ACGIH Will Present Webinar on Nanotechnology Health and Safety

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) will hold a webinar entitled “Nanotechnology Health and Safety: Case Studies in the Occupational Setting” on December 4, 2007. The webinar will discuss the uncertainties associated with the hazards and potential risks of working with engineered nanoparticles; describe ways to help manage exposure to engineered nanoparticles; and illustrate how occupational health and safety controls, both engineering and administrative, can be implemented to manage better worker health and safety.  Additionally, the webinar will present case studies that will highlight how select organizations that use engineered nanoparticles in production facilities (metal oxide and metal alloy), as well as research laboratories, are addressing the safety and health issues behind this new technology.

ACGIH states that the webinar will focus on the following points:

• Known health effects data and their implications for risk characterization and risk management;
• Hazard identification and exposure assessment;
• Evaluating and characterizing risk;
• Procedural approaches for completing an evaluation;
• Conducting a real-time assessment: qualitative and quantitative tools;
• Types of controls, personal protective equipment (PPE), and how to verify effectiveness;
• Employee communication; and
• Communicating information to management.

The webinar includes the following learning objectives:

• The potential hazards and associated risks of engineered nanoparticles;
• The current state of knowledge in terms of health data in the occupational setting;
• How to develop a procedural approach for characterizing risk in a workplace utilizing engineered nanoparticles;
• How to evaluate and employ effective PPE and control practices;
• Methods for communication in workplaces utilizing engineered nanoparticles; and
• How select companies are utilizing control methods and PPE, and controlling risk when dealing with engineered nanoparticles.