ABIH - American Board of Industrial Hygiene

	Certification Overview
	Use this web page to learn more about: What is an Industrial Hygienist? What is a CIH or CAIH? What are the Certification Qualifications? What is the Certification Process? How is Certification Maintained? What is the Value of Certification? What is an Industrial Hygienist Industrial hygiene is the science of protecting and enhancing the health and safety of people at work and in their communities. Health and safety hazards cover a wide range of chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic stressors. Those Scientists, dedicated to anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling those hazards are known as Industrial Hygienists. They are professionals dedicated to the well-being of people – at work, at home and in the community. The term “industrial hygiene” gained popularity in the early 1900’s with the formation of the Industrial Hygiene Section of the American Public Health Association. Since there were few “industrial hygienists”, organizations began to use their Scientists (e.g. chemists, toxicologists, physicians) to evaluate and improve the health of the work environment, largely with a focus on chemical and noise hazards. The term industrial hygiene is still in use although its application and scope has expanded greatly since that time period to all hazards, industries, workers, their families and the communities. Today, there are other terms that essentially mean the same thing as industrial hygiene, e.g., Occupational Hygiene, Occupational Health, Environment, Health & Safety (EHS). Anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of hazards have always been the prime goal for the industrial hygiene professional. Traditionally, the Industrial Hygienist became proficient by some combination of education, training, and experience. Ideally, this knowledge is used to anticipate when a hazardous condition may occur and then presumably, take corrective action. But not everything can be anticipated, so the Industrial Hygienist must be able to recognize conditions that could lead to adverse health effects to workers or a community population. Once anticipated or recognized, the hazard could then be evaluated and eventually controlled to eliminate or reduce the impact of the hazard. Since the term Industrial Hygienist has not been restricted by law, anyone, regardless of knowledge and competency, can call themselves an “Industrial Hygienist”. To aid employers and the public, a voluntary professional certification program was established in 1960. The American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) was established as an independent corporation with the sole purpose of providing a certification program that ensured a minimum level of knowledge and skills in industrial hygiene. The ABIH program has since become the world’s largest, premier certification scheme for Industrial Hygienists. Certification is a professional milestone, providing a 3rd party, independent indicator of achievement. For additional background information, review the American Industrial Hygiene Association summary of industrial hygiene and the role of the Industrial Hygienist. Back to Top What is a CIH and CAIH? A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is an individual who has met the minimum requirements for education and experience, and through examination, has demonstrated a minimum level of knowledge in the following rubric (subject matter) areas: Air Sampling & Instrumentation Analytical Chemistry Basic Science Biohazards Biostatistics & Epidemiology Community Exposure Engineering Controls/Ventilation Ergonomics Health Risk Analysis & Hazard Communication Management Noise Non-Engineering Controls Radiation – Ionizing and Non-ionizing Thermal Stressors Toxicology Work Environments & Industrial Processes As the industrial hygiene profession itself continued to evolve, it was believed that more people were doing industrial hygiene-like work but would otherwise be unable to qualify for the CIH due to some aspect of their education or experiences. These individuals were still making valuable contributions to the prevention of occupational and non-occupational illnesses. It was felt that professional certification would improve recognition of their contributions by management, employees and the public. In 2001, ABIH launched the Certified Associate Industrial Hygienist (CAIH) program to meet this perceived need. The certification process for the CAIH was similar as that for the CIH except that the qualifications for education, experience and examination were less stringent, targeted for those who had less science education; were in narrow scope (specialty) roles; or, were spending less time in an industrial hygiene role (due to multi-disciplinary roles). The CAIH examination itself was different from the CIH, with more emphasis on recognition and evaluation, and fewer questions on program management. The examination differences were based on the Role Delineation/Task Analyses done for both the CIH and CAIH job descriptions. The Board discontinued the CAIH examination in 2006 because there was low demand from potential candidates. The CAIH designation is still recognized and supported by ABIH through its certification maintenance program. Many practicing CAIHs have chosen to maintain their certification through on-going education (i.e. certification maintenance), recognizing the value of the ABIH mark of certification. Once the CIH or CAIH credential is obtained, the Diplomate can apply their knowledge in many different situations, some broad scope and comprehensive, some narrow scope as the person specializes. The domains of practice often differ and change many times during the course of a career. Thus, ABIH places no restrictions or qualifications on the career paths of a CIH or CAIH as long as the person meets the on-going requirements in the certification maintenance program (described below) and adheres to the professional, enforceable Code of Ethics. Back to Top What are the Certification Qualifications? Although the specific qualifications have evolved, the 3-E’s of Education, Experience and Examination have always served as the foundation to be ABIH-certified in industrial hygiene. Currently, to meet the Education qualification a typical qualified candidate comes from a regionally accredited college or university, with a