Supported by over 45 years of professional experience in industrial hygiene and occupational health, Stephen W. Hemperly has made strides in his respective fields since commencing his career in 1977. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in biology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1971 and a Master of Science in environmental health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1976, he joined the United States Department of Labor. Mr. Hemperly served the Department of Labor until 1982, where he was an industrial hygienist for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. From there, he was a senior industrial hygienist for the National Loss Control Service Corporation from 1982 to 1984.
As his career progressed, Mr. Hemperly served the State of California as an associate industrial hygienist in their Division of Occupational Safety and Health from 1984 to 1985 and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals as an industrial hygienist from 1985 to 1989. In the latter stages of his career, he also excelled as a staff industrial hygienist for the IBM Almaden Research Center between 1989 and 2003 and an advisory industrial hygienist for Hitachi Ltd. From 2003 to 2012. Since 2012, Mr. Hemperly has thrived as an advisory industrial hygienist for Western Digital Corporation.
As a testament to his success in the industry, Mr. Hemperly was recognized as a fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. He attributes much of his success to his ability to continually learn over the course of his career, as well as the influence of his mentors. He also credits the knowledge he has cultivated through his contributions to professional journals and affiliated websites. Emphasizing that industrial hygiene is defined by its anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of occupational safety and health, Mr. Hemperly intends to continue serving in his field in the coming years. Particularly, he aims to raise awareness of the significance of occupational safety and continue making contributions to new metrics in the field.
