Improve Your Understanding of Science - Through a Blog!

The Industrious Hygienist has recently become aware of a fun science blog called "Things I Tell My Mom: Biology and Health for Real People." 

It's written by a colleague of mine, Cathy Seiler, PhD. Her tagline is: "Helping you understand today's science for better living."

Some posts that the safety and industrial hygiene realm might find interesting:

• Sci Snippet - Do iPhones Kill People? (Understanding causation and correlation)
• How do we know the genome sequence? (DNA review and sequencing explanation)
• Five Ways for You to Participate in Science - Citizen Science
• What is that? A liquid nitrogen freezer

So, check it out and share the love - she has a Facebook page if you'd prefer to follow the blog that way. 

Over the Glass (OTG) Spoggles

As a devout wearer of prescription eyeglasses, the Industrious Hygienist is always in the market for safety glasses that can be worn over existing eyewear.  

The unofficial term is "Over the Glass" or OTG.

Unfortunately, this usually means I am relegated to wearing a bulky pair of chemical splash goggles so I look like a mad scientist in a hard hat. Here are some of the less-hideous options available to other safety professionals who must have prescription eyewear under their safety glasses or spoggles. 

Safety Glasses

1) Uline OTG Safety Glasses

These are the most basic OTG safety glasses and have basic impact protection. No frills.

Uline OTG Safety Glasses - Image courtesy of Uline

2) ERB Safety 606 OTG Safety Glasses

These are more fashionable and have a smoke-colored lens. According to the manufacturer, these glasses also meet ANSI Z87.1 requirements, have anti-fog coating, and UV protection. They also add a nice bit of femininity - thanks ERB Safety! Probably going to buy a pair and check them out. 

ERB 606 OTG Safety Glasses - Image courtesy of Full Source and ERB Safety

3) SiteGuard Safety Glasses

If you're looking for a cheap/economical pair of OTG safety glasses for visitors to your facility, these are a decent option. Although, the visitors will silently curse you when they have to wear these and everyone else gets more stylish and attractive wrap-around glasses.

Bouton 250-97-0900 SiteGuard OTG Safety Glasses - Image courtesy of Full Source and Bouton Optical

Safety Goggles/Spoggles

1) Uvex Strategy Goggle

An option is the Uvex Strategy Goggle, which can be used for protection against impact, chemical splash, dust, sand, and debris. These are a decent stand-in for spoggles but do not have the foam lining I have come to enjoy. These also look like they would stick out from your face and draw attention to the fact that you're a four-eyed wonder.

Uvex S3800 - Image courtesy of Boss Safety Products and Uvex

2) Uvex Stealth OTG Goggle

This is the less-nerdy option compared the the Strategy goggles above. These can be used for protection against impact, dust, chemical splash, and optical radiation (UV and welding radiation). These seem like they would draw less attention but might smush your glasses against your face. Sort of "snowboarder-esque" but look lighter and more comfortable. These could also be used as a stand-in for spoggles.  

Uvex S3970 - Image courtesy of Honeywell Safety Products and Uvex

3) Outfitter Clear A/F Safety Glasses

These are the Industrious Hygienist's favorite, and the safety glasses I wear most frequently. They are comfortable, the foam is washable, and you don't look like a ridiculous bug-eyed mook when wearing them. They are ANSI Z87.1 compliant and are officially "spoggles" in my humble opinion. Various lens colors are available.

Outfitter A/F Safety Glasses fit OTG and have foam lining - Image courtesy of Amazon and Global Vision Eyewear

The Industrious Hygienist has no affiliation with any of the companies providing safety glasses, safety goggles, or spoggles listed on this blog post - just a helpful review for other safety professionals who may wear prescription glasses. 

The Industrious Hygienist hard at work in 2015, rocking the spoggles!

Look for more spoggle-related posts in 2016, and the ever-awaited 2015 Holiday Manga in upcoming weeks. 

Environmental Health and Safety Internships for Graduate Students

Several of the graduate students in the MSF 603: Occupational Safety class I teach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) have been asking where to find information on occupational safety and health (OSH) or environmental health and safety (EHS) internships that select graduate students.

