AOHP - Alliance Annual Report - April 26, 2006

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
And
The Association of Occupational Health Professionals (AOHP)
April 26, 2006

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    February 19, 2004

    Overview

    The OSHA and AOHP Alliance is providing the association's members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect employees' health and safety. The organizations are working to reduce and prevent exposure to patient-handling hazards, bloodborne diseases and bioterrorism in healthcare facilities.

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA:  
    Shelia Arbury
    Bret Besser
    Brently Donaldson
    Sandra Khan    		 Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine (DSTM)
    DSTM
    Office of Training and Education
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances
       
    AOHP:  
    Diane Dickerson
    June Duck
    Jan Frustaglia
    Linda Good
    MaryAnn Gruden
    Linda Haney
    Sandra Prickett
    Denise Strode    		 Director, EHS, Inova Health System
    Team Coordinator, Sentara Healthcare
    Program Coordinator, Austin Community College
    Employee Health, Scripps Memorial Hospital
    EHS Coordinator, West Penn Hospital
    Clinical Director, Dligent Services
    EHS Coordinator, Morin General Hospital
    Case Manager, OSF Saint Francis

    Evaluation Period

    February 19, 2005 – February 18, 2006

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    March 28, 2005
    May 24, 2005
    September 14, 2005
    February 8, 2006    		 Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
    Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
    Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
    Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC

    In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance's progress and results.

  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goal

      • Develop workplace safety and health curricula for training and education programs on patient handling and bloodborne pathogens for healthcare institutions and workers.

      Products

      Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting

      The OSHA and AOHP Alliance implementation team are developing a guidance document, "Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting," that provides the necessary tools for the occupational health professional (OHP) in healthcare to implement a safe patient handling program.

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • Develop and disseminate information through print and electronic media, including electronic assistance tools and links from OSHA's and AOHP's Web sites.

      Products

      OSHA and AOHP Alliance Web Site

      The OSHA and AOHP Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site includes links to related documents, activities and events, products and resources and the AOHP and OSHA Web page. This Web page is kept up-to-date on a regular basis. For more information on the number of site visits please see the "Alliance Program Reach" table.

      AOHP and OSHA Alliance Web Site

      AOHP developed an AOHP and OSHA Alliance Web page on the organization's Web site. The Web page is updated regularly and includes links to the OSHA and AOHP Web page, related documents, activities and events and OSHA Safety and Health Topic pages.

      Print and Electronic Media

      Articles on the OSHA and AOHP Alliance have appeared in a number of AOHP's print and online publications including: the AOHP Journal and electronic newsletter. For more information on the articles, please see the "Alliance Program Reach" table.

      OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages and eTools

      AOHP representatives, Mary Ann Gruden and Susan Randolph serve on the editorial boards for OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages and eTools, including:

      • Bloodborne Pathogens
      • Health Care Facilities
      • OSHA's Hospital eTool

      • Encourage AOHP chapters and AOHP worksites to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including patient handling hazards, bloodborne pathogen hazards and bioterrorism.

        The OSHA and AOHP Alliance implementation team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • Cross-train OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals in AOHP's best practices or effective approaches, as jointly determined by OSHA and AOHP.

      Products

      PowerPoint® Presentations

      AOHP is updating its PowerPoint® presentations on Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting and Bloodborne Pathogens to share with OSHA's Compliance Assistance Specialists. In addition, the organization is adding the Alliance logo to the presentations. After the speaker notes have been added to the presentation OSHA will post the presentations on its Limited Access Page.

      • Promote and encourage AOHP members' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, Consultation, and SHARP.

        The OSHA and AOHP Alliance implementation team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects related to the healthcare setting that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

      Products

      Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting

      The OSHA and AOHP Alliance team members agreed to share the guidance document, "Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting," with the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) to review and provide feedback.

      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at conferences such as AOHP's national and chapter events.

      Events

      AOHP 25th Annual National Conference, October 12-15, 2005, San Antonio, Texas

      Ms. Joann Natarajan, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region VI, Austin, Texas Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation, "Recordkeeping Interpretations: The New Handbook," to over 75 attendees. In addition, she staffed the OSHA and AOHP Alliance exhibit booth.

      Virginia Chapter, AOHP Fall Conference, November 3, 2005, Fairfax, Virginia

      Ms. Shelia Arbury, Health Scientist, Office of Occupational Health Nursing, Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation, "OSHA's Health-Related Electronic Assistance Tools," to over 65 attendees.

      Promoting the National Dialog Goals

      • Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and publicize their results.

        The OSHA and AOHP Alliance implementation team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • Convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings on healthcare workplace safety and health issues to provide input and help forge innovative solutions in the workplace.

