Greetings OHAO members,

Happy 60th anniversary! I hope this issue of the Forum finds you well. We have a fantastic message from our president, Craig Maunder, a thought-provoking article about a workplace incident by Dr. Ernest Sullivan, and many special messages from the membership about our 60th anniversary.

As Craig mentions in his message, the recent OHAO Symposium and PDCs were well attended. The return of the in-person sessions have, in my opinion, rejuvenated the desire to attend not just the events, but also to socialize and network with other hygienists. The blended approach of in-person and virtual speakers, also allows us to have access to a larger variety of speakers. I personally enjoyed the symposium very much, even though I could not attend in person. I am hoping to be able to make it to the next one and see everyone there.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL MESSAGE

As we move toward the close of another year, it is a fitting time to reflect on our achievements and look towards the future. 

Celebrating 60 Years of OHAO

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the OHAO. The past 10 years have found us successfully navigating the challenges of COVID and embracing the new reality of virtual conferences. We also expanded the reach of our membership beyond the Toronto-centric focus of the past, forged new connections with affiliated organizations, continued our excellent working relationship with AIHA, and continued to take steps to enhance the value of an OHAO membership. 

We also celebrated 60 years at the recent OHAO Fall Conference and Professional Development Course (PDC), which drew large numbers of attendees on both days. Both events featured excellent speakers who provided thought-provoking presentations that I’m sure will spur enriching discussions in your homes and workplaces in the weeks to come. The Fall Conference also included the debut of new OHAO videos promoting our profession and our organization, and OHAO’s contributions to the profession were recognized by Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer, Joel Moody, and MLITSD Provincial Hygienist, Christina St. Pierre. Members also received a 60th anniversary themed gift and enjoyed nibbles and great conversation at the post-conference networking reception. (For those who couldn’t make either day, look for your gift in the mail soon, and watch for the videos on the OHAO website soon). 
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL MESSAGE

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of The Synergist®, the magazine of AIHA®.

As part of the OHAO/AIHA Memorandum of Understanding AIHA will be sharing one article from a recent issue of The Synergist in each issue of the OHAO Forum. Thank you to AIHA for sharing this information with our members.

Call it what you like—the digital era, Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution—but rapidly evolving technology continues to impact how people do their work. Robots have advanced from human-operated machines into collaborative autonomous robotic coworkers, or co-bots, that can stand in
for workers in hazardous situations, take over repetitive work that
contributes to fatigue, and improve efficiency. Artificial intelligence and algorithms help power these co-bots while also streamlining personnel management processes and simplifying the synthesis and visualization of high-volume organizational data. Digitalization of work and information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as email, video conferencing, and cloud-based collaboration tools, make it easier than ever for people to work from anywhere at any time, to the benefit of multinational enterprises and working parents alike. 

Despite these benefits, technology can introduce psychosocial hazards, too. Often more difficult to observe than physical hazards, psychosocial hazards are the detrimental psychological working conditions or stressors associated with the design, management, organization, and socioeconomic context of work. Introducing new technologies, like co-bots, AI, and ICTs, can sometimes worsen existing psychosocial hazards or create new ones, which can exacerbate workers’ stress, challenge their ability to cope, and increase risks for poor health and well-being. 
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

In the summer of 1991, a 37-year-old postdoctoral researcher in the Chemistry Department of an Ontario university, suffered fatal third-degree burns to 75% of his body from an accident involving the destruction of sodium-containing residue from the drying of solvent toluene. In organometallic chemistry, successful reactions and product yields often require the rigorous exclusion of moisture from solvents, often achieved by reflux and distillation of the solvent over metallic sodium. The aggressive affinity of metallic sodium for water is well known; the eventual destruction of spent sodium is dangerous, but researchers understand the risk involved. 

The Accident Residual sodium/toluene mixture in a 500-ml flask, was being treated with 6-7 ml of tertiary-butyl alcohol; a violent reaction ensued, ejecting blazing contents into the fume hood; the fire was promptly extinguished by the postdoctoral researcher, using a powder extinguisher; about 15 minutes later, as cleanup of the fume hood began, a fireball erupted, fatally engulfing the postdoctoral researcher.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

In celebration of our 60th anniversary, I reached out to past presidents of the organization to ask them to reflect on their time with OHAO and to share a few congratulatory words with our membership. I was overwhelmed by the responses.   – Jeff Mallany, MSc ROH

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In 2010 I had the privilege of leading the task force that prepared the “Pathfinder for a Profession – An Account of the Formation and
Development of the Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario (1964-2004)”. What was apparent at that time was the leadership taken by members of the association in the development of occupational hygiene in Ontario, and to some extent, throughout Canada. Another twenty years have passed, and it is encouraging to see that the OHAO is as vibrant and involved in the field as it ever has been. I had the pleasure of attending the Fall Conference and OHAO 60th Anniversary Reception and I was impressed by the quality of the presentations and the interest and enthusiasm of the attendees. The future of OHAO is in good hands! - Neil Murray, OHAO President 1978-1979
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

OHAO Fall Conference, PDC and 60th Anniversary Event

The OHAO Fall Conference took place on Tuesday, October 22 at the Humber College Conference Centre in Etobicoke. It was another excellent conference with a great variety of speakers in person and virtually. Over 70 people attended in person and over 60 people attended online making it one of our most highly attended conferences. Thank you to all the speakers who took the time to share their knowledge.

The Fall PDC took place on Thursday, October 24 at Humber College and it was our first in person PDC since the pandemic with over 35 people in attendance. Perry Logan provided an incredible day of leadership and communications training that kept people engaged and learning all day long. It was an outstanding session and one of OHAO’s first soft skills training PDCs ever. Look for more of these in the future.

2024 also marks the 60th Anniversary of OHAO and we were excited to host an anniversary reception for everyone attending the conference in person. Over 50 people shared some beverages and snacks and stories of OHAO through the years.  We are looking at incorporating more networking opportunities after in person conferences in the future.

OHAO 60th Anniversary Updates

For the 60th Anniversary OHAO has initiated a number of activities including our 60th Anniversary reception at the Fall Conference, promotion of the organization (click here to see the letter of acknowledgement from Dr. Joel Moody, Chief Prevention Officer) and creating a digital PDF version of the Pathfinder for a Profession book (this will be distributed to the membership within the next month).

If you were at the Conference or PDC you already know this, but if you were not we are excited to let all of our members know that we have commissioned special high quality embroidered OHAO baseball caps for all our members to thank them for their ongoing support. The hats were a big hit at the Fall Conference where they were distributed to attendees, see the photo below.  Keep an eye on your inbox for an email asking you to confirm your mailing address in the OHAO database and will be getting everyone’s hats in the mail in the next couple of weeks!

Save the Dates

OHAO Spring PDC - Virtual: March 26

OHAO Spring Conference and AGM (Virtual) - March 27, 2025

More details coming in the new year.

OHAO Will Be at the Partners in Prevention Golden Horseshoe Conference

Come see us at our booth on November 15.

OHAO Board of Directors Nominations

Nomination forms for the 2025/26 OHAO Board of Directors will be distributed soon - this is a great opportunity to serve your community and grow personally and professionally.

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