LeAiA

LeAiA was built in February 2009 by Deanna Meinke, PhD audiologist at University of Northern Colorado and donated to the National Hearing Conservation Association Scholarship Foundation fundraiser auction. LeAiA was purchased by Associates in Acoustics, who graciously loaned her to the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA)* Georgia Local Section for use in the World of Safety and Health at the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia’s (CEFGA)* Expo and SkillsUSA Championships held in Atlanta in April 2009. The annual Expo is aimed primarily at teens pursuing careers in construction, architecture, engineering, and energy. The AIHA Georgia Local Section, through its partnership with the Georgia Youth Alliance, focused its outreach efforts at this year’s CEFGA Expo on raising awareness of the importance of preventing noise-induced hearing loss, a persistent concern throughout the construction industry. This year’s Expo was attended by 4,500 students from almost 200 schools plus 1,600 education and industry representatives, volunteers, and guests from all over the state.

*AIHA is a nonprofit organization and one of the largest international associations of occupational and environmental health professionals practicing industrial hygiene in industry, government, labor, academics, consulting, and others; the core value of its 10,000+ members (including 75 local sections) is protecting worker health. CEFGA, also a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to attracting, training, and motivating the next generation of construction professionals through education, industry, and trade association partnerships throughout the state of Georgia.