Comparing the Missions of OSHA, NIOSH, ACGIH and AIHA and Their Influence on Practice of Industrial Hygiene

Industrial Hygiene Assignment Instructions

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) are four major organizations with a great amount of influence on the industrial hygiene field.

Prepare your essay comparing the missions of each of the four organizations and their influence on the practice of industrial hygiene. Choose one of the organizations, and describe how the passage of the OSH Act of 1970 influenced the foundation of the organization. What is the most significant contribution that your chosen organization has made to worker health and safety?

Sample Answer – An Essay comparing the Missions OSHA , NIOSH, ACGIH, AIHA and Their Influence on Practice of Industrial Hygiene

U.S. has four major organizations with great influence on industrial hygiene. These industrial organizations that include The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA),e National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), American conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), play an essential unique role in enhancing industrial hygiene. This paper defines the mission of the four organizations, and identifies ways in which each organization influences industrial hygiene. The paper then selects one of the organizations and evaluates how its development has been influenced by OSH Act of 1970. 

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            AIHA is an organization whose mission is to enhance, protect and promote industrial hygienists among other environmental, safety, and occupational health professionals in their effort to enhance the well-being and health of workers, the environment and the community.  AIHA influence industrial hygiene by nurturing professionals needed for effective learning of industrial hygiene (Institute of Medicine, 2000). NIOSH refers to a U.S. federal agency which carries out research and gives recommendation to avert workers illness and injury. Its main mission it so create new knowledge in occupational health and safety field, and to transfer this knowledge into practice. NIOSH has influenced industrial hygiene by supplementing industrial hygiene research programs in the country. ACGIHis a charitable scientific organization with mission of advancing environmental and occupational health in the society. ACGIH has been committed to enhancing industrial hygiene and environmental and occupational safety and health communities. The Organization has influenced industrial hygiene by encouraging experience interchange among industrial hygiene employees and to make accessible and collect data and information which might be of help to them in suitable fulfillment of duties (Institute of Medicine, 2000).OSHA was developed with a mission of assuring healthful and safe working conditions for women and men, by enforcing and setting standards and by offering training, assistance, education and outreach. OSHA influences industrial hygiene by setting mandatory occupational health and safety requirements suitable for over six million U.S workplaces.  OSH Act of 1970is the occupational safety and health act whose prime objective is to lower workplace hazards and to implement health and safety programs for both employees and employers. AIHA was founded in 1939 to sever the interests of professional of about 300 industrial hygienists who were active in the US during that particular time. This was long before the enactment of OSH 1970 Act. The enactment of this Act played a great role in promoting operations in AIHA and influencing what AIHA is today. OSHA has played an important role in the advancement of occupational health and safety in the country’s workforce.

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OSH 1970 Act enactment assured every working man and woman in the country of the healthful and safe working condition. This landmark decision proved to be among the first different major occurrences that galvanized the country around the safeguarding of the environment, communities and workers (OSHA, 2013). This gave the AIHA a stronger grip into enhancing its mission of nurturing industrial hygiene professionals by making it possible to use the OSH Act of 1970 guidelines to define how to enhance safe and healthy working environment. OSH Act of 1970 provided a baseline in which AIHA should train its professionals on enhancement of occupational safety and health. The enactment of this law makes it possible for the AIHA to work in alliance with OSHA to offer AIHA members with guidance, information, and access to resources of training which will assist them safeguard safety and health of workers and comprehend workers’ rights and the employers’ obligation under the OSH Act.

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The enactment of OSH Act has thus enhanced the advancement of knowledge in occupational safety and health in AIHA missions, especially in ensuring that all workers trained in this organization can easily adhere to occupational safety and health requirements defined by OSHA irrespective of which industry they operate in (OSHA, 2013).

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