AIHA University Webinar: Industrial Hygiene Roles in the Response to the Opioid Epidemic in the Workplace and Community

Earn 1.5 Contact Hours

Member $140 | Nonmember $185 | Student $25

Workplace injury, illness, and stress may trigger behavioral health and addiction problems. Stigma and policies that deter workers who are struggling from coming forward for support are detrimental to business and worker wellbeing. Over 30 states have initiated Recovery Ready Workplace (RRW) initiatives to help employers transform their approach to these critical issues. Industrial hygienists have the skills and expertise to contribute to a multidisciplinary team approach to RRW program development and implementation. Some of the key steps that will be addressed in this webinar include assessing workplace culture, relevant policies and practices, as well as hazards and stressors that may contribute to behavioral health and addiction in the workplace. Evidence will be presented regarding the benefits to employers, workers, and communities in establishing RRWs.

Beyond RRW programs, industrial hygiene expertise is also essential in addressing environmental contamination from opioids. This session will include a case study on the assessment and cleanup of a property used for the illegal processing and packaging of opioids, including fentanyl and carfentanil. Additionally, we will discuss how grassroots advocacy with policymakers in California led to the development of regulatory standards for assessing, remediating, and reoccupying fentanyl-contaminated properties.

Learning Objectives

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Examine the impact of behavioral health issues and addiction on workers, families, and employers, and identify occupational factors that contribute to mental stress and substance use.
• Explore workplace assessment strategies and discuss the development, implementation, and benefits of Recovery Ready Workplace programs.
• Explain methods for assessment, cleanup, and re-occupancy of properties contaminated by illicit drug activities.
• Describe steps in pursuing regulatory standards for the assessment, cleanup, and re-occupancy of fentanyl-contaminated properties.

Presenters

Jonathan Rosen, MS, CIH, FAIHA
Jonathan is the Principal Consultant for AJ Rosen & Associates LLC, providing occupational safety and industrial hygiene services to labor unions, government agencies, and organizations throughout the U.S. Jonathan works for the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety & Health Training, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Education and Training Program. In that capacity, he has developed worker and leadership training programs on disaster preparedness and response, resilience, stress, trauma, opioids and the workplace, and infection prevention and control. Jonathan served as Director of the Occupational Health & Safety Department for NYS Public Employees Federation, AFL-CIO for 22 years. Jonathan has been co-investigator on several federal NIOSH intervention research grants. Jonathan has been active on the AIHA’s Social Concerns and Law Committees and has been a lead or contributing author on a number of AIHA white papers and publications. Jonathan completed a master’s degree in industrial health at the University of Michigan and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Peter Harnett, MS, MPH, CIH, CSP, FAIHA
Peter is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional with more than 35-years of experience in evaluating safety and chemical concerns in the workplace and environment. Peter earned his Bachelor's degree from Cornell University in Biology and MS in Environmental Sciences/ Toxicology and MPH in Occupational Health/Industrial Hygiene from the University of Texas Health Science Center. Peter is a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and a member and Past-Chair of the AIHA Opioids Working Group. Peter has worked with several pharmaceutical companies on safety concerns associated with manufacture and handling of opioids. Peter’s personal commitment to opioids is partly due to the unfortunate loss of his older brother to heroin addiction in 1987.

Michael A. Polkabla, CIH, REA
Michael is a Principal and Senior Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) at BioMax Environmental, Inc. With degrees in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Aquatic Biology from University of California Santa Barbara, Michael has accumulated over 30-years of experience in environmental consulting and industrial hygiene compliance within a wide range of industries. Through his experience and knowledge, Mr. Polkabla has become a leading expert in the assessment and cleanup of toxic contamination associated with clandestine drug manufacturing, distribution, and processing sites. Michael is also an active member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA’s) national Opioid Working Group and as a result, is at the forefront of current assessment technologies and decontamination methods and practices both federally and in California. Mr. Polkabla is actively involved in opioid hazard awareness training and political advocacy while serving as an expert in the implementation of regulatory standards and county guidance protocols associated with the assessment and cleanup of sites contaminated with opioids and/or other illicit drug residues.

**This live event will be administered in our LMS through zoom webinar. Please view our FAQ for additional information.**