After snarkily responding that they can use the internet as well as I can, I realized that they would not have asked if the answer was easy to find. Most of the internship opportunities available are slated for undergraduate students, so there seem to be far fewer internships for graduate students. 

This dearth of graduate student internship opportunities may be for a few reasons:

• Companies seeking interns are hoping to snag an eager new undergraduate who will work for cheap (or free) rather than a well-trained graduate student, both of which are hoping for a transition into a full-time position.
• Companies seeking interns may assume that graduate students are already well-established professionals in their chosen field - which is not always the case.
• OSH and EHS graduate students can frequently be employed in work-study or graduate assistant positions within their university, making it difficult to commit to a summer internship without losing their employment.

As with most questions, the answer could be far simpler: companies seeking interns are not purposefully excluding graduate students. The internship opportunities for OSH and EHS usually require that the student must be a junior or senior year undergraduate. This means that the companies are likely looking for a student nearing graduation. Master's level graduate students certainly fit this requirement.

I did some quick internet searching of my favorite job-hunting sites ("safety intern" on Indeed, EHS Careers, ASSE Job Bank, CareerAdvantage at AIHA, and LinkedIn) to find the following 15 internship opportunities that appear to allow graduate-level applicants.

Health Promotion and Wellness Summer Intern @ NSA

The Health Promotion & Wellness Summer Intern Program is an intense and exciting 12-week internship open to select college undergraduates or master-level students majoring in the field of Health Promotion & Wellness, Health Education, or related fields. Interns will gain practical health promotion experience within the Office of Occupational Health Environmental and Safety Services (OHESS) of the National Security Agency (NSA).

View and apply

2016 Intern Technical – Environmental, Health & Safety @ Northrup Grumman

Northrop Grumman is seeking undergraduate or graduate students in public health, safety engineering or science, and environmental engineering or science for internship opportunities. These positions will be located at our Electronic Systems Sector in Baltimore, MD. The qualified candidates will become part of Northrop Grumman’s Environmental, Health, Safety and Fire Protection organization working with highly qualified professionals and interacting with employees. Working to ensure worker health & safety and ensuring compliance with these programs, working on environmental program areas to ensure and maintain compliance and protect the environment.

View and apply

Student Trainee (Engineering) – NASA Pathways Intern Employment Program

This Pathways Intern position is for an engineering student trainee in the Operational Safety Branch located in the Safety and Health Division of the Research and Engineering Directorate at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The Branch provides safety oversight and consultation that results in safe operations and practices of all programs, projects, and workers at GRC. This reduces the probability of injury to personnel and/or the prevention of damage to property. 

View and apply

EHS (2016) Summer Intern – Environmental Health & Safety @ Spirit Aerospace

Work in the area of Environmental, heath, and safety. Gain experience in industrial hygiene, ergonomics or environmental engineering.

View and apply

Internship – Safety @ PC Construction

Work hand-in-hand with the safety engineers and project leadership to create a safe working environment for our employees. The safety intern will work alongside the safety engineer in training our employees in safety-related issues and techniques.

Qualified applicants should be enrolled in an Occupational Safety and Health degree program. Experience in the construction industry and/or prior internships in the safety field are preferred. OSHA 10-Hour, First-Aid, and CPR are preferred. Excellent communication skills and the ability to learn quickly and be forward thinking are essential. Spanish bilingual skills are a plus. This internship will begin summer 2016.

View and apply

Safety Intern @ Mayville Engineering Company

Under the supervision of the Sr. Regional HR Manager and HR & Safety Manager- - assists with the organization's safety, ergonomic, and machine safeguard programs to ensure safe, healthy, and accident-free work environment by performing the following duties.

