Philadelphia Section AIHA

March 2026 Virtual Technical Seminar

“Contemporary Issues in Occupational Safety and Health”

Thursday, March 19th, 2026: 10 AM – Noon

Presented via Zoom

The practice of industrial hygiene involves recognition, evaluation and control of many well-known chemical, biological and physical hazards; however, approaches to dealing with other important contemporary hazards are less well known to the average practitioner. This virtual technical seminar will address two of these issues: combustible dust and lithium-ion (LI) battery fires. Our presenters will share information on these current important subjects.

Agenda:

10:00 AM Opening Remarks and Introductions

10:05 AM “Combustible Dust: Evaluation, Recognition and Control” 

(Yaniv Zagagi, CSP, CIH: WSP USA, Inc.)

11:00 AM “Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Case Study” 

(Andreas Wagner, CIH, ROH: WSP USA, Inc.)

12:00 PM Adjournment

“Combustible Dust: Evaluation, Recognition and Control”

This presentation will address the elements necessary for dust to explode, the impact of combustible dust deflagration, the types of combustible dust testing conducted to identify specific properties of the dust, Dust Hazard Analysis requirements per NFPA 660,  and general combustible dust safeguards.

Yaniv Zagagi is a Vice President, EHS & PSM Services, in the WSP's Jacksonville, FL office.  Mr. Zagagi has more than 25 years of experience in management, implementation, training, auditing, and enforcement of environmental, health, and safety systems.  He has technical and project management experience in industrial hygiene, process safety management, risk management  programs, and safety in industries including shipyards, manufacturing, chemical processing, construction, food production, automotive, oil and gas, pulp and paper, power generation, aerospace, petroleum, mining, and railroad.

He received a B.S. of Chemical Engineering from the Israel Institute of Technology and an M.S. of Engineering Management from the Oakland University and is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).

“Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Case Study”

This session will present a case study that discusses how an EHS professional may want to approach an indoor environmental quality (IEQ) assessment of an office building where a Lithium-Ion battery fire may have impacted the building HVAC systems.  The study describes different sampling approaches and risk communication tactics, with additional challenges wherein the incident occurred in a remote location with limited access to qualified technical resources.  

Andreas Wagner is the national practice leader for industrial hygiene and hazmat services at WSP USA Inc.  Mr. Wagner has more than 36 years of experience providing occupational hygiene and environmental health consulting to various industrial, oil and gas, mining, power, and commercial clients, as well as institutional establishments.  He has completed hundreds of assessments for hazardous substances and air quality evaluations in various types of buildings and facilities throughout North America, Asia, and the Caribbean, published articles, presented papers, and provided expert testimony on subjects such as asbestos, indoor air quality, and microbial contamination. 

Andreas received a Master of Chemical Engineering degree in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Toronto in 1995 and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH).

Pre-registration for this virtual seminar is required. Due to recent security issues with open invitations to Zoom seminars, we are requiring that all participants contact us at register@philaaiha.com in order to receive a Zoom registration link for the seminar. When you receive the link, you will need to provide your name and email address to obtain the personal Zoom link needed to access the seminar. 

We look forward to having you join us.