News and Events

Events

Meetings

2012 Meeting dates
2012 Assessment dates

SAIOH Mpumalanga Branch Workshop –
Previous Presentations

Download the presentations:

• Regulations for Hazardous Biological Agents – Professional opinion by a non-expert – Jaco van Rensburg
• Hazardous Biological Agents – Kobus Boshoff
• Amoeba Resistant Bacteria (notes and presentation) – Dr C Bartie
• Human Vibration – Martin de Beer
• Vibration – Dr Nico Claassen

SAIOH Mpumalanga Branch Workshop – May 2011

The SAIOH Mpumalanga Branch hosted a workshop on the 27th of May 2011 in Middelburg.  Download the presentations and article:

• PAH & CTPV – Jaco van Rensburg
• Silica – Jaco van Rensburg
• Analysis Methods and Requirements – Willem Wepener

SAIOH Gauteng Branch Workshop – August 2010

The SAIOH Gauteng Branch hosted a workshop on the 19th of August 2010 at the Shere View Lodge Conference Centre in the East of Pretoria, near Silver Lakes. Download the presentations and article:

• SAIOH – what's in it for me – Melinda Venter

• Introduction to Nanotechnology – Philip van Dyk

• Radiation – Frik Beeslaar

• Laboratory Analysis – Eugene Cowley

• Occupational Health and Hygiene National Programme – Milly Ruiters

• New Instrumentation – Howard Palmer

  
  

News

International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) Newsletter
The latest Edition of the IOHA newsletter is now available online at: http://www.ioha.net/newsletter.html

FEEDBACK REPORT IOHA NARC WORKSHOP AND IOHA BOARD MEETING AND 2011 AGM IN SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 2011; AND OHTA STATUS REPORT - NOVEMBER 2011

1. Feedback from the IOHA NARC Workshop in Singapore

(9 Oct 2011)

• Deon van Vuuren and Jakes Jacobs attended this 2nd Workshop ever to be held by the IOHA NAR Committee. The first/previous one was held in Genève, Switzerland some 4 years earlier.
  
• SAIOH's re-application for IOHA NAR recognition and the new procedures and evaluation requirements around it were discussed in length.
  
• The review was done by the NARC Co-ordinator after the workshop and forwarded to all the NARC members to vote. But the recommendation from the Co-ordinator looks extremely positive.
  
• Renewal in effect means SAIOH's Certification Scheme is still recognised by IOHA (for a second 5 year term), to comply to International standards and our Certified members can work Internationally/overseas in OH and be accepted by the different International Associations for these Countries.
  
• The National Accreditation Recognition Committee (NARC), is a/the only Sub-committee of IOHA. The IOHA NARC's role is the evaluation of IOHA Member Association's Certification (SAIOH's PCB) and Registration Schemes whereby they do the Certifications and Registering of their Professional members. In SA this is a legislated requirement for anybody to practice Occ. Hygiene.
  
• The IOHA NARC currently have eleven (11) countries that have had their accreditation processes "recognised" internationally— Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. In 2006 SAIOH was the 6th Country at that time to be accredited. The Recognition is valid for a period of 5 years, our first "term" lapsed at the end of September 2011.
  

L-R: Noel Tresider (AIOH), Deon Van Vuuren (SAIOH), Chris Laszcz-Davis (ABIH), Jakob Naerheim (NOHA), Luc Hamelin (CRBOH), Danilo Cottica (AIDII), Gerard Tiernan (AIOH), Domenico Cavallo (AIDII)

• The IOHA National Accreditation Recognition (NAR) Committee consist of one member from each of the IOHA Recognised Certification Boards. Each Board shall recommend a Committee member (usually a senior member of their Board, e.g. the past Chairman) to the IOHA Board. The IOHA Board officially appoint all members to the NAR Committee. IOHA NAR Committee members will serve 3-year terms, which can be renewed only one time (for a total of 6 years service on the Committee).
  
• Deon Jansen van Vuuren has been elected as the new Chairperson of the IOHA NAR Committee at this IOHA NARC Workshop in Singapore. This is a strong vote of confidence in not only Deon's abilities but also that of SAIOH's. The Committee elect a Chairperson for a two year term.

2. Feedback from the IOHA Board Meeting and AGM also in Sinapore (on 10 October 2011)

• Deon van Vuuren attended these Meetings as SAIOH's representative on the International Occupational Hygiene Association's (IOHA) Board and Jakes Jacobs as an observer. Deon is also a Director of the IOHA Board.
  
