American Board of Industrial Hygiene Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
Definitions
Defining an Industrial Hygienist
工业卫生是一个旨在唤起对实践意义的简单看法的术语. 然而,它来自一个对这些词有不同解释的时代. Industrial seems clear enough – practicing in a work or factory setting, 但如今,在办公室环境中定义问题时,就连这一点也变得模糊了. Hygiene来自与清洁、卫生或健康有关的实践领域. Therefore, as initially determined, 工业卫生学家(IH)是致力于工人健康和福祉的专业人员. 通常情况下,IH会评估工作场所的化学物质或噪音对健康的影响. 我们的社会从工业/农业基础向更多的服务经济转变,以解决生产力问题(我们必须包括今天的流行词汇,如“增值”效应),这一点得到了扩展。. 它现在还涉及将工作场所扩大到传统就业地点以外的社区地区.
传统上,卫生专业人员通过一些教育组合来获得知识, training, and experience. Ideally, 这些知识用于预测何时可能发生对工人或环境造成不利健康影响的危险情况. Failing that, 卫生组织必须能够识别可能对工人或社区人口造成不利健康影响的条件. Still, 如果不能对一种公认的不利影响的可能性和严重程度进行评价,不能采取一些现实的控制手段来消除或减少这种情况的影响,那么界定危害就没有真正的意义
Traditionally, since the term “industrial hygienist” has not been restricted by law, 任何认为自己有能力为工人的健康和福祉沙巴体育官网提供建议的人都可以给自己贴上工业卫生学家的标签. 他们可能刚刚被安置在一个需要这些知识的组织职位上, therefore, by default, they become an Industrial Hygienist. One can always push to gain the necessary knowledge to function effectively, 但如何向外界证明这种“能力”仍存在一些疑问. In the mid-1950’s, 一群来自国家组织的工业卫生学家建议为工业卫生从业人员建立一个自愿认证计划. In 1960, 从这两个全国性的会员组织中成立了一个独立的公司, AIHA and ACGIH, 建立一个国家考试程序,以证明工业卫生知识的最低水平.
Because the program was voluntary, 它没有限制个人自称为工业卫生学家的做法. Indeed, 今天,有许多从事工业卫生专业的有能力的人甚至没有寻求认证. However, the program has, since its establishment, 证明自己是一个成就的标志,沙巴体育官网提供了一个在该领域成功的指标. 它测量了一个确定的标准,一个工业卫生从业人员的知识在16年 rubrics, or technical areas, of practice.
Areas of Practice
The technical knowledge of industrial hygiene practice has been divided into sixteen areas: basic science; biohazards; biostatistics and epidemiology; engineering controls; non-engineering controls; ergonomics; ethics and management; analytical chemistry; sampling, monitoring and instrumentation; noise and vibration; ionizing radiation; nonionizing radiation; regulations, standards, and guidelines; thermal and pressure stressors; toxicology; and general IH topics including community exposures, hazardous wastes, risk communication, indoor environmental quality, and others (unit operations, process safety, and confined spaces).
然而,在许多情况下,应用这些知识的方法是不同的. Application is seen in the recognition of a hazard, the evaluation of the stressors, in the actual control of the situation, and in industrial hygiene management. These “domains” of practice differ as one advances through ones career. 最近为建立合理的实践标准所做的努力已经导致了工业卫生实践的道德准则的发展. 虽然它本身不能定义能力,但当它不存在时,它肯定会被识别出来.
Defining Qualifications for an Industrial Hygienist
因为工业卫生实践包含了如此广泛的知识领域, it was felt that, initially, 需要对那些将自己的实践限制在狭窄领域的人进行单独的评价. 各方面考试的设立是为了证明缺乏所有领域的综合考试的最低知识标准. These aspect examinations have been dropped, except for that of analytical chemistry, in favor of a comprehensive evaluation of an applicant’s knowledge. However, recently, 沙巴体育官网提供了一个分专业考试,以测试室内环境质量(IEQ)领域的特定知识。. 它允许已经获得认证的个人展示他们在IEQ方面的知识深度.
Because the tests evaluated technical knowledge and not actual practice, 有人认为,在实际履行工业卫生职责方面的一些最短沙巴体育官网对于进入这一过程是必不可少的. Therefore, 在参加考试之前,必须有五(5)年的工作经验. 制定了中级水平考试(CORE考试),以确认正在进行这种自愿认证的人员, but who did not yet have the five years experience, 并确保那些在前“方面”的测试在所有实践领域保持核心知识. Also, an allowance was made for graduate education, 认识到教育对培养一个成熟的从业者的贡献. 教育的贡献得到了进一步的认可,目前需要适当的学士学位才有资格参加考试, ABIH正在考虑将硕士学位作为未来参加考试的先决条件.
