AIHA: Cannabis Industry Workers Need Protection
The association's The Synergist magazine explores PPE practices for the young industry
The American Industrial Hygiene Association's The Synergist has published an article discussing the need for proper PPE by workers in the young but expanding cannabis industry. The article, titled "Growing Pains," addresses the hazards that workers can encounter in the indoor cannabis process.
The article's authors are James Lieberman, CIH, president of THC Safety, Inc., a consulting company for the cannabis industry; Rob Brown, chair of the AIHA Protective Clothing and Equipment Committee and president of Gloves By Web, a provider of personal protective apparel and PPE; and Robert N. Phalen, Ph.D., CIH, an associate professor of industrial hygiene at University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Some hazards their article discusses include exposure to pesticides, marijuana dust and resin, ultraviolet light from high-output grow lamps, and mold spores. Recommended PPE includes gloves, respirators, safety glasses, and faceshields.
"The Synergist article brings to light important health and safety issues that few have examined in the rapidly developing cannabis industry," said AIHA CEO Lawrence Sloan, CAE. "In the rush to capitalize on the new opportunities unleashed by state legalization, the protection of workers must not be overlooked, but should instead be placed front and center. As with every industry, AIHA and its members are called to use the type of unique expertise exemplified by this article to protect the health and safety of workers, wherever they may be."