AIHA and APIC Host COVID-19 Response Webinar

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) are hosting a 90-minute webinar on Thursday, March 26, at 1:00 pm (ET) titled: “Ventilation, surface disinfection and PPE considerations for the IP and IH.”

The webinar is designed for professionals that work in industrial hygiene, occupational health and infection prevention. It will address the gaps of knowledge of industrial hygienists and infection preventionists as it relates to ventilation, respirators, construction issues, occupational health and safety and business.

Attendees will gain insights on:

• The difference between a procedure mask and an N95 respirator as well as emergency use of industrial-grade respirators;
• The role of contact, droplet, and airborne transmission of COVID-19 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);
• The appropriate PPE for droplet and airborne precautions;
• Alternatives to respirators;
• The differences in the infection prevention approach for non-healthcare locations;
• Identifying locations within a hospital facility where COVID-19 exposure is most likely to occur;
• The six potential problems with rebalancing general ventilation to create negative pressure zones for use in place of AIIR.

The webinar will be in town hall format, with at least 30-minutes reserved for questions. Participants will hear from Larry Sloan, AIHA CEO, Katrina Crist, APIC CEO, and presenters Roberta Smith and Lewis Johnson. Both Smith and Johnson are dually certified industrial hygienists and infection preventionists.

Smith has over 25 years of experience in the fields of public health, occupational health, industrial hygiene, safety, and infection control. She holds Bachelor of Science degrees in environmental health and nursing. She holds a Master of Science in public health and certifications in infection control, occupational health nursing specialist, and industrial hygiene. She currently is the Director of Worker Health for Axion Health, an employee/ occupational health software company.

Johnson is the industrial hygienist for Lee Health, a 1,500+ bed healthcare system in southwest Florida. His professional focus is environmental infection prevention in the areas of construction, water management, ventilation, employee safety, disinfectants, and USP 797. He has a Master of Science in industrial health from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in education. He holds certifications in both infection control and industrial hygiene.

The webinar will be free of charge for AIHA and APIC members, as well as the general public. CIHs and CICs may earn 1.5 contact hours toward their respective accreditations.