If you’re already an AIHA member, you already know how valuable your membership benefits have been to your professional development. With organizational membership, your employer can not only ensure that you and your colleagues will continue to receive individual benefits but can also gain visibility and receive discounts as an organization. Up to three individuals per employer are covered under each AIHA organizational membership, with customized packages available to add more people.

Your employer knows that investing in you is investing in the future of the business. If you are better informed about occupational and environmental health and safety, your employer will benefit by being protected from unnecessary risk. That’s why companies allocate part of their budgets for professional development, training, conferences, and continuing education. AIHA membership, both individual and through your employer, keeps you in the loop on the latest developments in the OEHS field, as well as allowing you to:

• attend AIHce EXP, AIHA’s annual OEHS conference
• take continuing education courses with AIHA University
• connect with a mentor or mentee through the AIHA mentoring program
• get up-to-date news and research from our award-winning Synergist magazine and Journal of Environmental and Occupational Hygiene
• get free shipping and member discounts on all our publications

Because AIHA members get to attend AIHce EXP at a discounted rate, many companies join as organizational members primarily to give their employees access to the AIHce EXP member registration rate. The event offers a once-a-year opportunity to network with and learn from other OEHS professionals and industry experts, while earning CIH certification maintenance points at the same time.

The chance to join AIHA volunteer groups is another member benefit that offers practical skills and professional development opportunities appealing to employers. Volunteer groups provide more great ways for members to network, earn CM points, give back to the OEHS community, and gain leadership skills. AIHA’s volunteer opportunities also include participation in local sections and special interest groups and writing for the SynergistNOW blog.

Aside from discounted member benefits, organizational members get additional perks, such as:

• access to one free webinar and one AIHce OnDemand bundle, which can be shown at staff meetings
• 10 percent off the organization’s first publication order, which can include as many publications as the organization wants
• listing on the online organizational membership directory
• use of AIHA organizational member logo
• an organizational membership certificate

Cathy Hovde, CIH, CSP, who is an AIHA member through her employer, Amazon, elaborated on the benefits of organizational membership. “AIHA organizational membership has been a great way for Amazon Workplace Health and Safety employees to build connections to the wider industrial hygiene community and grow professionally,” she said. Amazon has been saving on its OEHS professionals’ development by grouping individual memberships together under a discounted organizational rate of $999. Hovde explained that this helps Amazon to “leverage AIHA University’s self-paced professional development courses to over 50 health and safety professionals around the world.”

With benefits like these for both employees and organizations, it’s well worth requesting your manager to invest in AIHA organizational membership. More information on how your employer can join as an organizational member is available from the AIHA website.