ACGIH® announced today that its Members approved an amendment to the organization’s Bylaws. An overwhelming 95% of eligible voting members voted to approve the amendment. The amended Bylaws will take effect January 1, 2019.

ACGIH® is recognized around the world as a leader in developing occupational exposure guidelines and is best known for its TLVs® and BEIs®. In an effort to close a gap created at the end of outgoing Board members’ terms and the beginning of incoming Board members’ terms, the ACGIH® Board of Directors asked eligible voting members to vote in favor of amending its existing Bylaws.

The amendments to the Bylaws are as follows:

Nomination and Election of Board Officers: Under the current Bylaws, the Voting Members elect the Board of Directors and an independent Nominating Committee and approve bylaws changes. The Board of Directors selects the two elected officers (Chair and Treasurer). This will remain the same under the new Bylaws, however, the timing of this selection will be slightly different. Currently the Board makes that selection in January, which results in a period of time in which the organization is without officers and the ability to call a meeting. Under the new Bylaws, this selection will instead be made in December of the preceding year, thus eliminating the gap.

Another rationale for this change is that the current January election of officers results in three newly elected officers, one third of the Board, selecting the leadership positions while having no experience on the Board. Those with the most experience that have just rolled off the Board have no vote. By moving the selection into December of the preceding year, the Directors having the most experience on the Board play a role in the selection of officers while also making for a smoother transition into the New Year.

 Nominating Committee:  The current Bylaws require that the Nominating Committee nominate four (4) candidates for Director who are professionally affiliated with academia or government to fill the two (2) open academia/government positions on the Board of Directors each year. The new Bylaws would allow the Nominating Committee to put forward no less than three (3) and no more than four (4) candidates for those positions. This change is being proposed in recognition of the fact that it is often difficult to find four (4) willing candidates.

A further change is being made to the qualifications for nominees to the Board of Directors. The current Bylaws provide that all nominees for either the Nominating Committee or the Board of Directors be current Voting Members of the organization. The new Bylaws leave this requirement intact but further require that nominees for the Board of Directors be current Voting Members for a minimum of three (3) years.

ACGIH® Board Chair Shery Milz stated, “I am pleased to say that the hard work of the Board was evident by the approval of 95% of the voting members to amend the Bylaws. This could not have been done without their support and the hard work of each and every Board member.”

ACGIH® is a 501(c)(3) charitable scientific organization that advances occupational and environmental health. ACGIH® is one of the industry’s leading publications resources, with approximately 400 titles relative to occupational and environmental health and safety, including the renowned TLVs® and BEIs®. For more information, visit the ACGIH® website at www.acgih.org or call our Customer Service Representatives at 513-742-2020.