View and apply

Internship – Statistics Intern @ 3M

3M is seeking a Statistics Intern for the 3M Oral Care Solutions Division of 3M Health Care. The target start date for this position is summer 2016. Ready to be a part of what's next? The statistics internship role is to acquire general knowledge and understanding quickly within 3M. The intern will work with 3M laboratories and manufacturing plants in product development, process understanding and improvement, test method development, or related areas. The successful candidate will work with an experienced 3M statistician to guide them through the use of appropriate tools and project methodologies. In addition, the intern will have an opportunity to work on ad-hoc efforts and start to build a network of resources.

The candidate should possess good oral and written communication skills along with strong computer skills. They should also have the ability to work on cross-functional teams. Demonstrated leadership ability, organizational skills, and statistical knowledge are all beneficial, along with an interest in hands-on application.

View and apply

Environmental Health & Safety Intern @ Alta Equipment Company

Alta Equipment Company is currently looking for a part-time intern (15-20 hours per week) in the Human Resources department as an Environmental, Health & Safety Intern. This is an entry level position, where the successful candidate will receive hands on experience in the day-to-day functionality of the corporate safety plan and processes. This internship will conclude in June of 2016, but has the potential to extend further. 

View and apply

Environmental Health & Safety Intern @ POET

The Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Intern will be supporting an internal initiative to finalize completion of numerous internal safety and environmental systems/programs (PSM, LOTO) in an effort to meet all OSHA and/or EPA requirements. The key focus will be the construction/improvement of existing systems to develop best in class systems. Key requirements will be the ability to review and introduce governmental regulations into a comprehensive EH&S system. Important personal attributes will be attention to detail, strong organizational skills and the ability to work without immediate supervision.

View and apply

Summer 2016 Safety Internship @ Faith Technologies Electrical Contractor

This position assists in formulating, developing, and coordinating safety and loss control functions.

View and apply

Safety Intern for Summer 2016 @ Gerdau

Have completed at least two years of a college degree in one of the following fields: Industrial Safety, Environmental/Safety Engineer, or related field. Record of high academic achievement (Minimum GPA 3.0). Well-rounded applicants with leadership roles in student organizations or extra-curricular activities. Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring current or future sponsorship for employment

View and apply

Intern – Environmental Health & Safety @ Aveda 

Aveda, America’s premier creator and marketer or plant-based haircare, skincare, make-up, PureFume™ and lifestyle products seeks an Employee Health Services Intern to assist the Environmental Health Safety department with projects that enhance our safety culture and environmental mission.

View and apply

Internship – Site Solutions @ Environ

Ramboll Environ US Corporation (Ramboll Environ) is a leading provider of scientific and regulatory environmental consulting services to clients in both the private and public sectors. As such, Ramboll Environ has earned a reputation as a leader in the areas of environmental risk assessment and management, strategic compliance management and environmental liability.

An 8- to 12-week long internship program is scheduled for the summer of 2016 and will be located in either Irvine or Los Angeles, California.  Each participant will be assigned a mentor who will guide them through project assignments and responsibilities.

View and apply

Intern, Environmental Health and Safety @ Aviall

Aviall has an exciting position for an Environmental Health & Safety Intern at our Corporate Headquarters located in Dallas, TX.  The EHS Intern will support continuous improvement efforts in the areas of operational compliance to EHS policies and programs, root cause analysis and assessment of corrective actions and preventative actions.  Additionally this internship provides the opportunity to build relationships and develop business acumen through networking with other Aviall interns across the enterprise and interaction with various Aviall leaders. 

View and apply

Summer Intern OS&H @ Amec Foster Wheeler

Amec Foster Wheeler Construction is currently looking for summer interns to join our growing construction team for summer 2016.  The ideal candidates should be interested in the field construction side of the business and working towards a degree in occupational safety and health. The Summer Internship will require travel to our job site locations where you will work directly with our field teams in a “hands on” industrial construction environment.

View and apply

There are also several OSH/EHS internships available at companies like Chevron, Ford, Alcoa, Amazon, and Amgen. 

If you are a representative of a company looking for qualified EHS or OSH interns, consider opening up the internship (or modifying the language of your internship description) to graduate students. If there is an internship I missed in this list, let me know and I'll be happy to post it on this blog.