        AOHP has agreed to participate on an ergonomic roundtable which OSHA is planning for the fall of 2006.

    2. Executive summary

      During the reporting period, OSHA and AOHP continue to work together to address important safety and health issues including, patient handling, bioterrorism, and bloodborne diseases in healthcare. For example, through the Alliance AOHP is developing a guidance document, "Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting" and OSHA is reviewing and providing feedback to AOHP. In addition, OSHA and AOHP have agreed to share the guidance document with the AAOHN, an Alliance Program participant, to review and provide additional feedback.

      The organizations also developed several resources with information about the Alliance and ergonomic issues. The OSHA and AOHP Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site is updated regularly. In addition, AOHP developed an Alliance Web page on the organization's Web site that provides links to the Alliance agreement, related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes and a reciprocal Web page links. AOHP members are also on the editorial boards for OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens and Needle Stick Prevention and Occupational Health Professionals Safety and Health Topic pages and provide expertise on OSHA's Hospital eTool.

      In addition, AOHP agreed to share with OSHA the following PowerPoint® presentations, "Patient Handling in the Acute Care Facility" and "Bloodborne Pathogens." OSHA will post the presentations on the Agency's Limited Access Page.

      Finally, speaking and exhibiting opportunities are invaluable to the success of the OSHA and AOHP Alliance, as was proven in 2005. Ms. Jan Natarajan's presentation during the 25th AOHP Annual National Conference in October 2005 provided an excellent vehicle for speaking directly to occupational health professionals regarding the Agency's recordkeeping interpretations and compliance assistance resources. In addition, she staffed the AOHP and OSHA Alliance exhibit booth and provided safety and health publications to the attendees. Ms. Sheila Arbury also gave a presentation on OSHA's Health-Related Electronic Assistance Tools to attendees at the AOHP Virginia Chapter Fall Conference in November 2005.

    3. Alliance Program Reach

    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
    OSHA-AOHP Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site. 5,238
    Spring 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Journal    		 2,210
    Spring 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Electronic Newsletter    		 2,210
    Summer 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Journal    		 2,210
    Summer 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Electronic Newsletter    		 2,210
    Fall 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update"
    AOHP Journal    		 2,210
    Fall 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Electronic Newsletter    		 2,210
    October 12-15, 2005, AOHP 25th Annual National Conference, San Antonio, Texas

    Speaker: October 14, 2005: Joann Natarajan, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region VI, Austin, Texas Area Office gave a presentation entitled, "Recordkeeping Interpretations: The New Handbook."    		 75
    October 12-15, 2005, AOHP 25th Annual National Conference, San Antonio, Texas

    OSHA exhibited    		 400+
    November 3, 2005, Virginia Chapter, AOHP Fall Conference, Fairfax, Virginia

    Speaker: Shelia Arbury, Health Scientist, Office of Occupational Health Nursing, Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine gave a presentation entitled, "OSHA's Health-Related Electronic Assistance Tools."    		 65
    Winter 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Journal    		 2,210
    Winter 2005, "OSHA Alliance Update,"
    AOHP Electronic Newsletter    		 2,210
    OSHA's Electronic Assistance Tools
    • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needle Stick Prevention Safety and Health Topics page
    • Occupational Health Professionals
    • Hospital eTool
    		 26,213
    TOTAL 47,461

    IV. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, OSHA and AOHP will renew its Alliance and continue to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources to protect employees' health and safety, particularly in the areas associated with emergency preparedness, bloodborne pathogens and patient handling hazards. For example, the Alliance is providing two PowerPoint® presentations, "Update on Safe Patient Handling in Acute Care," and "Update on BBP – Sharps Safety that will be added to OSHA's Limited Access Page. In addition, the guidance document, "Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting," will be finalized and posted on the AOHP Web site and OSHA will link to it from the OSHA and AOHP Alliance Web page. Representatives from AOHP will also continue to serve on the editorial board of OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention Safety and Health Topics page.

    The OSHA and AOHP implementation team is also developing plans to promote the Alliance through a number of speaking and exhibiting opportunities including, the AOHP 2006 Annual Conference, October 4-7, 2006 in San Francisco, California.

    The OSHA and AOHP Alliance implementation team members will look for opportunities to work with other Alliance Program participants on projects related to a number of occupational safety and health issues, including patient handling through sharing the OSHA and AOHP document, "Patient Handling in the Acute Care Setting," with AAOHN. In addition, AOHP will also join with other Alliance Program participants in supporting the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, April 30-May 5, 2006, which is sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers; an Alliance Program participant.


    Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, April 26, 2006.