The annual conference of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists is the premier annual event for Occupational Hygienists throughout Australia. The conference aims to promote the science and practice of addressing health hazards in the workplace. The conference brings together researchers, practitioners, regulators, new hygienists, and those working on the periphery of occupational hygiene to discuss issues that affect health at work.

The theme for AIOH2011, is:

Looking Forward Looking Back - Reflecting on the journey so far, while striving toward the elimination of occupational illness.

The venue for the conference is in the capital city of Queensland, Brisbane, at the Sofitel Brisbane Central.

Main topics

The Conference Committee aims to provide a balanced programme, which includes plenary sessions, parallel scientific and technical sessions, continuing education sessions and opportunities to directly discuss your issues with experts in the field. This will help you meet today’s need for continuing professional development and keep you up-to-date with emerging issues and new developments in “old” issues. We also provide a strong social program to maximise the opportunity for networking and sharing problems and issues in a relaxed and congenial atmosphere. This conference will focus on the achievements of our occupational hygiene pioneers and compare the past conditions, practices and exposures with the current conditions and methodologies used today. The AIOH is going through a strong period of growth. Occupational hygienists are exerting greater influence on policy decision making through their increasing contributions to the various national programs focused on future significant legislative change. Yet, despite the fact that we will need new tools and new skills, the past provides important

lessons about what can be achieved. The scale of advances made by our predecessors into improving the health and safety of workers exposed to silica dusts, lead, other heavy metals and aromatic solvents must be matched by our efforts to attack some of the more intractable problems such as occupational cancers, asthma, and neurotoxic disease. This conference will celebrate both the achievements of our forebears and our generation. Papers will be presented on several aspects of occupational hygiene and occupational health but many will focus on specific areas such as: The implementation of practical control strategies Emerging issues and updates on “old” issues New legislation The use of statistics The impact of new risk management paradigms such as control banding

Keynote speakers

Keynote and plenary speakers for this year’s Conference include: Dr David Zalk - (SEA sponsored speaker), past president IOHA, IOHA envoy to WHO, VP Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety, EHS Lead Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300. Dr Doug Boreham - Radiation Biologist, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON. Mr Kevin W Knight AM - Chairman, ISO/PC 262 Risk Management .

Dr Sharann Johnson - Director, Callander & Johnson OHS Consultancy Services P/L. Dr Jack Parker - Professor and Section Chief, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, WVU. Dr Tim Driscoll - Associate Professor, University of Sydney. We are fortunate to have such a distinguished list of keynote speakers who will present their perspective on such topics as control banding, radiation, risk assessment, benzene, DPM and dust.

Continuing education seminars

The conference will offer Continuing Education Seminars (CES) on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 December 2011. In addition the Basic Principles course will be run from Wednesday 31 November through to Sunday 4 December 2011. These courses will be conducted by experienced practitioners and provide additional training in specialised areas of occupational hygiene. The CES will attract AIOH certification maintenance points and selected ones will attract ABIH certification maintenance points.

Topics that will be covered this year include: Respirable crystalline silica Heat stress Statistics Risk assessment Whole body vibration Fatigue Communication

Venue information

The venue for the conference is the Sofitel Brisbane Central - located in the heart of the city. Brisbane, the seat of Government and commerce in the state of Queensland is a dynamic, sophisticated and cosmopolitan city with a friendly, relaxed lifestyle. Brisbane is Australia's only subtropical capital city and the heart of Australia's premier tourist region, with the Gold Coast to the south and Sunshine Coast to the north.

The riverside precinct of South Bank is home to more than 30 restaurants, cafes and bars, stylish shops, performing arts theatres and art culture. For more information on the city of Brisbane and Queensland go to: http://www.ourbrisbane.com/ http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/Travel/Default.aspx http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/

Awards

Awards presented at the conference include: 3M Australia Award for the best conference paper Air Met Scientific Professional Award MSA Postgraduate Scholarship in Occupational Hygiene

Dräger Young Hygienist Award Thermo Fisher Scientific - AIOH Conference Award Thermo Fisher Scientific and Honeywell Analytics Award for Associate members to undertake short courses provided under the OHLearning Model Applications are now open. Closing date 16 September 2011.

Mark your calendar

Register your interest

Registration opens September 2011 Final non peer reviewed papers due 15 September 2011 Final poster papers due 15 September 2011 Earlybird registration closes October 1, 2011

If you are planning on attending the conference be it as a delegate, exhibitor or sponsor register your interest below.. Please note that this is not the final booking or registration. Registrations will open from September 2011.