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ABIH History

Timeline for ABIH

 
 

1914

IH Section of the American Public Health Association established

 

1937

Michigan IH Association founded

   

1938

ACGIH founded

   

1939

AIHA founded

   

1956

AIHA appointed an ad hoc Committee on Certification

   

1957

Committee on Certification Standards appointed

   

1958

ACGIH invited to join and began participation

   

1959

Committee recommended a separate Board be established for certification of IHs

   

1960

Twelve delegates held first meeting in Rochester, New York

   

Petition for Incorporation approved by Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County

   

First Board meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

   

1962

First application period expires - 485 IHs qualified under 15 year experience criteria.

   

1963

First examinations held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bachelor's degree and 8-years experience required as a minimum. Examination consisted of Core and Comprehensive Practice or 1 of 6 aspect (acoustical, air pollution, chemical, engineering, radiological and toxicological) exams.

   

First certificates issued for Comprehensive Practice, Chemical Aspects and Engineering Aspects by written examination.

   

1964

First certificates issued for Air Pollution, Radiological and Toxicological Aspects by written examination.

   

1969/1970

Toxicological Aspects examination withdrawn, pending update.

   

1971

Last certificate issued for Radiological Aspects by written examination.

   

1972

Decision to reduce CIH examination eligibility from 8 years to 5 years experience/equivalency, beginning with 1973 examinations.

   

Decision to separate Core and second level examination eligibilities. Core eligibility to be 1 year experience/equivalency to begin with 1973 examinations. Core-only examination to be for Industrial Hygienist in Training, IHIT.

   

1973

Decision to restore eligibility provisions for applicants without bachelor's degrees.

   

First Certificate for Acoustical Aspects written examination

   

1976

IH Technologist certification program established

   

1977/1978

Decision to accept credentials from the Institute for Noise Control Engineering (INCE) and from the American Board of Health Physics (ABHP) in lieu of second level examinations in the Acoustical and Radiological Aspects respectively.

   

1979

Certification Maintenance program initiated.

   

First ABIH Executive Director hired (half time)

   

.

Reintroduction of written examination in the Toxicological Aspects

   

1984/1985

First formal Role Delineation/Task Analysis (RD/TA) study

   

1986

Joint Committee established with BCSP for technician level certifications

   

Decision to grant 1 year experience equivalency for applicants with an IH masters degree and 2 years for an IH doctoral degree, beginning in 1987.

   

1988

Last Toxicology Aspect examination given

   

Decision to discontinue eligibility provisions for non-degree applicants after 1990

   

1990

Decision to discontinue certifications in the Acoustical, Air Pollution, Engineering and Radiological Aspects at the end of 1991.

   

1991

Decision to offer sub-specialty examinations in Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)and Hazardous Material Response and Remediation (HMRR).

   

1992

Aspect exams (except Chemistry) eliminated

   

1993

Subspecialty examinations first offered - IEQ and HMRR

   

1994

HMRR Sub-specialty discontinued

   

1997

Effective date to limit the 1 year experience equivalency towards a CIH for applicants with a masters degree - must be from an ABET accredited IH program

   

1999

CESB Accreditation obtained

   

Public member first elected to the Board

   

Board votes to establish a permanent Associate-level credential, CAIH, beginning with 2001 examinations.

   

2000

Decision to discontinue the Core and Chemical Practice examinations and to suspend the IEQ sub-specialty exam effective 2001

   

2001

Decision to grant 6 months experience equivalency towards a CIH for applicants with a bachelors degree from an ABET accredited IH program

   

2003

IOHA recognition as Certification Board obtained

   

2004

Computer Based Testing (CBT) examinations are given in North America

   

2006

Decisions to:

  • drop the experience requirement relating to a percentage of time practicing IH
  • allow creditable experience prior to completion of a bachelor’s degree
  • change the experience requirement from 5 to 4 years.

 

Decision to discontinue offering the CAIH certification

   

2008

CBT examinations are given internationally

   

Decision to sell interest in CCHEST (ABIH/BCSP joint venture) to BCSP

   

2009

ISO/IEC 17024 Accreditation obtained

Additional History information is available in a 1966 article written by Henry Smyth.

 
 
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