In this third article about Women in IH Making History, we are spotlighting a contemporary industrial/occupational hygienist, engineer, and all-around constructive disruptor; Ms. Kate Cole. Kate’s formal academic training includes a Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology), Master of Environmental Engineering Management, and Master of Science in Occupational Hygiene Practice. She is a Certified Occupational Hygienist and is among the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Women of Influence.
Kate is Full Member of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (MAIOH) and is currently President-Elect of the MAIOH.
Besides being a passionate advocate for preserving the health of workers across Australia, Kate is known for her efforts to prevent silicosis through the control of respirable crystalline silica. Her knowledge and expertise in this area were informed by her graduate studies, the completion of a Winston Churchill Fellowship, and by her work across major construction and tunneling projects, both domestically and internationally. She serves on the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) Scientific TB-Silica Committee.
This past year, Kate has been helping protect workers from the COVID-19 by applying her expertise on respiratory protection and health and safety more broadly. She has been a vocal and credible resource, calling out counterfeit PPE and having it removed from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods after post-market review confirmed their poor quality.
Kate is a fierce advocate for the need for respiratory protection that reflects the airborne mode of transmission of SARS CoV-2, to protect healthcare workers (and other workers). She is a member of the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce Infection Prevention & Control Panel, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care National Clinical Taskforce and DHHS Victoria Healthcare Worker Infection Prevention and Wellbeing Taskforce Prevention Mechanisms Sub-group.