Closing Session: Thriving in the Workplace - Building a Path to Occupational Equity (Friday, October 20, 2:15-3:15 p.m. ET)

Thank you

This live web event has ended. Thank you for attending.

Description

In the words of John Howard, Director of NIOSH, "When workers can thrive in their jobs, it positively impacts our families and our communities." But what does THRIVE look like? What does to “prosper” or “flourish” look like to a worker? Can we agree that it might look and feel different depending on who is asking, and who is answering that question? What are the obstacles to getting there? How can OEHS professionals learn, embrace, and implement the concepts, principles, tools and questions to promote equity and inclusion in workplaces to the benefit of all?

Join us as we close out the week by reflecting on the stories and data shared by our speakers, unpack where we currently stand and where we want to go – as individuals, organizations, and businesses, and set our sights on practical next steps for improving access to occupational equity within our profession.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will:

Analyze diverse perspectives on what flourishing or prosperity means to different workers and how it can vary based on individual experiences and contexts.
Identify and assess the barriers and challenges hindering individuals from achieving a state of thriving in their professional environments.
Equip OEHS (Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety) professionals with the understanding, principles, tools, and questions necessary to promote equity and inclusion within workplaces.
Reflect on the stories and empirical data shared by speakers to evaluate the current landscape and envision future goals for personal, organizational, and business development in fostering occupational equity.
Develop actionable steps and strategies for improving access to occupational equity within the OEHS profession, setting a course for practical implementation and advancement in the field.

Contributors

Hilarie Warren, CIH

Hilarie is the Director of the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Georgia Tech, one of the non-profit organizations authorized by OSHA to deliver occupational safety and health training for all levels of workers and employers, which also administers the OSHA Outreach Training program for 10- and 30-hour classes. With a background in public health, biology, and political science, Ms. Warren served as an industrial hygiene consultant with the OSHA 21(d) Safety and Health Consultation Program at Georgia Tech for 15 years, assisting businesses throughout Georgia to ensure that workplaces were as free from hazards as possible and that workers, their families, and the community at large are protected from potential health threats. She has several areas of technical scientific expertise, including minimizing exposures in the construction industry to excessive heat/hot working conditions, heavy metals and respirable crystalline silica, and has managed several projects involving outreach to temporary workers, young, and those in precarious work environments. As the current chair of the Social Concerns Committee, she is honored to work in conjunction with, and learn from, other AIHA committees and community members to expand equitable access, share best practices, and deepen the understanding and definition of what it means to protect worker health.
Jennifer M.T. Hsu, MPH, CSP

Jennifer has a solid record of leadership and activism with the Women in Industrial Hygiene (WIH) Committee and as a founder of Chapter Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) Committee for the American Society of Safety Professionals – Central Texas Chapter. Jennifer has been an active member of the WIH Outreach Subcommittee since its founding in 2018. She took on a leadership role as WIH Outreach Subcommittee Chair in 2020, Secretary-Elect while concurrently leading the Outreach Subcommittee in 2021, and Secretary in 2022 and now 2023. Through moderating the open discussion on Job Fatalities and Minority Populations, Jennifer hopes to open the conversation regarding this often-sensitive topic, promote engagement, and provide a platform for members to lend their voice and activism on issues related to this topic.
A. Michael Ierardi, MES, MS

Michael is a Senior Supervising Health Scientist with Stantec ChemRisk in the Brooklyn office. He is a board-certified industrial hygienist whose principal areas of expertise, interest, and training include industrial hygiene and safety, exposure science, environmental health, and human health risk assessment. At Stantec ChemRisk, Mr. Ierardi provides on-site industrial hygiene support and sampling; conducts exposure assessments and dose reconstructions for a variety of chemicals in a diverse array of occupational and non-occupational settings; and routinely assists clients with risk management and risk communication strategies. Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Hispanic Studies in 2013, as well as with a Master of Environmental Studies degree, with a concentration in Environmental Health, in 2014. He also graduated with a Master of Science degree in Industrial Hygiene from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy (SPH) in 2020 and is currently pursuing his PhD in Environmental and Planetary Health Sciences at CUNY SPH. He is the current Chair of AIHA’s PR(IH)DE Special Interest Group.
Reginald J. Richards, DrPH, CIH

Reg is the Global EHS Manager, Occupational Health at Meta Platforms, Inc. In this role, he is responsible for the development and implementation of strategies and programs to enhance the health and well-being of Meta’s workforce. Prior to joining Meta, Reg was a safety and wellness leader at Walt Disney World, serving at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. His experience also includes working at both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration with the Department of Labor, and serving in the U.S. Army as an environmental sciences officer. Reg holds a B.S. in physical sciences from Kansas State University, an M.S. in Occupational Health and a graduate certificate in Psychology from Purdue University, and a Doctor of Public Health degree from George Washington University. His research focused on the relationship between safety climate, trust, and perceived risk and their impact on the motivation of first responders to report to work during an influenza pandemic. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a member of AIHA, the Society for Occupational Health Psychology, and the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Thank you

Description

Contributors

Hilarie Warren, CIH

Jennifer M.T. Hsu, MPH, CSP

A. Michael Ierardi, MES, MS

Reginald J. Richards, DrPH, CIH