Improved Respirator Fit Testing at the AIC Annual Meeting

The Health & Safety Committee is happy to announce NEW and IMPROVED respirator fit testing for the Annual Meeting in Chicago! We have listened to your feedback and have modified the process to make fit testing more accessible.  The new program includes:

  • An online lecture–no more conflicts with Annual Meeting programming!
  • More options for medical evaluations. Medical evaluations will be provided through AIC (and are included in the price of the fit test) OR you can still see your own doctor.
  • CIPP members get a discount! FREE Fit Test if you sign up for the CIPP Seminar.

Appointments are limited, so register now!

Why Get a Respirator Fit Test?

The AIC Fit Test Program is specifically designed for conservators, particularly those who are self-employed or who do not have a respiratory protection program provided through their employer.

Whether you are using hazardous chemicals in your laboratory or working with mold-infested artifacts after a flood, you need to be sure you are protected with a properly fitting respirator. Do the elastic straps still pull tightly? Do you need a new type or size due to facial changes resulting from weight gain or loss or surgery? Are you using the right kind of protection for your hazard?

OSHA requires individuals be fit tested on an ANNUAL basis to assess the condition of both the respirator and the user. If you perform work that requires the use of a respirator your employer MUST provide the appropriate respiratory protection, medical evaluation, training, information and fit testing–even disposable dust masks are considered by OSHA to be respirators requiring proper fit testing.

It is important to be proactive in your own health and safety and to follow OSHA recommendations and protocols, even if you are your only employee.

What is Involved?

The AIC Respirator Fit Test Program consists of three parts in order to be compliant with the OSHA standard:

(1) An OSHA Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire completed by the registrant and reviewed prior to the fit test either with the Chicago-based clinic contracted by AIC (included in the registration fee) or with their own healthcare professional (at their own expense).

(2) An informational lecture (~ 1 hour) and quiz, which can be completed online prior to the meeting.

(3) An individual fit test (about 15-20 minutes/person) at the Annual Meeting.

Fit test appointments will be available on Tuesday, May 30 (9am-5pm) and Wednesday, May 31 (8:30am-11:30am).

Both the lecture and fit test will be conducted by a qualified Occupational Safety Professional or Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Registrants can bring their own respirator if they already use one and/or try on a selection of sample respirators. They will be contacted directly by the Health & Safety Committee to provide the link to the online lecture, to discuss medical evaluation options and to schedule appointments.

How to Register:

Registration for a fit test can be completed through the AIC Annual Meeting online portal.

This year, the Conservators in Private Practice (CIPP) Specialty Group is generously funding fit testing for its membership.  CIPP members who register for the CIPP seminar, Innovative ‘Tools’ to Enhance Your Business, can also sign up for a FREE fit test. Can’t attend the seminar? You are still eligible to sign up for a fit test for the reduced rate of $30 (a 50% discount from the regular registration fee). If you aren’t currently a member, add CIPP to your AIC Membership Renewal to receive this benefit ($25).

From the “Sessions” checkout screen, select the “Respirator Fit Test” option and the appropriate registration status (Regular, CIPP Member or CIPP Seminar Attendee) and proceed to checkout. AIC will confirm your status eligibility prior to contacting you about scheduling a specific appointment.

We look forward to seeing you in Chicago!

 


The Committee would like to thank all the members who completed our online survey!  Fit Test organizers are making sure to address all the helpful comments, questions and concerns. 

