After reading these guidelines carefully, print and save, then proceed to the end to begin the submission process.

Submissions must be received electronically by October 5, 2009, 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

Definitions

What Is a Roundtable?

Roundtables are special interest sessions set up by an individual arranger, two to four hours in length, comprised of a minimum of 4 and maximum of 10 invited speakers. Presentations are in a panel discussion format, and include audience participation and questions.

Content relates to current OEHS issues, which can be approached as:

(a) A controversial or comparison issue requiring thorough coverage of or balance on the topic.

(b) An information-packed session with little controversy or opposing views.

Definitions and Roles of Roundtable Personnel

Session Arranger: selects, contacts, and confirms attendance of all speakers and session personnel; keeps all speakers informed regarding the content of other speakers' presentations to avoid repetition; locates replacements in event of emergencies; advises AIHA staff of any changes; reviews audiovisuals prior to conference.

Session Moderator: controls flow of the session; introduces speakers; provides announcements; handles the question/answer segment of the session talks. (This person cannot be a speaker in the same session.)

Session Monitors: distributes, collects, and returns evaluations to the Speaker Ready Room; handles crowd control and checks badges and is available to assist the moderator, if necessary.

Proposal Requirements

Please read all directions carefully. The entire proposal must be completed by October 5 or the Program Committee will reject the proposal. Ensure that these required items are included:

1. Title as it will appear in the AIHce program.

2. Concise roundtable abstract. (175 words maximum.)

3. Amount of time requested for the session (two to four hours). (Estimate 30 minutes for each presenter's talk with Q&A). A minimum of four presenters is required for a session; the maximum is 10.

4. AIHA or ACGIH Committee or organization sponsoring the session, if any. Select one from the drop-down list or add a name in the "Other" box.

5. Session personnel (arranger, two monitors and a moderator), with complete address and contact information for each. An e-mail addresses for each of the personnel is a requirement.

6. Speaker names, complete addresses, titles of all presentations and full contact information, including correct individual speaker e-mails must be provided. Do not use the Arranger’s email in place of the speaker’s. After October 5, individual presentation or session titles cannot be changed without approval from the AIHA conference coordinator.

7. Summary of each presenter's talk. (See samples below.)

8. Financial Support. Session arrangers may formally request limited funds to support roundtable presentations that are of special interest or merit and that will add uniquely to the value of AIHce. Requests for support must be included with the roundtable proposal materials by the October 5 submission deadline. (See Financial Guidelines.) Total funding requested for the session must be entered on the Roundtable Description page. Individual funding requests must be entered on the relevant Speaker page. The total of individual funding requests must match the session total (on the Description page). AIHA and/or ACGIH members are not eligible for funding. Please confirm member status with each presenter before submitting a request.

The PCC Review

(Requirements of Roundtable Proposal Content)

The PCC reviews proposals for the following required elements of content:

1. Timely topic: controversial or high-profile.

2. Invited speakers: knowledgeable and possess expertise in the area of discussion.

3. Quality content and cohesive presentations: content must be current, of high quality and the presentations should flow in logical sequence.

4. An organized proposal: must include time for audience questions and discussions.

5. No commercialism: Proposals that DO NOT suggest commercialism, particularly in the use of trade names as examples.

Submit Electronically

Online Instructions

1. The web form will allow you to enter all necessary roundtable data. Please have all data specified in the proposal requirements ready prior to starting your submission.

2. Prepare (before posting online) your roundtable abstract and each individual speaker's presentation summary.

a) Use either Microsoft Word or WordPerfect (Windows or Macintosh) to create your file.

b) Use a standard Windows or Macintosh font (such as Times New Roman for text and Symbol for symbols; DO NOT USE A THIRD-PARTY SYMBOL FONT).

• Set all text as flush left, unjustified.
• Do NOT indent any paragraphs.
• Do NOT place blank lines between any paragraphs.
• Do NOT place hard returns at the end of each line; use hard returns only to start a new paragraph.

c) Save the file. If you need to update later it will be easier to update your file to just copy and paste instead of retyping.

3. Submit Roundtable Data

a) Login to the RT Submission site if you are a returning user. If you are a new user, follow the link to create a new account.

For a New Account: Enter required information.

• Your login is case sensitive.
• Enter a password of your choice.
• Your Password is also case sensitive. The password can be up to sixteen characters (a-z; 0-9) and must not contain spaces or punctuation marks.
• Be sure to record your login and password. You will need them later to edit or add to an incomplete submission or submit a new presentation.

b) Welcome page: click on New to enter a new Roundtable. As you progress, completed/incomplete Roundtables will be listed in this area under Roundtables. Click the appropriate submission to review or to edit.

c) Roundtable Description page: enter Session Title, Session Abstract, length of time for session, indicate sponsoring committee/organization, enter total of any session funding requests (Important: If funding is requested and the total is not entered at this location, it will not appear in your summary information.)

d) Arranger page. Respond to all questions

e) Continue to Monitor 1 and Monitor 2.

f) Add your session Moderator (see page 1 definitions). Complete session personnel information must be provided with your electronic submission. Follow the instructions on the website. Do not place an "X" in a space.

g) Speaker Pages. A minimum of four speakers is required, and a maximum of 10 is allowed. Each page requires all data for an individual presenter including contact, member status, speaker presentation title, speaker talk summary; any funding request for the individual presenter and justification of the request for this speaker only. Note: Samples of speaker summaries are provided at the end of this document.

h) Copy the Summary pages (2) for your records. Page 1 is the Session & Personnel information. Page 2 lists your presenters.