Bachelor’s Degree in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, sanitary engineering, physics or an ABET accredited program in industrial hygiene or safety. Other colleges and degrees will be considered by the Board provided there is an emphasis on science, mathematics, engineering, or science-related technology. In addition, the candidate must have academic or continuing education coursework specifically addressing industrial hygiene, toxicology, fundamentals, measurements and controls. However, academic knowledge alone does not qualify an individual to be a competent Industrial Hygienist; rather, it is the Experience qualification that provides the synergistic ingredient. There is an "art" to applying the technical principles in a manner that provides a reasonable solution for a workplace health issue. Often, this is best obtained through a relationship with a practicing Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), mentors or networks who can teach the nuances in applying the book knowledge in the real world. Further, because the CIH examination covers many broad IH rubrics, the Experience qualification allows time for more exposure to a wide variety of real-world conditions. Therefore, several years of broad experience are necessary before a person may sit for the CIH examination. Back to Top What is the Certification Process? Certification is a three step process: 1) Determine Eligibility, 2) Preparation, and 3) Examination. Specifications for Candidate Eligibility can be found in the Candidate Handbook which provides key information for education, experience, deadlines, Professional Reference Questionnaires (PRQ), applications, etc. Questions about eligibility should be directed to the ABIH Staff. The Professional Reference Questionnaire (PRQ) deserves special mention. A Candidate’s experience must be at a professional level exercising independence, depth, breadth and accountabilities for work responsibilities. Many people find themselves in a named position (e.g. “Industrial Hygienist”) yet they are not (yet) operating at a professional level of responsibility. Others, with titles of “Technician” or “Specialist” may be operating at the professional level. The PRQ is one of the primary means of determining the professional level of job responsibility. Preparation for the examination depends upon the command of the technical knowledge in the IH rubrics mentioned above. There is no evidence to support the effectiveness of any one system/method over another – it really depends upon the Candidate. For some, “IH Review Courses" are helpful. For others, computer-based review courses are helpful. Still for others, a simple review of college materials supplemented with recent experiences (journal and trade, mentoring, field work) is enough. Over the years, we’ve learned that individual motivation is the mostly likely indicator of a successful certification. If YOU want this certification, ABIH can help you achieve it. Examinations are offered in the Spring and Fall of each year at over 350 testing sites around the world. Examinations are computer-based and are scored as soon as the Candidate has completed the examination. Examination questions are selected for use based on the latest survey of the practice of industrial hygiene, in both rubrics and areas of practice to achieve a set of questions that represents the broad scope, comprehensive practice of the current practice of industrial hygiene. Examination questions are selected carefully and a portion are updated annually. All questions are evaluated by a group of practicing Certificants to ensure they are correct and relevant to the practice of industrial hygiene. Each question is also 3rd party reviewed using psychometric principles to ensure its validity as an examination question. And, after each examination period, questions are again analyzed for accuracy and discrimination using 3rd party statistical analysis. Back to Top Certification Maintenance Since 1979, the Board required that all Diplomates participate in a Certification Maintenance (CM) program. CM is primarily focused on the continuous development of the industrial hygiene professional. Every 5 years, each Diplomate is asked to document that they have achieved at least the minimum level of experiences and education. These can take the form of work tasks, educational classes, conferences, committee work, presentations, teaching, authoring and even mentoring to mention a few. For educational events, ABIH specifies that at least 10 CM points per 5 year cycle must accrued in the IH rubrics, with at least 0.33 CM points in the area of “ethics”. Other than that, the Diplomate may choose any activity that meets the criteria and rules of the Certification Maintenance Program Handbook. This freedom affords the CIH or the CAIH to better manage their career development according to their needs, e.g. practitioners with broad knowledge, or practitioners with deep, specialized knowledge. Back to Top Value of Certification Is it worth it? The eligibility requirements are tough. The preparation work can be a lot of work. The examination can be hard. Everyone has a different reason for pursuing a voluntary certification, e.g., peer recognition, personal satisfaction, job placement or advancement, market value, greater salaries. For some, the rewards are immediate and outward; for others, the rewards are intrinsic. Several states have recognized the CIH/CAIH trademark, its implied capabilities, and have enacted legislation to protect the designations of "Certified Industrial Hygienist" and “Certified Associate Industrial Hygienist”. The process has, through the demonstrated success of its Diplomates, attained a brand recognition that gives a CIH/CAIH a competitive professional edge over non-certified people. The CIH program as administered by ABIH has been accredited by ANSI (to ISO 17042) and CESB and is a recognized certification scheme by IOHA. Thus, the CIH and CAIH are recognized as the mark of professionals, giving the Diplomate instant name brand recognition and professional credibility throughout the world. Back to Top For Further Information... For more information, view the home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.ABIH.org/ or contact the American Board of Industrial Hygiene at: 6015 West St. Joseph, Suite 102, Lansing, MI 48917‑3980 or by phone at (517) 321‑2638. Back to Top