 

Control of Health and Safety Hazards in Museums and Collection Care

The Washington Conservation Guild, the Potomac Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Safety, Health & Environmental Management present a Professional Development Seminar:

Control of Health and Safety Hazards in Museums and Collection Care

Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Smithsonian American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium
9:00 – 9:30 am Coffee and Registration Enter the museum at 8th and G Street NW, Washington DC. Doors open at 9:00 AM. (All other doors will be locked at this time)
9:30 am Program begins – see details below
5:00-7:00 pm Stay to network in Courtyard and enjoy the Galleries
Registration cost is $60 and includes lunch
Register at: http://www.potomacaiha.org/
Registration will close COB Friday November 4, 2016.
There is NO ONSITE registration, so you must pre-register
Program includes…
Special Guest Speakers on AIHA and AIC Collaboration
Daniel H. Anna, PhD, CIH, CSP; past President, American Industrial Hygiene Association
Eryl Wentworth, Executive Director, American Institute for Conservation
Collaborative presentations by Health, Safety, Fire Protection, and Conservation Professionals
Lead and Asbestos Issues with the National Museum of African American History and Culture Collections and Artifacts
Hayes C. Robinson, III, M.S., Associate Director for Environmental Management, Smithsonian Institution, Office of Safety, Health & Environmental Management (OSHEM); Sophia Kapranos, Industrial Hygienist, OSHEM.
Fluid Collections Storage at the Smithsonian
Michael Kilby, P.E., Associate Director for Fire Protection, Smithsonian OSHEM; Joshua Stewart, P.E., Fire Protection Engineer, OSHEM.
Moving Beyond “Is it Mold?”
Nora Lockshin, PA-AIC, Senior Conservator, Smithsonian Institution Archives; Sophia Kapranos, Industrial Hygienist, Smithsonian OSHEM.
Occupational and Environmental Risk Assessment of Elemental Mercury at the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, NJ
Bernard L. Fontaine, Jr., CIH, CSP, FAIHA; Managing Partner, The Windsor Consulting Group, Inc.
OSHA: Small Business Resources
Bruce A. Love, MBA, Program Analyst, Office of Small Business Assistance, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, DC.
Safe Access: Exposure Assessment of Residual Legacy Pesticides on Anthropology Collections
Michele Austin-Dennehy, Contract Conservator, Anthropology Conservation Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution; Kathryn Makos, CIH, Research Collaborator, NMNH; (Ret) Smithsonian OSHEM
New Uses of New and Old Technologies: Marvelseal, Lugol’s Iodine, and Scavengers for Mercury Mitigation in a Mineral Collection
Leslie J. Hale, National Rock and Ore Collections Manager, Dept. of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution; Catharine Hawks, AIC-PA, IIC-Fellow, Conservator, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution; Kathryn Makos, CIH, Research Collaborator NMNH, (Ret) Smithsonian OSHEM

Health and Safety Survey on Portable Fume Extractors

Conservators frequently rely on filter-based particle and fume extractors to remove or reduce airborne contaminants in their work spaces.  Health and safety professionals often warn about the hazards of using these extractors and even discourage their use for a variety of reasons. However, the Health & Safety Committee recognizes that they may be the only options for conservators working in temporary work sites, studios that are situated inside homes or rented spaces, rooms without windows, or where the building structure cannot be altered. Therefore, the Committee is currently working on a guide to help conservators research, purchase, and safely use portable extractors based on experiences of both conservators and health and safety professionals.

If you have purchased a fume and/or particle extractor, we’d like your feedback on how you rate your particular model and your experiences using an extractor in general. The purpose of the resulting guide is not necessarily to recommend any specific model, but to identify particular features and concerns that will assist conservators in purchasing the correct product for their work and how to use extractors properly.

To contribute to the guide, please complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5GWBS6P

Congress Approves Update of Toxic Substances Control Act

Just when you thought the government was hopelessly deadlocked on pretty much everything, Congress has approved a major overhaul of the nation’s primary chemical safety law for the first time in 40 years!

H.R.2576 – Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Originally enacted in 1976, the TSCA governs how industrial chemicals are tested and regulated (including everything found in household items, industrial use and conservation labs).

H.R.2576 revises “the process and requirements for evaluating and determining whether regulatory control of a chemical is warranted” by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It includes enforceable deadlines and schedules for both currently manufactured as well as new chemicals before they are allowed to enter the market. The law also contains provisions on animal testing and “cancer clusters,” describes funding and safety information that must be provided by manufacturers, and emphasizes investigation of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (PBTs).

