Occupational Safety and Health Training Grant

SUMMARY Industrial hygienists and other occupational safety and health (OSH) play a critical role in addressing occupational health hazards. However, there is an unmet need for highly trained OSH professionals; this need is even greater for industrial hygienists. Meanwhile, worker health is a substantial issue within Indiana, where workplace related injury and fatality rates are consistently higher than the national average. The Purdue University Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences (OEHS) program will address this need through training the next generation of industrial hygienists. This program includes PhD, MS, and BS degrees in OEHS; the BS and MS programs are ABET accredited in industrial hygiene. Since 2017, program faculty and students have received >$100 million in external funding, published more >35 peer reviewed journal articles, given >70 research presentations, and received >30 honors or awards in recognition of their research, teaching, and service. Faculty are noted for their excellence in both research and teaching within the areas of industrial hygiene, occupational safety and health, environmental health, exposure science, occupational toxicology, radiation health and safety, and occupational epidemiology. Required coursework for our programs includes safety and ethics, exposure assessment, physical agents, industrial hygiene measurements and instrumentation, safety engineering, ergonomics, ventilation, toxicology, epidemiology, environmental health, risk assessment and statistics. The core curriculum utilizes student activities that emphasize critical thinking, communications, teamwork, creativity and awareness of current issues. Recently developed courses additionally incorporate service-based or case-study based learning approaches. Program trainees have multiple opportunities to interact with industrial hygiene and OSH professionals at a networking events held in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Chicago, and beyond. Faculty and students conduct award-winning research related to occupational exposure and impacts of manganese and other metals; industrial contamination leading to environmental disparities; characterization and risk assessment of aerosols; and radiation health and safety. The OEHS program, as well as Purdue University, value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and seeks to incorporate these principles throughout every aspect of the program. These efforts will be reflected in broadening recruitment efforts to reach faculty and trainees with a variety of backgrounds and experience; promotion of professional development programs and resources to enable every trainee to reach their full potential; and recognition that application of DEI values to the practice of industrial hygiene will be essential in order to address the hazards faced by an increasingly diverse workforce. The success of Purdue’s OEHS program is evidenced by the fact that program graduates have taken leadership roles in industrial hygiene and related fields. By combining past experience and adapting to future needs, the Purdue OEHS program will continue to train tomorrow’s leaders in the field of industrial hygiene and occupational health.