Many state that the CIH certification is the most prestigious certification in the EH&S industry. You may or may not believe this statement.

To better understand the value of the CIH certification and what it has meant to their careers and personal development, The American Board of Industrial Hygiene® has been collecting stories from Certified Industrial Hygienists. CIHs from around the world have submitted their experiences to the ABIH® and many of their stories can be read online at the ABIH® website.

Their accounts include the following excerpts:

• To all professionals in the Industrial Hygiene field, I am very glad that I pursued and achieved my Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) credential as it has opened several doors for me. Firstly, I am recognized and respected by my peers and senior project managers as a highly competent professional in the field of industrial hygiene with the capability to manage and sign off on important industrial hygiene projects. Further it has helped me stamp my authority as the go-to person for all industrial hygiene project work undertaken by my company. Secondly, the CIH credential has also enhanced my ability to shoulder more responsibility in managing and authorizing important projects that place the environment quality and human health at risk.
  
  
• I am really glad that I have my CIH because I’ve finally accomplished one of my ultimate career goals. My journey started 17 years ago in the United States Air Force in the field of Industrial Hygiene. In that time I became certified as an Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST), earned a B.S in Environmental Science and Policy, and then an MSPH in Industrial Hygiene. While those degrees and certification were great I still felt incomplete. I knew that fulfillment would not come until I became certified. In early 2012, I set out to obtain the CIH certification. I studied on and off for almost 9 months and in November 2012 my dream became a reality.
  
  
• My CIH has opened doors that I never dreamed when I was sitting at Old Dominion University asking Ed, the program chair, “What is an Industrial Hygienist?” Without my CIH, I would have never experienced living and working all over the US. My employers would never have sent me to represent them in Europe, Asia and South America. I have seen things that most Americans never have and never will all due to my certification. When I look back on the some of the most controversial issues I have been involved with, I am completely confident that were I not recognized as a competent professional, I would never have been at the table at all. My certification made it possible.
  
  
• It certainly didn’t hurt that I received a 30% pay raise almost overnight when I became certified almost 28 years ago, but much more importantly I found a life’s calling that I truly love. I am a CIH and that means something special to me.

To read the full stories and those submitted by other CIHs, please visit: www.abih.org/real_stories

To learn more about the American Board of Industrial Hygiene®, Certified Industrial Hygienist® credential or to locate a CIH® to perform industrial hygiene services, please visit www.ABIH.org.

Read the full press release here:  http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=202605