Most importantly, the EPA can now take action on reviewing chemicals solely based on environmental and safety concerns. Chemical safety reviews will be more science-based (instead of current cost-benefit balances) and take into consideration populations that are disproportionately at risk, such as vulnerable groups (e.g., pregnant women, children, seniors) or those groups that have greater exposure to the chemical (i.e., chemical workers).

What does this mean for you? The new legislation gives the EPA the authority to investigate and regulate chemicals by removing many of the bureaucratic  hurdles that previously made the process burdensome and restrictive, and had resulted in only a small number of chemicals having meaningful health and safety information. For example, have you ever come across phrases such as “not listed as a carcinogen” and “generally recognized as safe?” These statements do not necessarily indicate that a chemical is not toxic, but may mean that it has never been tested or has insufficient research.

The EPA must come up with a list of high-priority chemicals to undergo review on a specific schedule. If their current Work Plan for Chemical Assessments is any indication, we should hopefully see more significant health and safety information on commonly used conservation chemicals.

For more details, good summaries can be found in Science MagazineAmerican Chemical Society and the International Business Times.

 UPDATE:  On Wednesday, June 22, 2016, President Obama signed the bill to overhaul the TSCA stating, “I’m absolutely confident that we can regulate toxic chemicals in a way that’s both good for our families and ultimately good for business and our economy. Here in America, folks should have the confidence to know that the laundry detergent we buy isn’t going to make us sick, the mattresses our babies sleep on aren’t going to harm them.”

Environmental Defense Fund lead senior scientist Richard Denison said, “President Obama’s signature today launches a new law that will help to improve public health for years to come. While not perfect, the Lautenberg Act fixes the biggest problems with a badly broken law that has left our health at risk. Now the hard part must begin: tending to decades of neglect when it comes to unreviewed and unregulated chemicals.”

Health & Safety Committee – Call for Student Member

Are you concerned about the health and safety of yourself and others? Do you want to get involved in AIC and be part of a great team? Will you be enrolled in a graduate conservation program during the upcoming academic year?
The Health & Safety Committee of AIC is seeking a new student member to serve a 2-year term (2016-2018).
Health & Safety is a very active committee, with members contributing articles and guides to the AIC News and AIC wiki; hosting an informational booth, workshops, and sessions at the Annual Meeting; and regularly addressing questions and issues related to health and safety in our field.
Membership parameters:
The Committee is composed of eleven members (maximum) that include:

  • Up to nine Conservation Professionals, who serve a  four-year term with a possible renewal for a second term.
  • A Conservation Student, who serves a non-renewable two-year term, 50% of which must be in school and/or internship.
  • At least one allied Health and Safety Professional (s), who serve a two-year term with up to three possible renewals.
  • All Committee members must be members of AIC

Student member position description:
The student member will share with the other committee members the responsibility to plan for AIC Annual Meeting activities, attend meetings/conference calls, contribute to H&S projects, and represent the organization. This position will also offer the student member an opportunity to act as the liaison between H&S and the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in health and safety issues, and a desire to participate and learn from the more experienced members of the committee.
For more information on the H&S Committee, please visit our website. If you would like details on the duties and commitment of the position, please contact current student member Miranda Dunn, mirandahdunn@gmail.com.
Potential candidates should submit a resume or CV and statement of interest to Co-Chair Kerith Koss Schrager, Kerith.Koss@gmail.com, by March 1, 2016.

