AORN - Alliance Annual Report - January 10, 2012

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
January 10, 2012

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    December 15, 2006

    Date Renewed

    April 1, 2009

    Evaluation Period

    December 15, 2010- December 14, 2011

    Overview

    The OSHA and AORN Alliance is providing AORN’s members and others, including perioperative healthcare providers and small businesses (e.g., ambulatory surgery centers), with information, guidance, and access to training resources to protect employees’ health and safety. Through the Alliance, the organizations are focusing on preventing exposure to bloodborne diseases, and exposure to smoke plume generated from the use of electrosurgery units (ESU) and lasers, and laser safety.

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA:

    Sheila Arbury - Office of Occupational Health Nursing (OOHN), Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM)
    Morgan Seuberling - Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs

    AORN:

    Mary Ogg - PeriOperative Nursing Specialist, AORN

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • March 10, 2011 - Implementation Team Meeting
    • July 20, 2011 - Implementation Team Meeting
    • October 20, 2011 - Implementation Team Meeting

    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

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA’s and AORN’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.

        Products

        Laser Safety Checklist

        Through the OSHA and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Alliance, AORN developed a checklist providing guidance for perioperative personnel to ensure a safe environment for patients and health care workers during the use of laser technology. The checklist was finalized and posted to the AORN Web site and linked to from the OSHA and AORN Alliance Program Web page in June 2011.

        Publications and Newsletters

        AORN included several OSHA-related articles and events in its electronic newsletter, Periop Insider and in its quarterly publication, AORN Journal. The articles provided AORN members with workplace safety and health information.

        AORN and OSHA Alliance-related Web Page

        Through the OSHA and the AORN Alliance, the organizations worked with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to develop the content for the “Respiratory Protection and Challenges for Perioperative Personnel,” Webinar conducted on November 18, 2009. Audrey Profitt, Industrial Hygienist, Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA discussed OSHA enforcement issues, including fit-testing and availability/non-availability of N95 respirators.

        OSHA and AORN Alliance Web Page

        OSHA continues to maintain and update the OSHA and AORN Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. The page includes links to OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, the Alliance’s activities, AORN developed products, and events.

        OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

        AORN representatives serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review:

        • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Computer Workstations
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Dermal Exposure
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Eye and Face Protection
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Fall Protection
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Fire Safety
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Formaldehyde
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Laser/Electrosurgery Plume
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Laser Hazards
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Latex Allergy
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Personal Protective Equipment
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Radiation
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Reproductive Hazards
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.
        • Waste Anesthetic Gases
          • Donna A. Ford, MSN, RN-BC, Mayo Clinic, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Rochester, MN.
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY.
          • Beth A. Beilein, MSM, BSN, RN,CNOR, Naples Day Surgery, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Naples, FL.

        OSHA's eTools

        AORN representatives serve on the editorial board of the following OSHA eTool, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review:

        • Hospital
          • Mary J. Ogg, PeriOperative Nursing Specialist, Center for Nursing Practice, Denver, CO
          • Donna A. Pritchard, RN, BSN, MA, NE-BC, CN OR, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN); Brooklyn, NY

      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or AORN’s conferences, local meetings, such as the annual AORN Congress or other AORN sponsored events.

        Event

        OSHA and AORN Alliance Webinar

        Through the OSHA and AORN Alliance, Dionne Williams, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Office of Health Enforcement (OHE), Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP), USDOL-OSHA, and Sheila Arbury, Health Scientist, OOHN, DTSEM, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled “Bloodborne Pathogens – What You Need to Know to Prevent Disease Transmission in the Operating Room,” on November 17, 2011, to 43 attendees during an live Webinar hosted by AORN.

        58th AORN Annual Congress, March 19-24, 2011, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

        Representatives from OSHA Region III staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth and distributed OSHA compliance assistance materials. A reported 400 conference attendees visited the Alliance booth.

      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding AORN’s best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by AORN and through OSHA or AORN’s developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

        The OSHA and AORN Implementation Team have not completed products or resources during the evaluation period to address this goal.