Financial Assistance Guidelines

Follow the instructions on the web page.

1. Financial support is extremely limited and restricted to exceptional circumstances. Individual or organizational members of AIHA or ACGIH are not eligible for funding.

2. The PCC limits assistance to people who would not otherwise attend AIHce.

3. Assistance is limited to the following expenses: (Your funding request should only include expenses for “a” and/or “b.” Do not include “c” in your request.)

a. Roundtrip transportation. Best available advance purchase coach fares.

b. Up to $60.00 a day for the approved grant period for incidentals (food and ground transportation only). A "day" is a 24-hour period.

c. Those approved by the PCC for a funding grant also receive the following:

• Lodging (one night for U.S. speakers and up to three nights for international speakers). AIHA staff will select the hotel based on available complimentary rooms.
• Complimentary one-day conference registration.

4. Roundtable arrangers requesting financial assistance must submit the following information with the roundtable proposal:

a. Amount requested for transportation and one day per diem (accurate expense estimates in U.S. $). Enter individual amount on appropriate Speaker Page. Total of all funding requests must match the amount entered on the Roundtable Description page.

b. Justification of the particular presenter consists of: 1) uniqueness and qualifications of the presentation and presenter, including speaker objectives; 2) value to AIHce attendees (not financial need of the speaker). NOTE: the two justification answers should be brief with only 250 characters of text per response. The PCC may request additional information and justification from the roundtable arrangers. (A sample funding request is provided on the last page of these instructions.) Each justification is for a specific presenter. If that individual finds later he or she cannot attend, the funds cannot be transferred to a new or replacement presenter.

Audiovisual Support

All AIHce audiovisuals are computer generated. No speaker may use his or her personal laptop to make a presentation. For continuity and clarity it is important that arrangers set a specific time to receive review copies of slides from their speakers, looking for: duplicate materials, font size (28 minimum), lines per page (7 maximum), color contrast (dark on light and no swirls or other designs in the background), commercialism, plus other items detailed on the AIHce web site under the Speakers Corner.

Confirmations and Notifications

1. The online system also allows you to view and print a confirmation of your roundtable at any time. You will not receive an e-mail confirmation of your submission.

2. Disposition notices go to arrangers and individual presenters via email in mid December. Be sure to notify the AIHA conference coordinator immediately if no email is received by January 15; the notices are not sent from within AIHA so it is possible that some notifications get blocked by spam filters. Be sure to confirm with your session personnel and presenters that they have received and accepted their invitations immediately upon approval so there is no need for surprise substitutions.

3. The acceptance letter includes questions which need to be responded to by each presenter (taping, posting of slides, etc.) plus a location to insert an introduction. Please alert your presenters of the need to respond to their letters upon their receipt.

CM Points for Presenters

ABIH diplomates will be awarded 1.0 certification maintenance (CM) point for each roundtable where they present a minimum of 20 minutes.

Speaker Registration

Unless an approved, invited nonmember speaker, All roundtable speakers must register for the conference at full conference fees. The only exception is approved nonmember (not a member of AIHA or ACGIH) speakers. Exhibitor booth personnel may present in his or her individual session without conference registration.

Scheduling

No guarantees are made regarding scheduling of roundtables. The Permanent Conference Committee will slot roundtables according to several criteria, including: past position on program, program position of other committee sessions, subject matter conflicts, and amount of time requested. Note: There is more scheduling flexibility available for two hour roundtables.

Session Rating and Comments

Following the conference, the Session Ratings section of the AIHce Evaluation Form will be placed on the website as a guide for planning new sessions. The Comment section of the evaluations will be sent to the individual arrangers and the appropriate committee chair.

Sample Speaker Summaries

Please refer to the following examples when you prepare the speaker summaries section of your submission:

• Sample #1
  A contractor entered a cone-bottomed tank to remove aromatic solvent sludge, scraping and shoveling it into buckets and hauling it out by a hand line to the tank top. They had done this job 5 times before without incident, and implemented measures to allow safe work. On the 2nd day, the SAR cascade system pressure was noted to be dropping fast. The entrant was stuck in the tank and unable to rescue himself. Several attempts to retrieve the entrant from the outside also failed, and an hour after the first sign of trouble he was pulled dead from the space. An analysis of the IH and safety issues of this CS failure will be reviewed.

OR

• Sample #2
  The DRPA is a bi-state agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Ben Franklin Bridge. The environment near the bridge includes housing, commercial businesses, marinas and riverfront attractions. This presentation provides background on the bridge and its importance to the community. DRPA’s goal of protecting the bridge for 25 years without significant maintenance will be discussed. Project objectives imposed by DRPA on the design consultants will be outlined, including protection of the public, workers and the environment, minimum disruptions of operations, maintenance of all roads, rails and at least 1 sidewalk, and public/business involvement.

Sample Funding Request Justification

Uniqueness and Qualifications: As the new director of ergonomics at OSHA; past director for ergonomic equipment at XYZ Corp., and worldwide leader in the field. she is the only person who can provide the most up-to-date state of affairs on this critical topic.

Value: Personal contact not normally available with someone of this caliber. The talk will incorporate the operations of the new ergonomics directive and, how IHs can individually influence the development of ergonomic programs.

 

Remember! All abstracts must be received electronically by October 5, 2009, 5:00 p.m. Central Time!

Planning your presentation, contact AIHce Conference Program Coordinator, eduassistant@aiha.org.

 

 

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