然而,死记硬背的知识并不是确定一个称职的工业卫生学家的唯一品质. 以一种为工作场所健康问题沙巴体育官网提供合理解决办法的方式应用技术原则是一门“艺术”. This is the real value behind the experience requirement for certification. 与执业的“注册工业卫生师”(CIH)建立关系是学习应用知识以制定最佳解决方案的细微差别的关键. 一个“导师”向一个新的IH展示如何将书本知识应用到现实世界中是有价值的. Also, 当你必须展示你在这16条规则中的知识时,尽可能广泛的实践经验是必要的. 这对“专家”或那些在狭窄领域执业的人来说变得极其困难. Limiting your experience to indoor environmental quality, or lead abatement, 或者,当你试图证明自己在其他领域的能力时,只有通过教科书或“考试复习课程”才能知道,密闭空间的控制可能是一个劣势.”
However, you can never discount individual drive. After all, 这就是激励个人参与“自愿”认证过程的原因. Because the field has been seen as lucrative to some, 一些政府机构和私营企业一直在推动要求“认证”专业人员确保他们的项目具备最低限度的知识和经验. 这往往会促使沙巴体育官网提供商组织推动个人进入认证过程, whether they want to go or not. But, 个人动机是成功完成并获得“认证工业卫生师”称号的关键.” The process has, through the demonstrated success of its diplomates, 获得了一种“品牌”认可,让CIH有了敲门声,否则它可能会与其他品牌站在一起. It has even spawned imitators, but time will tell whether its reputation holds up under this intrusion. 一些州已经承认了那些展示“CIH”的商标和能力,并制定了立法来保护“认证工业卫生师”的头衔。.
Certification Process
How do you go about becoming certified? First, there is the obvious need for technical knowledge. Everyone has their own method to gather this, 但是还没有收集到数据来支持任何一个系统的有效性. “Review Courses” seem to be plentiful, 许多杂志和行业杂志的版面上都出现了为有抱负的申请人做准备的计算机系统. 传统智慧倾向于支持通过经验获得的知识和一位称职的导师的细心指导. 许多人参加考试是为了找出自己的弱点,并打算再考一次,直到设法通过为止. It is left to the individual to decide what is best for them.
The professional reference questionnaire (PRQ) is important as well. 委员会对经验的要求是基于专业或熟练工水平的活动. 这对许多人来说是一个棘手的问题,他们发现自己处于一个被称为工业卫生学家的职位, or Project Manager, 当他们的业务范围依赖于严格遵守监管解释或行使很少的独立判断. Others, 拥有IH技术员或专家头衔的人可能完全独立行事,并在极端可变性和许多未知的范围内进行实践. This should be portrayed in the PRQ to be fair to the applicant. 在对申请人进行评估时,细节是很重要的.
ABIH也有一个程序来审查每个申请并准备每次考试. Examinations are prepared in minute detail. 每一个问题都是由一组执业cih评估,以确保它是正确的和相关的IH的做法. 每个项目都是根据其目标受众的难度进行评级的——核心或综合, and this is used to set the passing score for each test. 每个问题还由专业测试人员进行评级,以确保其作为考试问题的有效性. 根据对工业卫生实践的最新调查,选择题目用于考试, 在主题领域和实践领域实现当前实践和一些历史知识的平衡. 每次考试结束后,都会再次对问题进行有效性审查.
考试本身是一个努力的主题,以确保它坚持标准化的评估方法. The passing score has remained within a narrow range, but the percentage of those passing have gone from 62.7 of all those sitting for the Comprehensive examination in 1979 to 46.4 percent in 1997 (with a similar drop in the CORE rates). 这种下降的原因不容易记录下来,但有很多. Specialization of practice, lack of mentoring, taking the exam before being truly ready – these have all been proposed.
Certification Maintenance
仅仅因为您设法实现了您的目标并证明您已经达到了既定的认证标准,并不意味着您可以满足于自己的荣誉. In 1979, 审计委员会要求所有外交官证明他们在外地积极活动,并不断提高他们的知识. 七种修持以每五年累积四十分而闻名. Some portion of these points are gathered for active practice, technical committee work, publications, education and meetings, teaching, retest, or other work. 这就要求你接受一些继续教育计划,以增加你对工业卫生的知识.
Source: American Board of Industrial Hygiene