Health & Safety and CIPP Call for Studio Design Submissions

 
 

Have a question about selecting a fume extractor for your studio? Or how you can safely solder or spray paint indoors? Or what studio work is never smart to do inside an apartment or condo? Have a basement or garage home studio renovation or DIY example you’d like to share?
This year in Miami, CIPP and the Health & Safety Committee will be hosting the Lunchtime Lecture, Studio Design Challenges–Creating a Safe and Practical Space (Wednesday, 12-2pm), which will be led by architects and engineers from EwingCole.  Organizers are requesting questions and real-world examples from individuals operating private studios to be included in an extensive Q&A period following the formal presentation.
AIC members are invited to submit your studio design questions as well as examples of creative ways for overcoming challenges that you may have already implemented in your own space; examples from both home and commercial spaces are welcome.  Submissions should be related to health and safety issues and can include, but are not limited to: fume extraction, chemical storage, fire/electrical safety, and ergonomic workspaces. For example, you may have created or seen a DIY exhaust system and would like to know if it is actually effective or potentially hazardous!
Please indicate whether you would like your name included for credit, or whether you want to remain anonymous.  For photos, also include a brief description and applicable photo credits.    By providing your questions and/or examples, even if you request your name not be used, you are agreeing to include them in the lecture as well as any published materials.  Submissions are welcome from all AIC members, but priority during the presentation will be given to individuals registered for the lecture; those not included at the meeting may be addressed in post-conference materials.
Please send submissions as soon as possible, but no later than March 1, 2015, to Health & Safety Chair, Kathy Makos, kamakos@verizon.net.
You don’t have to wait until May to get answers!  Members of the EwingCole design team will try respond to questions posted in the comments below or may contact you to discuss your submission if you provide your contact information.
  

CIPP Annual Meeting Program

The CIPP Specialty Group Board is pleased to announce our program for the AIC 43rd Annual Meeting in Miami on May 13-16, 2015. CIPP will be sponsoring and co-sponsoring three events intended to appeal to the wide spectrum of our membership. Members are also invited to attend the Business Meeting (Wednesday, May 13; 8:30pm) to discuss future programming and meet your CIPP leadership–your feedback and participation is important to us! Register by December 31st to take advantage of Early Bird rates.
CIPP Seminar: Practical Solutions for Running a Successful Business
Wednesday, May 13; 11am-3pm
$39 (CIPP Members); $79 (non-members); Includes boxed lunch
This workshop will focus on three main areas of running a successful private practice: accurate estimating, streamlined documentation and billing, and outreach and marketing. The workshop will include ample time for questions and attendee participation. It is intended for both established and emerging conservation professionals. Future CIPP webinars on all three subjects are planned as a follow-up to enhance the learning process.
CIPP/ECPN Discussion Panel and Happy Hour
Wednesday, May 13; Program: 4 – 6 pm; Happy Hour 6 – 8 pm
This joint event with the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) will feature a panel of speakers, both established and emerging conservators in private practice, who will discuss the benefits, challenges and fine points of establishing a private practice as an emerging conservator. After an initial set of moderated discussion topics, there will be time for questions and comments from the audience. The discussion panel will be followed by the annual ECPN Happy Hour, allowing attendees to continue conversations and network in a less formal setting.
CIPP/H&S Lunchtime Lecture: Studio Design Challenges–Creating a Safe and Practical Space
Thursday, May 14; noon – 2:00 pm
$10 (CIPP Members); $25 (non-members); Includes boxed lunch
Led by architects and engineers from EwingCole, who specialize in designing cultural heritage facilities, this session will review priorities and set realistic goals for improving common, at-hand work spaces ranging from in-home studios to larger rented commercial spaces. Case studies of real-world studios will be reviewed in a candid discussion that identifies what’s working well and what can be changed to improve safety and predictability. Extended Q&A, plus Meet the Expert stations, will allow attendees to actively participate in the discussion and seek advice on mechanical, HVAC and fire protection engineering, building codes and architectural design.

