ABIH Encourages Congressional Leaders to Maintain NIOSH Funding

LANSING, Mich. - May 19, 2014 - PRLog -- The American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) recently added their name to a letter from the Friends of NIOSH.  The document urges Congress to not cut funding for NIOSH as they consider funding priorities for Fiscal Year 2015.

The letter was sent to Chairman Jack Kingston and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education.  The letter states, “As Congress considers funding priorities for Fiscal Year 2014, the Friends of NIOSH strongly urges you to include at least the Fiscal Year 2012 level for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH, within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the primary federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related illness and injury. NIOSH provides national and world leadership to avert workplace illness, injury, disability, and death by gathering information, conducting scientific research, and translating this knowledge into products and services. NIOSH supports programs in every state to improve the health and safety of workers.”

It continues, “The health and safety of the American workforce is a shared goal of all of our organizations. Many of our members are employed in high risk occupations. Rather than accept that working requires individuals to place their health and well being at risk, we believe strongly that all occupations can be made safer through research, education and training.”

ABIH, along with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), and over 220 other organizations have signed the Friends of NIOSH letter.  “Many work-related illnesses, injuries and deaths can be avoided, but it takes funding,” said Tracy Parsons, CIH, Administrative Program Manager at ABIH.  “ABIH is proud to add our signature and support to maintain NIOSH funding and to remind congressional leaders of the importance of protecting the nation’s workers.  As administrators of the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) program, ABIH is committed to doing all we can to create a safe environment for all workers.”

To learn more about the ABIH or the Certified Industrial Hygienist program, please visit www.ABIH.org, email abih@ABIH.org or call (517) 321-2638.

About the American Board of Industrial Hygiene

Since 1960, ABIH, a not-for-profit corporation, has been the world's largest, premier organization for certifying professionals in the practice of industrial hygiene. ABIH is responsible for ensuring high-quality certification including education, experience, examination, certification maintenance and ethics enforcement. Currently, more than 6700 people are certified to use the CIH designation.