Fulton Briand and his family moved from the east coast in 1990 to a job in Saskatoon he competed for and won at the University of Saskatchewan where he served as Occupational Hygienist until 2012. He works under professional codes of practice that are governed by both the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) and the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists (CRBOH).
Experience
Fulton’s past work experience as an industrial hygienist includes:
- Base metal mining and smelting (copper mine and smelter and a lead smelter and acid and fertilizer plants),
- Forestry (pulp & paper, lumber)
- Education and research sector
- Manufacturing (farm implements, corrugated steel pipe, truck & trailer mounted equipment)
- Aquaculture
- Metals supply & distribution
Qualifications
- BSc (Biology), University of PEI 1976
- CIH, American Board of Industrial Hygiene 1989
- ROH, Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygiene 1990
- Completed some 45 various professional development courses
The CIH and ROH are the highest qualifications achievable in the specialty field of worker health hazard anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control. The CIH / ROH is the professional called on to investigate, measure and evaluate and where necessary to provide solution options for those environmental workplace factors which have the potential to cause symptoms, illness and disease among workers or within the community. Beyond the prerequisites to qualify for writing board exams, it takes much dedication and perseverance to become certified in this profession. Qualifying for American and Canadian board exams involves having a suitable bachelor degree, five years industrial hygiene experience and a reference letter from a CIH, three letters in the case of ROH. After achieving all these steps, one can apply to be accepted to write the exams. Once certified CIH’s must keep current in their practice and abreast of new advances by taking part in a variety of professional development activities. These activities must be reported to the boards on a regular basis.
In Canada the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygiene (CRBOH) administers all elements of the registration process including exam, code of conduct and its enforcement, registrants’ annual fee, registrants’ maintenance program and organizing the annual general meeting, among others. In the USA the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) administers the certification process in a similar manner to the process described above for Canada.
Wide-ranging experience
The owner / operator Fulton Briand, CIH, ROH has broad experience in a variety of industrial hygiene applications. The beginnings in his career launched from a Metallurgical Technician job in a copper mine/ concentrator/ smelter/ acid plant complex on the east coast with Gaspe Copper Mines Ltd. Within a few months the company asked if he’d be interested in using instruments to measure dust, fumes, gases and sound levels beginning in the smelter operation. He jumped at the opportunity. There he met another budding industrial hygienist in a sister company who encouraged and greatly influenced his drive to one day, earn his CIH designation.
Since these beginnings and after working eight years at Gaspe Copper he applied for and got a transfer to another sister company’s lead smelter / acid plant / fertilizer plant operation in northern New Brunswick where he worked for three years. While on the east coast he worked for short periods as an Environment, Health and Safety audit team member. There he gained experience in forestry both pulp and paper and a dimensional lumber mill as well as a copper refinery. Looking to expand horizons he then applied for and won a job competition at the University of Saskatchewan where he served as Occupational Hygienist until March 2012. In addition to and since ending employment with the University Fulton has served as an industrial hygiene consultant in areas such as manufacturing (farm implements, corrugated steel pipe, truck & trailer mounted equipment), aquaculture, metals distribution and mineral exploration. A colleague once commented that he believed Fulton was the first CIH to practice in the province of Saskatchewan.