Bowen EHS, Inc.

There is a saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.  It is often difficult for an experienced professional to learn new ideas and methods.  We get used to the way we’ve always done things and we’ve had success with our methods.  Why would we want to change?  Learning new methods takes a lot of work and there’s no guarantee new methods will be any better.

Approximately one week ago as I write this musing, I participated in an unexpected test of the air bags and seat belt in my wife's 1996 Saturn SL1 (of which she was the original owner) and a red Toyota.  I am very happy to say that the air bag test was successful on both vehicles.  In other words, I was in an accident.

This is an interesting question, especially around the career of occupational health and safety.  I'm certain the meaning of a being a professional is as varied as the number of people that consider themselves professionals.  However, there are probably a core set of values and ideas that resonate with the majority of professionals.

Here is a short list of my definition of a health and safety professional.  I believe a professional in the field of occupational health and safety is a person that....

1. understands the fundamental concepts of occupational health and safety risk assessment,
2. is able to apply these fundamental concepts in new situations and scenarios,
3. continually seeks to improve their understanding of occupational risk including the science and technology in the work place, and
4. follows an ethical code of conduct.

Modern Industrial Hygiene Volumes 1, 2, and 3 published by the ACGIH are probably the most comprehensive texts available on the current practice of industrial hygiene. Dr. Perkins has done an excellent job of editing the text so that there is minimal or no duplication between the chapters by the various authors. The contributors and reviewers did a fantastic job of presenting the material in a clear and precise manner. The texts present technical information important to the practicing industrial hygienist in a straight forward manner.

The dates for the next ASP/CSP Online Review have been changed.  This class will begin June 12th and will end August 14th.  More information can be found here:

ASP CSP Online Review

We have just added two study sessions in April and May for those preparing for the CIH Exam.  The first study session will take place Sunday, April 8th at 8pm EST.  The second study session will take place Saturday, May 5th at 11am EST. Premium Members of the Bowen EHS Member center are invited to participate in these open study sessions. Russ will be online to answer your questions. If you have specific topics you would like to discuss, please let us know.

April 8th Study Session Information

May 5th Study Session Information

Premium Membership Information