The Need to Certify

For some strange reason I feel the need to certify myself as an Industrial Hygienist.  Now for those of you out there the best definition of an Industrial Hygienist is OSHA Stuff (according to my sweet and endlessly supportive wife) Marci.  Sine I last posted I’ve taken this exam twice, and still haven’t managed to pass it.  Now I know most of you are thinking, well why not.  Here is an example of the exam as found in the American Board of Industrial Hygienists Sample Questions (published Sept. 2009 page 7 “Sample Questions”).

Please keep in mind that when you take this test the only things you are allowed to have with you are (in order of importance) a non-programmable calculator (I go with the T-36 simple and efficient), you underwear, your pants, shirt, sock, and shoes.  Everything else gets put in a locker so you don’t cheat.  I don’t know how my car keys are going to provide me any information, but apparently they are significant risk.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS
The following are provided as examples of the nature and type of
questions which may be found in the Board’s examinations.
Their subject matter and level of difficulty do not necessarily
reflect that which will be found in the examinations.  Everything else you are supposed to have committed to memory.

1. A mixture contains:
50 mL benzene (m.w.=78) v.p.= 75 mm, Hg; sp. gr.= 0.879.
25 mL carbon tetrachloride (m.w. = 154), v.p. = 91 mm, Hg;
sp. gr. = 1.595
25 mL trichloroethylene (m.w. = 131.5), v.p. = 58 mm, Hg;
sp. gr. = 1.455.
Assuming Raoult’s Law is obeyed, what will be the
concentration of benzene in air at 760 mm Hg saturated with
vapor of the above mixture?
1. 3.5%
2. 4.5%
3. 5.1%
4. 9.9%

2. Which one of the following health effects may be manifested
by chronic overexposure to benzene?
1. Abdominal colic
2. Bladder tumors
3. Cholinesterase depression
4. Leukemogenic cancer

3. What is the ACGIH Threshold Limit Value for fluoride
primarily intended to guard against?
1. delayed lung edema
2. mottling of tooth enamel
3. respiratory tract irritation
4. tubular kidney injury

4. Under usual operating conditions, what is the static pressure
at the discharge side of a fan with 10' length of discharge
duct?
1. equal to the velocity pressure
2. less than the atmospheric pressure
3. equal to the total pressure
4. greater than the atmospheric pressure

5. 1,000 cfm is to be drawn into a round, freely suspended duct
of 6" diameter. What is the expected centerline velocity at
4" outside the duct opening?
1. 286 fpm
2. 534 fpm
3. 765 fpm
4. 915 fpm

6. Two separate noise sources of 98 dBA and 96 dBA
respectively are installed and operated together. What is the
combined noise level?
1. 99 dBA
2. 100 dBA
3. 101 dBA
4. 194 dBA

7. A maintenance worker must enter an empty reactor vessel
for cleaning, inspection and lining repair. In the absence of
continuous ventilation and testing of the air in the vessel,
what should an industrial hygienist recommend?
1. an organic vapor respirator for the worker and a helper
with a life line within earshot
2. performance of the work at night with prior notice to the
city’s Emergency Response Unit
3. flushing the tank with a suitable organic solvent before
the worker enters
4. a SCBA and fixed life line for the worker and a helper
directly outside the tank

8. Workers in a brass foundry complain of a fever and general
malaise on Mondays following a weekend respite from
work. What should an industrial hygienist be equipped to
obtain, upon arriving at the foundry?
1. blood samples to detect carbon monoxide exposures
2. air samples to measure exposures to zinc fume
3. potable water samples to detect PCB concentration
4. urine samples to measure exposures to lead

9. What do the radioisotopes 238U, 40 K, 226 Ra, and 235U have
in common?
1. Each is an alpha emitter.
2. Each is a neutron emitter.
3. Each occurs in nature.
4. Each has an analogue normally found in the human
body.

10. Why is stack sampling for particulate aerosols done in an
isokinetic manner?
1. to avoid size discrimination of collected particles
2. to minimize particle deposition in the sampling tube
3. to collect the respirable size particles only
4. to collect samples suitable for direct analysis

11. Theoretically, what is the minimum number of sound
pressure level measurements needed to determine the sound
power output from a non-directional noise source in a free
field?
1. one
2. two
3. four
4. eight

 

The test contains 250 questions and you have ~7 hours to complete. Many people take it more than once, in fact of all the people I know who have taken it, only one has passed it on the first try (and he was such a nerd he really couldn’t apply it to anything practical).  Most people can pass it in 2 tries, like my brother Brian (congrats again Bro).  I am not so luck, as I always say there are only three ways in the world to do things the easy way the hard way, and then my way.  

My only regrets about trying so hard to get this is the time (usually at a minimum of 2 months but I’ve put in as long as 6 months and obviously that isn’t enough) studying, and the money (its about $400 a pop). 

Why Certify?

In the field of Industrial Hygiene it is the end all be all.  It means you know your $hi!.  My last boss told me as I was leaving to expect about $20,000 (a year) more, and if you don’t get it go and find someone who will pay you that much.  It also means the end.  I could finally throw away all of those old college books, and notes from chemistry I took back in 1994.  Yeah I can barely read them , and they don’t make much sense, because quit honestly I didn’t really get it back then.  The relief of storage space alone would be worth passing.

Anyway thanks for listening to my ramblings of how I feel inadequate in my profession.  O.K. that’t not actually true at all, I know, and have known for a long time that I’m good at what I do.  Yes I will even go out there and say that I’m probably better than most.  My biggest problem is this I really don’t test well.  Someday (who really knows when) I will get this test thing, but until then me and all my test failing cronies (if any of you are out there please give a shout out so I don’t feel so alone) will sit around and listen to this song:

OneRepublic - New Music - More Music Videos

(This is the happiest ”we suck” song I know “We’re going down”?  I can only imagnine cheerleaders singing this during a basket ball game where they are loosing really bad).

And for my brother B who landed this Biotch here it is:

Foo Fighters - New Music - More Music Videos

 

You ROCK, and I will be there someday.