Health & Safety Committee Call for Members

Are you concerned about the health and safety of yourself and others? Do you want to get more involved in AIC and be part of a great team? The AIC’s Health & Safety Committee is seeking three new members to serve 4-year terms beginning in May 2015.
Health and Safety is a very active committee, with members contributing articles and safety guides to the AIC News and Wiki; presenting lectures and posters at national and international conferences; hosting an informational booth, sessions and respiratory protection workshops at the Annual Meeting; and regularly interacting with other Specialty Groups, Committees, Networks and AIC blogs to address questions related to health and safety in our field.
The Health and Safety Committee enjoys strong support from its AIC Board liaison (Sarah Stauderman) and its AIC Staff liaison (Ruth Seyler, Director of Membership and Meetings).
Our Belief
Individuals must consider their own health and safety to be equally as important as the health and safety of the collections in their care. The AIC Health & Safety Committee firmly believes that safety risk controls and work resources can be managed together without compromising resources.
How do we accomplish this?
To increase the knowledge of safety hazards, control measures and general health issues related to the conservation profession, the Committee is charged with providing educational and technical information to the AIC membership. The Committee maintains strong working relationships with public health and safety, occupational medicine, and fire protection professionals and their organizations, who donate their time and knowledge to the benefit of AIC membership.
For more information on the H&S Committee, please visit the Health & Safety Committee website.
Who are we?
You will be joining a diverse group of conservators from various specialties, and allied safety professionals, who enjoy working together, “meeting” regularly via conference calls and Basecamp discussions, and completing projects on-time. We operate democratically (and with a great deal of fun!) by setting priority projects together and agreeing that every member will volunteer to manage or work on at least one project every year.
There are 10 positions (AIC membership is required), each serving one 4-year term with a possible renewal for a second term. By charge, at least one member must be an Occupational Health and Safety Professional (currently we have 2!). The chair usually serves for 2 years, and is elected from the committee members. The conservation student member serves for a single 2-year term, and is the H&S Committee liaison with the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network.
Applications Welcomed
The ideal candidate possesses a strong interest in health and safety issues and a desire to participate. We strongly encourage AIC Fellows to join us, as the Committee will greatly benefit from your career experiences in balancing safety and conservation work. Interested candidates should submit a resume or CV, and a statement of interest, to Chair Kathy Makos, at kamakos@verizon.net, by February 1, 2015.

42nd Annual Meeting – Conservators in Private Practice, May 28, "Greening your Conservation Practice."

Believing heat wheels work is like believing you can section off a part of a hot tub for peeing.

Headline speaker Monona Rossol began this year’s CIPP workshop with her characteristic flair when referring to the use of the heat exchange system with contaminated air streams. The system is often recommended to score points for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification and served as an example of how greener practices may not necessarily be safer practices.  An Industrial Hygienist and health and safety champion for the arts community, Monona is the founder of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety (ACTS). If you don’t leave one of her lectures concerned about everything you have ever come in contact with, you should at the very least have a better idea of how to navigate your way through the jargon of government, industry and product health and safety information.
The beginning of Monona’s talk introduced the pitfalls of blindly accepting the safety information provided by government regulatory organizations and manufacturers. In her explanation of many of the acronyms associated with chemical classifications and exposure assessments, Monona emphasized that it’s what we don’t know about chemicals that is the most concerning. For example, phrases such as “not listed as a carcinogen” and “generally recognized as safe” do not indicate that the chemical is not toxic, but may mean that it has never been tested. She also reviewed the improved chemical labeling and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), as outlined by the new OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. Even though SDSs are better than their predecessors, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), they still are limited by lack of information. Finally, she discussed commercially manipulated and undefined “green” phrases like all natural–just because something comes from nature does not make it is safe–and biodegradable– chemicals can breakdown into compounds that can be more toxic than what you started with.
So what can we do as conservators and consumers to protect ourselves, the others we work with and the environment?

  • Become a conscientious and informed user; understand and learn about the products in your studio as well as the language and limitations of hazard communication (such as manufacturer provided SDSs) and local and federal regulations.
  • Purchase products from companies that disclose the full ingredient lists and avoid products that have proprietary formulations.
  • Support laws such as California’s PROP 65, which requires the state to publish a list of toxic chemicals. Businesses must notify Californians about significant amounts of chemicals in their products or that are released into the environment. By allowing anyone “acting in the public interest” to enforce the law, it takes the responsibility for policing manufacturers and their harmful materials out of the hands of legislators and bureaucrats and into the hands of the people who are being affected by toxic chemicals (you!).

