical chemistry, toxicology, hazard communication, industrial hygiene, and many others," said AIHA's CEO Lawrence Sloan, CAE. "Because of this distinction, AIHA strongly believes that the 39 million residents of California would greatly benefit from a requirement that a CIH be a member of the California Toxic Substances Board, and we are proud to partner with our friends at CIHC in support of this request."
Senate Bill 774 was recently approved by the California Senate Committee on Environmental Quality by a vote of 5 to 2, and has now been referred to the Committee on Appropriations. AIHA and CIHC hope to see the bill amended to include a CIH as a required member of the Toxic Substances Board, and then enacted into law before the legislature adjourns later this year.
About AIHA®
Founded in 1939, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is the premier association of occupational and environmental health and safety professionals. AIHA's 8,500 members play a crucial role on the front line of worker health and safety every day. Members represent a cross-section of industry, private business, labor, government and academia. More information is available at www.aiha.org.
About CIHC
The California Industrial Hygiene Council was founded in 1990 to establish a legislative presence in the California State Capitol for the industrial hygiene profession. It is supported by the Local Sections of the AIHA within California. The Local Sections consist of Northern CA, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, and Southern CA. More information is available at www.cihconline.com.
