FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

Release No. SPR-08-128-01  

Miriam Heston, AIHA Cont. Education
(703) 846-0753; mheston@aiha.org

Melissa Hurley, AIHA Communications
(703) 846-0740; mhurley@aiha.org

AIHce 2008 Ergonomics Symposium: Making a Business Case for Ergonomics

FAIRFAX, VA (January 28, 2008) — The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Ergonomics Committee will sponsor the “Ergonomics Symposium: Making a Business Case for Ergonomics (and Other Health and Safety Programs)” on Sunday, June 1, 2008, at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) in Minneapolis. Ergonomics provides economic as well as health and safety benefits. This symposium will demonstrate the development of the business case of ergonomics using economic criteria.

“This will be a great way for OEHS professionals to understand why ergonomics is a business issue as well as a health and safety issue,” said AIHA ergonomics symposium committee co-chair David C. Alexander, PE, CPE. “Participants will gain confidence in developing their business proposals and learn to speak the language of business so they can articulate the benefits of their ergonomics proposals clearly and concisely.”

Robert E. Thomas, PhD, PE, CPE, the organizing committee’s other co-chair agreed with Alexander by saying, “The ergo event is a good opportunity for conference-goers to learn how to earn recognition for the productivity and improvements resulting from ergonomics projects, and to demonstrate the business value of ergonomics health and safety.”

Attendees will learn to:

• Create a business case template for ergonomics and other health and safety programs
• Describe successful methods to justify ergonomic programs
• Identify economic benefits of ergonomic interventions, design practices, and programs
• Compute economic returns and costs in a health and safety environment

Participants have the opportunity to earn 1.0 IH CM point, 0.8 CEU, and 0.8 COC.

AIHce will take place May 31–June 5, 2008, at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

For more information, including a schedule of planned professional development courses and education sessions and registration information, visit www.aihce2008.org. For more information regarding the “Ergonomics Symposium: Making a Business Case for Ergonomics (and Other Health and Safety Programs),” visit http://www.aiha.org/aihce08/education/symposium.htm or contact Miriam Heston, continuing education planner, at (703) 846-0753 or mheston@aiha.org

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Founded in 1939, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is the premier association of industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety professionals. AIHA’s 10,600 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. For more information on AIHA, visit www.aiha.org.