In the second half of her presentation, Monona discussed air quality and fume and particle extraction. She first reviewed the definitions of gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, mists, nano-particles and smokes; their associated health hazards; and types of filters that can be used. In her discussion of fume extraction, she cautioned that window fans and air conditioners are not proper ventilation and of the limited efficacy of portable, filter-based fume extractors. Her main point was that proper extraction involves a displacement system that exhausts to the exterior in concert with bringing in uncontaminated air from a source on a wall across from the exhaust (not from an adjacent wall or window). A clear path of air flow should put the conservator’s head directly in the stream. Filter-based extractors can be selective to the vapors and/or particles sizes they collect; only clear the immediate work area; do not provide clean replacement air; and have no indication of when the filter is no longer functioning properly. She stressed that when you are designing your ventilation system, you should consult a specialist with an industrial ventilation background. While there were too many points to discuss in a few hour workshop and certainly too many to adequately cover in a blog, Monona is always willing to respond to anyone’s concerns or review your studio set-up.
 


 
The remainder of the session focused on greener business practices. Chair of the Committee on Sustainability, Betsy Haude, outlined the committee’s activities over the past year, including several AIC News articles and making their wiki into an informative and useful resource.
Objects Conservator Sarah Nunberg, followed up with an outline of the results of a Life Cycle Assessment to look at the environmental impact of museum practices. Conducted in collaboration with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, students at Northeastern University performed four case studies using a computer program with a series of user defined parameters:  1) halogen vs. LED lighting, 2) solvents used for consolidation of stone, 3) loans and transport, and 4) HVAC systems. They concluded that the LED lighting was more energy efficient. In the second case, silane in ethanol proved to have the greatest negative environmental impact over B72 in xylene and B72 in acetone and ethanol; xylene had a greater impact than acetone/ethanol primarily due to its production. In their loan assessment they compared a loan going to Tampa, Florida and a loan going to Japan. Interestingly, they discovered that accommodating for the courier had the greatest environmental impact. Finally, their study also showed that shutting down HVAC systems every night decreased the energy costs by 40%, but that the overall energy impact also depended on the source. Seeing quantified data on these various museum conditions allows for a discussion on how museums can potentially reduce their environmental impact, while still considering the elements of maintaining and promoting their collections.
The final three San Francisco-based speakers discussed the various programs that are available for greening business in California.  Wendy Yeung of the California Green Development Program presented on how this government program works with local business to implement environmental protocols that are both sustainable and profitable. Anya Deepak, a Commercial Toxics Reduction Associate with the San Francisco Department of the Environment, discussed their program for artists, which is an outreach initiative to raise awareness among Bay Area artists on environmental and health issues associated with their art materials. The program is currently in the first phase of implementation and will eventually address disposal, safety and finding alternatives. Organizers discovered they were able to get remarkable participation and interest from all the studios they contacted by suggesting that the artists could have an effect on the environment by following these practices–a notably more positive response than when they tried to appeal to the artist’s personal health and safety. Finally, Anna Jaeger from Caravan Studios, a division of TechSoup Global, discussed various electronic and tech-based programs for greener business administration. Her examples focused on the idea that it is more effective to change the situation or environment than to change an individual’s behavior. Tips included using smart power strips and multi-function machines; conducting virtual meetings; and purchasing refurbished electronics since the majority of energy use goes into their production.
The seminar concluded with a group discussion of what sustainability means to us and the field of conservation. Can artifact preservation and environmental preservation coexist? How can we make the annual meeting more sustainable? Should ventilation regulations focus on optimal human performance within that space or optimal environmental impact?

