How Can You Assess Your Safety at AIHce EXP 2022?
Excluding the unlikely possibilities that either the Federal or Tennessee state government issues a lockdown order, it is certain that AIHce EXP 2022 will be held as an in-person event in Nashville, Tennessee, supplemented by a solid virtual program. While many people are eager to meet face-to-face again, prospective attendees are also understandably concerned about what AIHA will do to keep them safe at the conference.
As the Association committed to protecting the health and safety of workers and their communities, AIHA takes seriously the safety of AIHce EXP attendees, staff members, exhibitors, sponsors, representatives of allied organizations, and all others involved with making the conference possible. AIHA staff monitors the professional event sphere to gain insight into best practices for keeping people safe in conference settings. Furthermore, the staff works closely with the convention center and Nashville city government to incorporate safety practices with an industrial hygienist’s expertise. The Association’s on-staff industrial hygienist, Michele Twilley, DrPH, CIH, has reviewed performance data provided by the venues on their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at Music City Center and each hotel in the AIHce EXP block.
One aspect of AIHA’s efforts to keep AIHce EXP as safe as possible is the Association’s policy of requiring every in-person AIHce EXP 2022 attendee to provide proof of a complete COVID-19 vaccination cycle or the results of an adverse polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 obtained within 72 hours of the event. This policy protects all attendees, staff, vendors, and partners and aligns with guidance issued by CDC and public health authorities. The full policy is available to view on the health and safety at AIHce EXP webpage.
As the months pass between now and the conference in May, AIHA will communicate to confirmed registrants through channels such as the AIHce EXP website and official AIHce EXP emails, all updates relevant to their health and safety. The green “SafeCheck” icon visible on the website and other communications indicates information about safety measures and tips for keeping yourself safe and healthy at AIHce EXP.
However, as occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) professionals, it’s up to attendees to assess their level of personal risk when determining if and how to attend the conference. Risk assessment is a cornerstone of OEHS, and OEHS professionals are accustomed to assessing risk to protect workers and their communities. This year, attending AIHce EXP is no different. Still, the workers and community you are protecting include yourself, your OEHS colleagues, AIHA staff members, and representatives of partner and sponsor organizations. Make the best personal risk assessment for your AIHce EXPerience, in consideration of your health, your ability to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test, and the needs of yourself and your household.
For those unable to attend in person or who wish to participate through the most accessible available option, the on-site events will be mirrored by the conference’s vigorous virtual program. The opening and closing keynote sessions and about half the AIHce EXP educational sessions will be broadcast online for viewing by online conference attendees. Virtual participants will also have access to prerecorded health and wellness sessions, Learning Pavilion presentations, and other activities during the conference. In the weeks following the event, all educational sessions and other recorded materials will be available on AIHce EXP OnDemand for all total registrants of the in-person and virtual conference to watch at their own pace.
AIHce EXP 2022 will be held online and in-person from May 23–25. If you’re interested in traveling to Nashville—one of only two U.S. locations that have been named a Safe Travels destination by the World Travel and Tourism Council—check out Good to Go, the city’s hospitality safety program, to find local restaurants, hotels, and other businesses committed to upholding the Metro Public Health Department’s COVID-19 recommendations.
