MISSION

The committee seeks to provide a forum for identifying, discussing, and sharing with the AIHA community on a variety of social issues related to occupational and environmental health. Social issues may include a broad range of topics, such as economically disadvantaged populations and socially vulnerable and under-represented populations, environmental justice, workplace discrimination, and lagging enforcement of occupational health policy and regulation. It is through increased dialog within our IH community that these issues will be brought to the forefront, creating an opportunity for the allocation of resources and the promulgation of regulations to protect these populations.

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Goals and Objectives

The committee strives to encourage and highlight work within the industrial hygiene community that advances the health of all workplaces, with emphasis on the protection of vulnerable populations.

Identify current industrial hygiene issues affecting vulnerable populations to create a greater understanding of societal factors and how these factors can influence exposures in the workplace and our communities.
Raise the level of awareness on relevant social issues among occupational and environmental health professionals.

Recognition

Current Projects

Hierarchy of Controls White Paper
Movie/Documentary at Conference - "Picture a Scientist" selected. Will have a post-screening discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Upton Sinclair Award –Yanick Rice Lamb, author of “It Was the Rubber Capital of the World. The health consequences linger.”, is the 2023 recipient of the annual Upton Sinclair Memorial Lecture. Yanick Rice Lamb is an independent journalist, author, and journalism professor at Howard University, where she is completing a doctorate in Medical Sociology specializing in health equity and environmental issues. Her article discusses the legacy of illness from exposure to workers and residents of Akron, OH, from the tire manufacturing industry. The title of her 2023 lecture is “Unintended Consequences? The Story Behind the Lingering Health Impact of the Rubber Industry”.