North-West University Recognized for Excellence in Occupational Hygiene Research
The Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH) Annual Conference, held from the 23rd until the 26th October 2023, in Cape Town, served as a distinguished platform to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of researchers and postgraduate students from the North-West University’s (NWU) affiliated with the Occupational Hygiene and Health Research Initiative (OHHRI).
Among the accolades granted to the OHHRI members were the prestigious SAIOH Tertiary Institution Student of the Year Award for 2022, presented to Ms Marelize van Ree, who got a distinction for her research Master’s degree in Occupational Hygiene, completed in 2022 under the guidance of Dr Sonette du Preez and Prof. Johan du Plessis. She investigated emissions and exposures with the use of an Inconel metal powder used in additive manufacturing (3D-printing) and found that these workers are exposed to very small metal particles (smaller than 1 micro-meter in size), but that exposure in the workplace was well controlled, with a low risk of causing adverse health effects.
Furthermore, Prof. du Plessis received the SAIOH Article of the Year Award 2022 for collaborative research with Prof. Aleksandr Stefaniak from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States of America and Dr Sonette du Preez (NWU, OHHRI). Their awarded article, “Identification of Effective Control Technologies for Additive Manufacturing,” published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, summarised measures used to eliminate or reduce exposure to particles and gases emitted from additive manufacturing and the need for standardised methods to evaluate the effectiveness of these control measures.
Dr Karlien Linde, a senior lecturer at the University of Limpopo and an NWU PhD graduate, also shared the SAIOH Article of the Year Award 2022. Her impactful work, related to her PhD thesis, shed light on the personal solar ultraviolet radiation exposure of farm workers, revealing potential health risks such as skin cancer based on the individual’s skin colour.
Professor Du Plessis stated that the high levels of exposure were expected, but that farm workers are not that well attended to in terms of Occupational Health and Safety in South Africa.
Dr Stefan Linde earned distinction by receiving the Best Poster Award at the SAIOH Annual Conference 2023. Dr. Linde explained that the conference’s theme focused on real-time monitoring and the use of instruments and technologies to assess worker exposure promptly. He emphasised the need to test and validate the accuracy of these real-time monitoring instruments compared to conventional methods of measuring exposure.