Affiliate Societies

Societies and Professional Groups of Interest to OHP Researchers and Practitioners

American Psychological Association

Based in Washington, DC, the American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States. With 150,000 members, APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide.

American Society of Safety Professionals

Founded in 1911, ASSP is the oldest and largest professional safety organization. Its 33,000 members manage, supervise and consult on safety, health, and environmental issues in industry, insurance, government and education. This site provides information on chapter and section services, educational opportunities, practice specialties, safety standards, and publications.

European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology (EAOHP.org)

European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology (EA-OHP) focuses on applying technology to improve people’s working lives.

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

The Society’s mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems and devices of all kinds. The Society furthers serious consideration of knowledge about the assignment of appropriate functions for humans and machines. It advocates the systematic use of such knowledge to achieve compatibility in the design of interactive systems of people, machines, and environments to ensure their effectiveness, safety, and ease of performance.

International Coordinating Group for Occupational Health Psychology (ICG-OHP)

The ICG-OHP promotes global cooperation in the development of research, professional practice and education in OHP.

Organizational Behavior Management Network

OBM Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to disseminating organizational behavior management techniques to improve productivity, safety, health, and other organizationally relevant issues.

Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology is a Division of the American Psychological Association that is also an organizational affiliate of APS (Association for Psychological Science). The Society’s goal is to promote human welfare through the various applications of psychology to all types of organizations providing goods and services, such as manufacturing concerns, commercial enterprises, labor unions or trade associations, and public agencies. The purposes of the Society are scientific, professional, and educational and not for financial gain.

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) is the professional association of licensed nurses engaged in the practice of occupation and environmental health nursing. The major roles and responsibilities of AAOHN are to:

  • Define the scope of practice and set standards for occupation and environmental health nurses.
  • Develop standards of professional conduct for the occupational and environmental nurse as described in the AAOHN Code of Ethics.
  • Promote the health and safety of work and workplace communities.
  • Promote and provide continuous learning opportunities for occupational and environmental health nurses and professionals offered through the AAOHN Academy.
  • Advance the profession by encouraging and facilitating research.
  • Advocate for occupational and environmental health nursing in business, hospitals, government and other professional areas.
  • Respond to issues critical to the practice of occupational and environmental nursing.

American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)

Industrial hygienists are scientists and engineers committed to protecting the health and safety of people in the workplace and the community. A professional industrial hygienist is a person possessing either a baccalaureate degree in engineering, chemistry, or physics or a baccalaureate degree in a closely related biological or physical science from an accredited college or university, who also has a minimum of three years of industrial hygiene experience.

PROTECTING PEOPLE
The goal of the industrial hygienist is to keep workers, their families, and the community healthy and safe. They play a vital part in ensuring that federal, state, and local laws and regulations are followed in the work environment.
Typical roles of the industrial hygienist include:

  • Investigating and examining the workplace for hazards and potential dangers
  • Making recommendations on improving the safety of workers and the surrounding community
  • Conducting scientific research to provide data on possible harmful conditions in the workplace
  • Developing techniques to anticipate and control potentially dangerous situations in the workplace and the community
  • Training and educating the community about job-related risks
  • Advising government officials and participating in the development of regulations to ensure the health and safety of workers and their families
  • Ensuring that workers are properly following health and safety procedures

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS WORK WITH THE ISSUES THAT CONCERN US ALL
Industrial hygienists deal with the health and safety challenges facing people everywhere including:

  • Indoor air quality (sick building syndrome, second-hand tobacco smoke)
  • Evaluating and controlling environmental lead exposure
  • Emergency response planning and community right-to-know
  • Occupational disease (AIDS in the workplace, tuberculosis, silicosis)
  • Potentially hazardous agents such as asbestos, pesticides, and radon gas
  • Cumulative Trauma Disorders (repetitive stress injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome)
  • Radiation (electromagnetic fields, microwaves)
  • Reproductive health hazards in the workplace
  • Setting limits on exposure to chemical and physical agents
  • Detection and control of potential occupational hazards such as noise, radiation, and illumination
  • Hazardous waste management

International Commission on Occupational Health – Work Organisation and Psychosocial Factors (ICOH-WOPS)

ICOH-WOPS aims to promote awareness, research and education, to disseminate good practices, and to influence policy development in the area of work organization and psychosocial factors. Psychosocial factors concern aspects of work organization, design and management. If managed well they can lead to individual, organizational and societal well-being and sustainability. However, in the opposite scenario, they may have negative impact at these three levels. .