Industrial Hygiene Statistics and
Bayesian Decision Analysis Workshop

Content

ACGIH^®'s Industrial Hygiene Statistics and Bayesian Decision Analysis Workshop is a 2.5-day workshop that provides instruction on the basics of industrial hygiene statistics including censored data analysis, sampling strategy design, and Bayesian Decision Analysis. The application of Bayesian Decision Analysis to industrial hygiene decision-making is new and has been pioneered by the workshop instructor, Paul Hewett. Industrial hygienists, like all other professionals, routinely use professional judgment when making decisions. Bayesian Decision Analysis provides a mechanism for explicitly incorporating professional judgment into this decision-making process. The workshop will cover the application of Bayesian Decision Analysis to the analysis of gas/particulate data and noise data, relative to a traditional OEL, or in the European Union control banding and pharmaceutical control banding scenarios. The emphasis for this workshop is on attendees gaining an understanding of accurate "decision-making" using sound IH statistics and Bayesian Decision Analysis.

Workshop Outline

Day One – Industrial Hygiene Statistics and Censored Data Analysis

On the first day attendees are introduced to:

• Normal and lognormal distributions
• Event distributions (e.g., binomial distribution)
• The calculation of upper percentiles (i.e., 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles)
• Exceedance fractions and confidence intervals
• SEG exposure profile statistics (contrasted with OSHA inspector compliance statistics)
• Censored data analysis (i.e., the analysis of datasets containing limit of detection values)

Paul Hewett, PhD, CIH is the founder and President of Exposure Assessment Solutions, Inc. Previously, he worked for 25 years as an industrial hygienist for NIOSH, in the Division of Respirable Disease Studies, where he specialized in the measurement of pneumoconiosis producing dusts. Dr. Hewett received an MS in industrial hygiene from the University of Central Missouri and a PhD in industrial hygiene from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Public Health, and is certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. He is the author of numerous articles and chapters on exposure assessment and statistics for industrial hygienists, as well as past chair of the AIHA Exposure Assessment Strategies Committee. Dr. Hewett received the Edward J. Baier Technical Achievement Award for his work applying Bayesian statistics to decision-making in occupational exposure assessment.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this workshop, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the statistical methods commonly used to describe occupational exposure data for gases, vapors, and particulates
• Demonstrate the proper procedures for evaluating the goodness-of-fit for the lognormal distribution
• Describe a dataset using an appropriate distributional model
• Use an event distribution model for estimating the probability of observing an extreme event
• Calculate upper percentiles (e.g., the 95th percentile) or the probability of exceeding an exposure limit or action limit
• Calculate upper confidence limits and use them in hypothesis tests
• Use censored data analysis methods to analyze and interpret a dataset containing measurements less than the minimally detectable concentration
• Understand the principles behind sample size estimation and the design of a performance-based exposure assessment strategy
• Understand the theory and assumptions that underlie Bayesian Decision Analysis
• Use Bayesian Decision Analysis to classify exposure profiles
• Use Bayesian Decision Analysis to assist in the selection of respiratory protection
• Practice using Bayesian Decision Analysis to leverage "professional judgment" (using the "Initial Rating" and "Confidence Level" schemes)

Each Student Receives

• CD-ROM with IHDataAnalyst-LiteEdition V1.05 program and the Exposure Assessment Strategy Simulator V2.5.1 program
• Presentation Workbook

Prerequisites

• Working knowledge of Microsoft^® Excel

Who Should Attend

Industrial hygienists, safety professionals, plant and facilities engineers, risk management professionals, consultants, environmental contractors, health and safety professionals, and individuals preparing for a certification exam.

