Industrial hygienists and safety professionals looking to spice up their EHS knowledge might find the right ingredients at this year's American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition (AIHce) from June 2-7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
"Embracing Change" is the theme of this year's conference, with more than 200 professional development courses, 100 technical sessions, 50 interactive roundtables and a one-time Ergonomics Symposium.
More than 750 companies will demonstrate the latest tools, equipment, services and technologies necessary for the EHS profession at this year's exposition. (Look for Occupational Hazards at Booth 745).
Here's a glimpse at the conference program:
Sunday. The Ergonomics Symposium: "From Concept to Practice - Making Ergonomics Work" is an all-day workshop that will present guidance for the design and implementation of effective ergonomics programs.
Tim McGlothlin, principal ergonomist at Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tenn., will talk about how Eastman Chemical implemented a successful ergonomics program. "Ergonomics and Medical Case Management: A Physicians View of From the Trenches" will be presented by Richard Donze, M.D., occupational health director of Chester County Hospital in Chester, Pa.
Afternoon speakers will look at ergonomics program measurement, and OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs and ergonomics.
Monday. Conference attendees will begin the journey to "embrace change" with the opening session at 8 a.m. Headlining the session will be Edward D. Barlow Jr., president of Creating the Future, a consulting firm that assists people, organizations and professionals to prepare for the world tomorrow. Barlow's energizing and motivating presentation will promote confidence and offer strategies and anticipatory thinking skills necessary for the future.
Morning technical sessions start at 10 a.m. Topics include OSHA regulatory compliance, asbestos exposure, industrial ventilation, health care industries, bioaerosol sampling and EHS career opportunities.
Afternoon roundtable sessions begin at 2 p.m. and include "Noise and Hearing in the Workplace: The Contributions of Noise and Hearing to Industrial Accidents," "Contractors and Confined Spaces: Do They Really Get It?," "Industrial Hygiene Research Needs for the New Millennium" and "Design and Implementation of Near-Miss Programs."
Tuesday. Ather Williams Jr., vice president of Worldwide Safety & Industrial Hygiene, begins Tuesday sessions at 8 a.m.
Morning roundtables start with "Forging Partnerships, Alliances and Coalitions - Perspectives from Federal and State Governments" and "Embracing Change - How Environmental Health & Safety Impacts Minorities in a Changing World."
"The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB): Making a Difference in Workplace Safety and Health" will discuss current CSB activities and present findings and recommendations of two major chemical accident investigations.
Roundtables scheduled for Tuesday afternoon begin at 1 and will cover topics such as ergonomics, hazard prevention, risk assessment, occupational exposure limits, occupational epidemiology and sustainability.
Senior experts from standard development organizations such as the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the National Safety Council and Underwriters' Laboratories will share perspectives on the future role of the voluntary consensus system in occupational health and safety at 1 p.m. The session's title is "Forging Partnerships, Alliances and Coalitions - Can Standard Development Organizations Help Break the Standards Impasse?"
Wednesday. Are you curious about the practical and ethical implications of the human genome project in the workplace? Dr. Alan M. Guttmacher, senior clinical adviser to the director at the National Human Genome Research Institute is involved in this work and will explain societal and workplace implications of the project in the morning's general session.
Roundtables begin at 10 a.m. and include "Hot Topics in Nonionizing Radiation" and "Partnership, Coalition, Consensus - The Professional Organization Perspective."
At 1 p.m., "EHS Meets the Internet: Practical Applications" continues the discussion begun last year in "The Digital Revolution - The Internet and Industrial Hygiene." This roundtable provides practical demonstrations of what high-tech industrial hygiene looks like and how industrial hygienists can use technology to work smarter, faster and better.
Other afternoon roundtables feature discussions about indoor fungal exposures, respiratory protection, excavation safety and biological monitoring.
Special Wednesday night sessions introduced last year will be available again at 6 p.m. Topics include hazard prevention and contaminant control, biological monitoring in the workplace, driving safety excellence and distribution center ergonomics.
Thursday. "The Role of Corporate Culture in Safety Performance," "Industrial Hygiene General Practices" and "International Occupational Hygiene Issues" are a few of the morning roundtables.
Find out how the role of the EHS professional is changing in "Embracing Change: Emerging IH Issues in the 21st Century" at 8 a.m. In this session, EHS professionals from around the world will discuss challenges presented by demographic changes, domestic and international regulatory developments, e-education and distance learning, international IH practices and EHS performance measurement trends.
Afternoon roundtable sessions at 1 wrap up the conference and cover such topics as risk assessment, chemical-biological terrorism, behavior-based safety, and noise and hearing conservation. Learn about current technologies that eliminate or reduce fall hazards in "Fall Protection in Construction." This session will look at how engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment help to prevent fatal falls.
All Jazzed Up in the Crescent City
Don't forget to leave some time in your busy conference schedule to see, taste and hear some of the things New Orleans is famous for, including the French Quarter, spicy Cajun food and jazz music.
See. Explore what makes New Orleans America's most-European city. Ride past beautiful Jackson Square and learn about the early days of the French city.
The sights and sounds of the Mississippi River, St. Louis Cathedral, Cabildo and Pontalba buildings are some of the highlights of the area.
Continue past the French Market to Esplanade Avenue, the outermost boundary of the French Quarter, and see a stunning display of Creole homes with wrought-iron fences and balconies.
A tour of historic Hermann-Grima House and Courtyard provides the ambiance of the genteel Creole mansions of old. In City Park, visitors can walk, golf or take the historic miniature railroad under ancient, moss-draped oaks.
You have not experienced New Orleans unless you have taken the time to poke around in one of the city's many historic cemeteries.
Taste. A well-known mecca for fine food, the culture and history of New Orleans is as important to the enjoyment of the cuisine as the wonderful ingredients used.
It is hard to escape the hype surrounding local culinary icons like Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme.
At Emeril's, try some Creole calamari, homemade Andouille and Creole sausages, barbecued shrimp and baked deviled oysters.
K-Pauls serves hearty, eclectic Creole-Cajun in an easy-going atmosphere. Slip over to Dooky Chase for sublime African-Creole versions of fried catfish, crabmeat Farci and shrimp Clemenceau.
Try a muffuletta at Progress Grocery or an overstuffed fried shrimp or roast beef po'boy at Johnny's Po' Boys in the French Quarter.
No trip to New Orleans would be complete without a cup of chicory-laced cafe au lait and a few sugar-dusted beignets at the Cafe Du Monde.
Hear. Music is continually in and on the air, pouring out from street ensembles, nightclubs, local radio stations and riverboat calliopes.
French Quarter music clubs with Dixieland or traditional jazz get rolling early in the evening, usually by 8 p.m. The first set at most neighborhood clubs usually begins about 10 p.m.
Cajun Cabin is a good place to hear authentic Cajun music in the midst of Bourbon Street. Checkpoint Charlie's is a bustling French Quarter corner bar for those who like to listen to late-night blues and rock 'n' roll.
If you want to catch jazz in the daytime, head to the Court of Two Sisters, which has the largest courtyard in the French Quarter and serves a jazz brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.