Be part of a truly influential voice in public health today.
Join the APHA Occupational Health & Safety Section!
- Are you working to improve health and safety conditions in the workplace?
- Have you or has anyone you know ever suffered from job-related illness or injury?
- Are you concerned with workplace reproductive hazards, ergonomics, child labor, hazardous chemicals, lead, noise, stress, workplace violence and international occupational health issues?
- Are you interested in OSHA reform, workers' compensation, and safe staffing regulations?
If you can answer YES to any of the these questions, membership in the Occupational Health and Safety Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) will interest you. The Section provides leadership and expertise on occupational health matters, and strives to promote a healthy and safe working environment by organizing around current issues and concerns.
The orientation of the Section is multidisciplinary. Members include occupational health specialists, occupational physicians, union organizers, occupational and industrial hygienists, safety professionals, nurses, educators, administrators, epidemiologists, and attorneys. Section membership offers numerous opportunities for professional advancement, as well as further involvement in APHA. Members are involved in:
Public Policy/Advocacy
Through Section-developed resolutions and position papers, members have a voice in the determination of APHA's occupational health and safety policy positions, which directly and indirectly influence national public health policy. Recent Section-initiated resolutions have addressed risks related to lead exposure, occupational transmission of HIV, surveillance of occupational disease and injury, child labor, ergonomics, job stress and workers' compensation. The APHA gives us a voice in national, even global debates on issues that impact the health of workers, our population, and our planet.
Scientific/Technical Developments
The Section is occasionally called upon to provide input concerning scientific and technical developments involving Section activities and expertise.
Knowledge Base
The American Journal of Public Health is an excellent resource for the research and study of occupational health and safety issues. Section members regularly contribute articles; moreover, a recent issue focused on occupational health. Valuable information on the public health profession is also provided in The Nation's Health.
Section Activities
Each year, the Section sponsors and co-sponsors about 40 sessions and-forums at the Annual Meeting. At the 2005 convention, topics included ethical issues in occupational health, respiratory diseases, lead exposures, workplace violence, workers' compensation, and, health and safety issues for immigrant and minority workers, agricultural workers, healthcare workers, and young workers. The Section also offers opportunities for participation on committees, has its own newsletter for members, sponsors OSHALERT (an electronic communication system for rapid distribution of important information), and has an important careers booklet describing the variety of professional occupations available within the arena of occupational health and safety.
Association Governance
The Section contributes to the leadership of APHA by providing officers and Governing Council members. Members also take an active role in the planning and coordination of Section activities and events at the APHA Annual Meeting.
The OH&S section awards scholarships that include registration for the APHA Annual meeting, a one-year membership in APHA, and $200.00 for conference expenses to union representatives and students interested in participating in APHA and the section's activities. Your expertise, involvement, and support are welcomed! For more information, or to join, visit the APHA OH&S section's website at http://staff.washington.edu/oshalert or contact the section chair and membership committee chairs listed in the leadership roster.
Current APHA Membership Categories ■ Regular—$160/year: Includes all member benefits, including print subscriptions to The Nation’s Health and the American Journal of Public Health and online access to both publications.
■ Contributing—$210/year: Includes special recognition, in addition to member benefits described above, for this extra level of support.
Special Subsidized Memberships—Includes online access to the American Journal of Public Health in addition to online access and a print copy of The Nation’s Health. Please see qualifications listed below for each category.
■ Student: Full Time—$50/year: Persons enrolled full time (a minimum of 9 credit hours) in a college or university who are actively pursuing a degree in the health field. Proof of status from the Registrar’s office verifying is needed. (Attach proof of status.) Students automatically become members of the Student Assembly. Part-time students, post doctoral candidates and others who cannot meet the above requirements may be eligible for the discounted Special Health Worker category.
■ Premium Student—$80/year: Includes a print subscription to the American Journal of Public Health and The Nation’s Health.
■ Transitional Member—$95/year: Open only to current APHA student members who have completed their degree. This member type is only available for one 12-month period. It includes all of the same benefits as a Regular member noted above.
■ Special Health Worker—$65/year: Persons employed in community health whose annual salary is less than $30,000 or the equivalent for foreign nationals. Verification from employer is required. (Attach verification.)
■ Retired—$65/year: APHA members who have retired from active public practice and no longer derive significant income from work-related activities. (Retired members will receive a print copy of the American Journal of Public Health.)
■ Consumer—$65/year: Persons not deriving income from health-related activities.