AIHA University Webinar: Hazard Recognition and Control for the Emerging North American Cannabis Industry

Earn 1.5 Contact Hours

Member $140 | Nonmember $185 | Student $25

As the legal cannabis industry rapidly expands across North America, OEHS/IH professionals face a unique challenge: navigating a complex landscape of emerging hazards, evolving regulations, and inconsistent safety practices. This webinar demystifies the cannabis sector by breaking down its core segments - cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and retail - and analyzing the most hazardous activities and frequent exposures within each.

Participants will explore evidence-based control strategies tailored to cannabis operations, including job hazard analyses, PPE assessments, and workforce health protocols. Presenters will also examine current injury and illness trends, regulatory citations, and the patchwork of laws and standards shaping occupational health and safety in this space.

Led by Certified Industrial Hygienists with deep experience in cannabis-related H&S programs, this session offers practical insights and a dedicated Q&A to support professionals in applying strategic health and safety approaches to a rapidly evolving industry.

Learning Objectives
After this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify key workplace hazards across cannabis industry segments, including cultivation, harvesting, processing, and retail environments.
• Outline control strategies and safety program components relevant to cannabis operations, such as JHAs, PPE evaluations, and pre-employment health screenings.
• Analyze the current legal landscape of cannabis in North America and its implications for H&S regulation, enforcement, and exposure research.
• Discuss common regulatory citations and recent injury/illness trends to inform proactive risk mitigation strategies.

Presenters

Sylvia Fontes, MS, CIH
Ms. Fontes is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with more than 40 years of experience in comprehensive industrial hygiene services and is currently the Director of Environmental Health Services for Forensic Analytical Consulting Services. In this role, Ms. Fontes is responsible for the exposure assessment and environmental health and safety service lines for the firm. She is currently the Past-Chair of the AIHA Cannabis Health and Safety Committee. She has worked for a variety of consulting firms and private industry throughout her career and this experience has given Ms. Fontes a comprehensive understanding of the field of Environmental and Industrial Hygiene and Safety.

Cathy Hovde, CIH, CSP
Cathy is a trusted advocate for public health and safety, known for distilling complex technical concepts into accessible guidance for diverse industries—including emerging sectors like cannabis. As founder of Resilient EHS, she leads with a mission to advance workplace health through hands-on training, innovative compliance frameworks, and strategic consulting. Her work blends technical precision with creative communication to drive impactful, cost-effective solutions. Cathy serves on the ACGIH Board of Directors.

Marina Jabsky, MPH
Marina is the Industrial Hygienist at NYCOSH, and a member of the AIHA Cannabis Industry Health and Safety Committee. Although she is relatively new to the cannabis industry, Marina has been practicing industrial hygiene since 2014, and has extensive experience in the evaluation and mitigation of workplace hazards. She has had the opportunity to assess facilities in a variety of different settings, including construction sites, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, schools, and office buildings. In addition to on-site assessments, Marina also provides technical assistance, support, and training, to help workers gain the skills they need to address the health and safety issues in their workplaces.

Rob Kleinerman, MPH, CIH
Rob is the Principal of Kleinerman & Associates, a professional consulting firm located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, providing environmental health and safety consulting services to businesses in the western United States. His expertise includes development and implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Management systems, EHS program management, OSHA compliance, industrial hygiene, laboratory safety, control of potent pharmaceutical compounds, facility decommissioning, environmental protection and emergency preparedness & response.

**This live event will be administered in our LMS through zoom meeting. Please view our FAQ for additional information.**