• Please visit IOHA's Website, SAIOH also has a Member Profile on it: www.ioha.net
  
• IOHA is the International Occupational Hygiene Association and currently consists of 29 Member Countries from 28 Countries World-wide (Europe, USA, South America, Southern Africa, Asia, Australia, etc.). IOHA is also celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2012.
  
• The next/9th IOHA Scientific Conference will take place in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in 2012, over the period 16 – 20 September 2012. IOHA will also be celebrating their 25th anniversary here. The first draft programmes are already distributed, as well as a call for papers went out. You can access the Website at: www.ioha2012.net for more information and to register for this Conference.
  
• The Singapore OH Association was welcomed as the newest and 29th Member to IOHA.
  
• The new IOHA President, Noel Tresider (from Australia) also took chair after the AGM and a new Vice-President for IOHA, Jakob Naerheim (from Norway) was also elected.
  
• Other business: IOHA is currently reviewing their Code of Ethics in line with the new one published by ICOH. All Members were requested to forward their Associations' Code of Ethics to IOHA (SAIOH already did so).
  
• After a detailed discussion of IOHA's Financial position and Budget for 2012, it was decided to increase the annual Membership or Capitation fees by 25% to 1.25 GBP's per Member of each Member Country's Association, w.e.f. the next financial year/2012. This fee was fixed at 1 GBP from the inception of IOHA.
  
• The current draft OH Knowledge document (as developed by the NARC) was distributed to all Members for final comments and approval at the next Meeting. This document deal with the Occupational Hygiene knowledge requirements IOHA expect from their Member Associations to follow as the minimum requirements for their Certified members.
  
• OHTA the Occupational Hygiene Training Association: a full report was given on the progress of the International OH Training Modules. There are already 38 Approved Training Providers worldwide, including 3 Universities and a network of 200 volunteers developing new and/or re-writing the exiting Modules. There is already 8 Modules finished and deployed. Please visit their Website: www.OHLearning.com
  
• Date and venue of the next IOHA Board Meeting: 17 June 2012 in Indianapolis, USA before the AIHce2012 Conference.
  

3. OHTA Status report
(end October 2011)

• The PCB has also reached an agreement with OHTA and the BOHS Faculty, will follow it up with official letters and will start rolling out the OHTA International OH Training Modules from now into 2012.
• SAIOH will co-ordinate these Modules in SA and all examinations will be written at SAIOH Assessment Centers country-wide. The BOHS Faculty will provide and mark the papers.
• After passing the 6 core Modules and undergoing the Personal Learning Profile system of practical experience under an approved Mentor, OHTA will issue successful candidates with an Intermediate Certificate in Occupational Hygiene (this is on OH Technologist level) this Certificates are also approved by IOHA.
  
• SAIOH PCB has already accepted that candidates applying and already in possession of this Certificate will be evaluated at Technologist level and do not have to undergo the written assessment in use.
  
• More information will be send to all potential Training Providers and all SAIOH members in due course and published on SAIOH's Website.
  

4. SAIOH Professionals Certification Board news
(end October 2011)

• The PCB has updated the Certification Procedure and it will be in effect from 01 January 2012.
  
• The pass rate for the different levels of Certification is also improving slowly with Assistants 84%, OH Technologists at 57% and Occ. Hygienists, still very low at 28%
• Deon Jansen van Vuuren is also the new Chairperson of SAIOH's PCB and Julie Hills (from KZN) was just elected as the new Vice-Chairperson of the PCB. Congratulations Julie.
  
• For more info please visit SAIOH's Website: www.saioh.co.za or E-mail: info@saioh.co.za
  

Nanotechnology news

News from IOHA regarding Nanotechnology (12 October 2010). 

Download resolution CEN-TC 137 N0597

Download resolution CEN-TC 137 N0598

Updated AIA list

(supplied by Department of Labour as on 4 October 2010).

Download updated AIA list.

IOHA Strategy 2011–2015

This strategy sets out what IOHA wants to achieve by 2015. It only highlights the areas that the Board sees as key issues for this period. There are many other areas where IOHA is active.
Read more…

International Training Modules –
OHLearning.com website live

The website covering all the International training modules in Occupational Hygiene is now live. Click on www.OHLearning.com for free access of all content. On this one site you can access training materials, course dates, approved training providers, the exam boards and national association details. You can also share your own training materials online and help to develop better programmes.