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Industry and NEHA Present and Future Philosophy
One of the unique features of a professional society is that it offers all who practice within a profession an opportunity to interrelate in an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendliness; whereas, often in the everyday work world, professionals must act within the constraints of their roles. For example, an adversarial air is frequently pre sent in discussion between regulatory professionals and those who are regulated. In addition, a "status" barrier may be present in an exchange between a subordinate and a superior. In a professional society, these roles do not govern the manner in which people relate. On the contrary, the opportunity to learn from, grow and groom personal relationships is one of the secrets of a professional society's attractiveness. NEHA recognizes this and further recognizes that the richness of our organization through the years has been in large measure a function of the diversity of our member ship base. Clearly, the association's members who work in other than governmental agencies have much to gain from an unconstrained relationship with their governmental employed colleagues, and vice versa. This is one of the reasons why NEHA has always welcomed professionals who are employed by industry, and in fact why, in recent years, NEHA has stepped up its efforts to get members from industry. In 1983, the Associa tion's Board of Directors approved an industry affiliate, specifically for active members who are employed by industry. This is a steadily growing and increasingly active affiliate. Another reason the association has sought to offer a professional home for all environ mental health professionals is that even though many people are actually practicing environmental health in industry, they are not commonly recognized as such. Because of the perception that the practice of environmental health occurs principally in govern ment, competition between government and industry for high quality environmental health professionals is limited - in contrast to other professions that enjoy the demand of the manpower marketplace. The interaction among professionals from both the public and private sectors that can be achieved through this professional society could serve as the catalyst that is needed to improve overall job opportunities and salaries. NEHA had committed itself to open ing its doors to more private sector participation among industry professionals. This should help to establish that those practicing environmental health in nongovernmental settings are recognized as legitimate practitioners of environmental health. As the Association moves toward success in this endeavor, professionals at every level should enjoy the flexibility of practicing wherever they wish, and the chance to earn what they deserve. ..
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