The Mission of the NJAIHA shall be to promote the industrial hygiene profession; to increase the knowledge of industrial hygiene through interchange and dissemination of information; to promote the study and control of environmental factors affecting the health and well-being of workers; to correlate such activities as are conducted by individual and agencies through industrial, educational and governmental groups and to bring together persons interested in the various phases of industrial hygiene.

Facts About the NJAIHA

Note: The following facts and early history of the New Jersey Section of the AIHA was transcribed, for clarity purposes, directly from documentation maintained in our Section archives. The exact date of the transcribed document is not known at this point, but it chronicles the evolution and growth of our New Jersey Section between the years 1944-1967. - Tim Rice, Section Historian

In April 1944, New Jersey State Department and Rutgers University offered to interested persons a course titled “Industrial Hygiene Engineering”. The course covered the various phases of the Industrial Hygiene field. It was a sixty-hour course, which was held in three locations: Newark, Paterson and Trenton. The instructors were Mr. W. G. Hazard, Acting Chief and Mr. J. C. Radcliffe, Industrial Hygiene Engineer of the Division of Industrial Hygiene, New Jersey Department of Health. Fifty-six representatives from New Jersey’s industries, service organizations and governmental agencies attended these sessions.

Due to the great interest in the field of industrial hygiene to discuss problems and exchange information, a number of “reunion” meetings were held. The first meeting was in the Fall of 1944. Messrs. Hazard and Radcliffe acted as Chairmen and thirty-five attended. At this time, an Arrangements Committee was appointed to plan meetings to be held in 1945.

The Fall meeting of 1944 may be looked upon as meeting the need of the group by laying the foundation of the New Jersey Section, A.I.H.A.

• March 28, 1945 – Second meeting held at Newark Athletic Club – Attendance Roster listed forty-nine present.
• November 13, 1945 – A third and important meeting was held at Newark Athletic Club. The business was the forming of the permanent local section of A.I.H.A. With forty-six present, action was taken to: (1) Mr. Jack Radcliffe was elected as Chairman; (2) a three member Executive Committee was named; (3) Standing Committees for Program and Membership were named; (4) tentative Bylaws were drawn up for approval by the members.
• December 11, 1945 – The First Executive Committee was called to further refine and submit the Bylaws to the Secretary of the National Organization, American Industrial Hygiene Association, for approval. Also, a formal petition for permission to form aNew Jersey Section was submitted.
• December 18, 1945 – Approval of the petition was granted by the Board of Directors of the National Organization.
• April 9, 1946 – Bylaws for the New Jersey Section of A.I.H.A. were approved by the Board of Directors of A.I.H.A.
• 1946 – Five meetings were held of which four were educational and one a December Social Meeting.
• November 26, 1946 – The New Jersey Section was elected to membership in the Technical Societies Council of New Jersey. Thus becoming one of the original and earliest members of the Council.
• 1946-47 – Membership list had sixty-four members. This remained constant throughout succeeding years with a slight decline shortly after the War. There was a gradual rise in memberships starting in 1950.
• 1947 – Bylaws were revised to conform to the proposed “Local Sections Constitution and Bylaws” as advocated by the Local Sections Council of A.I.H.A.
• In addition to four educational program meetings, the First Tri-Section Meeting was held on December 12, 1947 at the Hildebrect Hotel in Trenton. The New Jersey Section acted as host to the Philadelphia (now known as the Delaware Valley* and Metropolitan New York Sections). From that date to this, it has been an annual event with alternating sections hosting the Tri-Section meeting. Membership remained consistent at sixty-four members.
• 1948 – The First New Jersey Industrial Health Conference was held at Military Park Hotel, Newark. Sponsored by the New Jersey Section A.I.H.A.; New Jersey Association of Industrial Physicians and Surgeons and the New Jersey Industrial Nurses Association. Well attended by members and their management representatives. On day preceding the Conference, the president of the three participating associations and a representative from management comprised a forum which was broadcasted over WAAT radio station in Newark.
• 1951 – The annual American Industrial Health Conference sponsored by the American Association of Industrial Physicians and Surgeons, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist, American Association of Industrial Dentist (our parent organization) the American Industrial Hygiene Association was held in Atlantic City. Many of the officers and members were chairmen or participants on committees.
• 1952-1959 – Membership gradually increased to exceed one-hundred members.
• 1956 – The Annual New Jersey Industrial Health Conference sponsored jointly by the New Jersey Association of Industrial Nurses, Inc., the Industrial Medical Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Section, American Industrial [Hygiene] Association was held in Raritan Valley Inn in Somerville. Since that time, these all day industrial health conferences have been held at the Far Hills Inn in Somerville.
• 1960 – Members of this Association took an active part at the XIII International Congress on Occupational Health in New York participating as speakers, and various committee members. Also fifteen members served as monitors.
• 1960-1964 – Showed a rapid gain in membership in one-hundred-thirty members. Partially due to the recognition of the field of industrial hygiene and the continued efforts of the officers and members in promoting good practices and standards. Annual joint meetings with American Society of Safety Engineers were inaugurated.
• 1966-1967 - Membership at the beginning of this season is one-hundred forty-three members. At the June meeting, it was voted to terminate membership in the technical Societies Council of New Jersey because it had outlived its usefulness to our Association.
• 1967 – To introduce the philosophy of Industrial Hygiene to students attending New Jersey colleges, subscriptions to the A.I.H.A. Journal were presented to libraries of Newark College of Engineering. Princeton University, Upsala College, Rider College, St. Peter’s College, Stevens Institute of Technology and Seton Hall University.

Our organization has growth potential, as has been demonstrated in the recent years, with the gaining recognition of the industrial hygiene field. Greater developments and achievements can be predicted for our members through unity and participation in our local and national activities. To reach our many goals, your officers and committees cannot do it alone, everybody must help. A good member is an active member.

* Editor’s Note: As of this transcription (11/05), again known as the Philadelphia Section, AIHA