NEW! Health & Safety Session at the Annual Meeting

The members of the Health & Safety Committee and 2014 Annual Meeting organizers are excited to announce the first full-day session dedicated to health and safety topics at the 42nd Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Health & Safety Session: Sustaining the Conservator will take place on Saturday, May 31 and will include the following talks:

Controlling Hazardous Collection Materials
Kerith Koss Schrager, Anne Kingery-Schwartz and Kathryn Makos
Responsible stewardship of hazardous collections materials involves implementing policies that ensure the health and safety of the materials as well as the individuals who come in contact with them. This talk will discuss employing collections-based risk management plans, understanding hazard disclosure requirements, and knowing when and how to consult health and safety professionals.

Unintended Consequences of Persistent Residual Vapor-Phase Chemicals within Collection Storage
Catharine Hawks and Kathryn Makos
Residual chemicals within cabinetry and collections have been identified through technical scientific study. While health implications are cautionary and controllable, adverse consequences to the condition of the collections can be significant. Recommendations for mitigation of these hazards will be presented.

Solvents, Scents and Sensibility – Part II, Sequestering and Minimizing
Chris Stavroudis
Continuing with the topics covered in Solvents, Scents and Sensibility-Part I (General Concurrent Session), this talk includes a discussion of safer solvents to help sustain the conservator and the environment, toxicity overviews, in-depth reviews of reformulating “bad” solvents, and molecular interactions and solubility parameters.

Medical Evaluations for Museum and Collection Care Professionals
David Hinkamp, MD (University of Illinois School of Public Health) and Ruth Norton.
Using examples from the Field Museum, the authors will discuss methods to promote occupational health benefits and safer working practices through medical evaluations, exposure monitoring, maintaining lists of materials used, and accurately describing conservation and collections care work practices to medical staff.

Sustainability for the Conservator: Mold Remediation
Chris Stavroudis and AIC Emergency Committee
The AIC Emergency Committee will present lessons learned and techniques used for Hurricane Sandy recovery at the Cultural Recovery Center in Brooklyn, New York to highlight the key steps conservators need to take to protect themselves when working with mold or moldy artworks.

Ergonomics in Collection Care
David Hinkamp, MD (University of Illinois School of Public Health)
Dr. Hinkamp will discuss current ergonomics theories and best practices for improving workstations and postures/positions using real world conservation task examples supplied by Emerging Conservations Professionals Network and the Health & Safety Committee.


The Committee is also organizing events that will take place throughout the 2014 Annual Meeting:
Yoga and Stretching
General session and some specialty group sessions
Don’t just sit there – get up and stretch! Throughout the meeting, organizers will encourage attendees to move around between talks with guided instruction.
‘The Safety Doctor Is In’ with J. R. Smith (Safety Manager, Smithsonian Institution)
Health & Safety Booth in the Exhibitors Hall
Friday, May 30: 9am-12pm and 1pm-3pm OR contact smithjr@si.edu for an appointment
Learn how to create a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) for conservation tasks. This is a standard occupational safety approach to breaking down a task into simple components, materials, operations and then analyzing for hazards and setting ways to prevent an injury or illness from that hazard.
Health & Safety Booth
Exhibitors Hall
We’re teaming up again with the Emergency and Sustainability Committees to provide information on current health and safety issues. Stop by if you have questions or comments for members of the Committee.
Respirator Fit Testing
Lecture: Wednesday, May 28: 6:30-7:30pm
Appointments: Thursday, May 29: 9am-6pm ($39)
Register now for your annual respirator fit testing! Respirator fit testing requires that you complete the lecture, a 15-20 minute fit test appointment, and an OSHA Medical Evaluation Form signed by your healthcare professional (available on the Health & Safety webpage).
We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!
 
Have a question or concern about health and safety in your conservation work? Contact the committee at HealthandSafety@conservation-us.org.
Also visit our webpage and wiki for more information and Committee publications on conservation-related health and safety topics.