AIHA Puts an On Air Spin to Today's General Session
If you can say one thing about today's General Session, it would be that it's different. Dave Johnson, editor of Industrial Safety and Hygiene News, hosted an innovative new program, based upon the ever-popular television talk show format--minus the chants of, "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" or a chair being thrown in the air, of course.
His guests were Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of labor of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and John Howard, MD, director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Named by President George W. Bush to head OSHA on Sept. 15, 2005, Foulke was confirmed by the Senate on March 15, 2006, and sworn in as the head of the agency on April 3, 2006.
Howard previously served as chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the California Department of Industrial Relations from 1991 through 2002, until he was appointed director of NIOSH in July of that year.
The discussion focused on questions emailed by attendees in advance of the expo through an interactive section of the AIHce Web site. After the program ended, the show continued in a smaller room as an "Ask the Expert" session.