Date and Time

October 6-8, 2008

Schedule

Monday:
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. ET: Registration

Monday – Tuesday:
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET: Workshop
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET: Lunch (on your own)
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET: Workshop

Wednesday:
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET: Workshop

Accreditation

This workshop has been approved by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) for 2.5 ABIH (IH) Certification Maintenance (CM) Points for Certified Industrial Hygienists. This workshop qualifies for 1.5 BCSP (SP) Continuance of Certification (COC) Points for Certified Safety Professionals. Approval Code: 08-1345

Rates

Registration received on or before September 8, 2008*
ACGIH^® Member: $995
Nonmember: $1,095
Workshop + ACGIH^® Membership: $1,170^†

Registration received after September 8, 2008
ACGIH^® Member: $1,095
Nonmember: $1,195
Workshop + ACGIH^® Membership: $1,270^†

*Both registration form and payment must be received by ACGIH^® by specified date to receive discounted rate.
^†Includes one-year membership with ACGIH^®.

Location

The workshop is held at the ACGIH^® Professional Learning Center, 1330 Kemper Meadow Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240.

Hotel Information

AmeriSuites – Cincinnati North
12001 Chase Plaza Dr.
Forest Park, OH 45240
Phone: 513-825-9035
Fax: 513-825-9185

ACGIH^® Rate: $89 plus tax. Located approximately 1/2 mile from the ACGIH^® Professional Learning Center (at Exit 39 on I-275) and accessible to major restaurants and the Cincinnati Mills Mall. AmeriSuites offers a complimentary Bountiful Breakfast Buffet (scrambled eggs, sausage, danishes, muffins, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, waffles, bagels), first evening Welcome Reception, free high speed Internet access in guest rooms and wireless access in the lobby, fully equipped kitchenettes in every suite, on-site fitness room and complimentary access to nearby Fitworks fitness center, valet laundry service and on-site laundry facilities, and seasonal heated outdoor pool. AmeriSuites participates in the Hyatt Gold Passport Rewards Program. Directions to AmeriSuites can be found at www.amerisuites.com (select "Find a Hotel", then select "Cincinnati North").

Hampton Inn Cincinnati – Northwest/Fairfield
430 Kolb Dr.
Fairfield, OH 45014
Phone: 513-942-3440
Fax: 513-942-3441

Call for ACGIH^® Rate. Located approximately 1 1/4 mile from the ACGIH^® Professional Learning Center (at Exit 39 on I-275), the Hampton Inn offers a complimentary "On The House" Hot Breakfast Buffet, complimentary high speed Internet access, a refrigerator and microwave in every room, on-site fitness room, valet laundry service and on-site laundry facilities, and an indoor pool and whirlpool. The hotel is located next door to the Cincinnati Mills Mall and within walking distance of several restaurants, including Red Lobster, Bob Evans, Roadhouse Grill and Old Spaghetti Factory. The Hampton Inn also participates in the Hilton HHonors Program. More information, including directions to the hotel, can be found at http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CVGFDHX.

Note: Please be sure to ask for the ACGIH^® room rate when making your hotel reservations. Rates are subject to availability.

ADA Compliance

ACGIH^® encourages participation by all interested individuals and will use its best efforts to ensure that facilities used for its educational events are accessible to individuals with disabilities and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you have a disability, advance notification of any accommodation will help us serve you better.

Cancellation Policy

Registration cancellations received by ACGIH^® on or before 30 days prior to the event will be subject to a $100.00 cancellation fee. No other refunds will be made. Cancellations MUST be made in writing. Participants may reschedule for a future event of similar content only ONCE, but will be subject to a $100.00 rescheduling fee.

ACGIH^® reserves the right to cancel this workshop up to 21 days prior to the start of the workshop. In the unlikely event that this occurs, you will be notified immediately by email and/or telephone of the cancellation and offered registration the next time the workshop is offered at no additional charge.

Please review the information in our workshop confirmation notice and report any discrepancies to the ACGIH^® office immediately. If you have any questions, please call the Meetings Department at ACGIH^® headquarters: 513-742-2020.

For More Information

For more detailed information about the Industrial Hygiene Statistics and Bayesian Decision Analysis Workshop, submit your questions at http://www.acgih.org/contact/contactconffrm.htm, or contact Amy Bloomhuff (registration questions) or Tammy Vanderbilt (workshop content questions) by phone at 513-742-2020.