      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects including bloodborne diseases and exposure to surgical plume, and laser safety that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

        Event

        2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 1-7, 2011

        The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2011 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2011 was "Celebrating a Century of Safety."

        To help support the event, AORN distributed information about 2011 NAOSH Week to its membership through the member magazine and industry newsletter. AORN also linked their Web site to the 2011 NAOSH Week Web page.

      • Encourage AORN local chapters to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including bloodborne pathogen hazards, exposure to surgical smoke, and lasers, and laser safety.

        The OSHA and AORN Implementation Team have not completed products or resources during the evaluation period to address this goal.

    2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance, OSHA and AORN are working together to develop resources that will focus on reducing and preventing exposure to bloodborne diseases, ergonomic injuries and exposure to smoke plume generated from the use of electrosurgery units (ESU) and lasers. The positive relationship that AORN has developed over the past five years has led to the development of many projects that the team is currently working on or has produced.

      The Alliance is continuing to distribute information and increase awareness of laser safety for the industry safety and health professionals. Through the Alliance Program, AORN developed a checklist providing guidance for perioperative personnel to ensure a safe environment for patients and health care workers during the use of laser technology. The checklist was finalized and posted to the AORN Web site and linked to from the OSHA and AORN Alliance Program Web page and the Alliance Program Participant Developed Products page on the OSHA Web.

      Through the Alliance, OSHA staff gave a presentation entitled “Bloodborne Pathogens – What You Need to Know to Prevent Disease Transmission in the Operating Room,” on November 17, 2011, to 43 attendees during a Webinar hosted by AORN. In addition, AORN invited an OSHA representative from the Region III Area Office to staff an Alliance Program exhibit booth during their Annual Congress.

      AORN representatives are sharing their expertise with OSHA through participation on the editorial boards for 14 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, including but not limited to, Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention, Laser Hazards, Laser/Electrosurgery Plume, Personal Protective Equipment, Reproductive Hazards and Waste Anesthetic Gases. AORN members are also continuing to serve on the OSHA editorial board for the Hospital eTool.

      Finally, as part of their outreach, AORN supported and promoted the 2011 NAOSH Week by adding information about the event on the AORN Web site and in AORN publications.

    3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and AORN Alliance Web page
      on the Agency Web site

      2,833
      AORN and OSHA Alliance-related
      Web page on the AORN Web site

      Data Not Available
      Blood Borne Pathogens and
      Needlestick Prevention
      Safety and Health Topics page

      164,140
      Computer Workstations
      Safety and Health Topics page

      13,417
      Dermal Exposure
      Safety and Health Topics page

      8,892
      Eye and Face Protection
      Safety and Health Topics page

      32,549
      Fall Protection
      Safety and Health Topics page

      102,576
      Fire Safety
      Safety and Health Topics page

      58,162
      Formaldehyde
      Safety and Health Topics page

      35,150
      Laser/Electrosurgery Plume
      Safety and Health Topics page

      7,487
      Laser Hazards
      Safety and Health Topics page

      21,184
      Latex Allergy
      Safety and Health Topics page

      13,879
      Personal Protective Equipment
      Safety and Health Topics page

      156,314
      Radiation
      Safety and Health Topics page

      38,551
      Reproductive Hazards
      Safety and Health Topics page

      9,904
      Waste Anesthetic Gases
      Safety and Health Topics page

      8,293
      OSHA Hospital eTool

      33,408
      November 17, 2011: AORN Webinar
      "Bloodborne Pathogens - What You Need to
      Know to Prevent Disease Transmission in
      the Operating Room"

      43

      December 2011: "Seeking Solutions to Increase Sharps Safety"

      AORN Journal

      42,358

      November 2011: "Bloodborne Pathogen
      Violations: Compliance is Key to Prevention"

      AORN Journal

      42,358

      October 2011: "Bloodborne Pathogen
      Violations: Compliance is Key to Prevention"

      AORN Journal

      42,358

      May 2011: "OSHA Announces inspections of
      outpatient care centers to address
      illnesses in the workplace."

      AORN Journal

      42,358

      March 15, 2011: "NAOSH Week Aims to
      increase focus on preventing injuries and
      illnesses in the workplace."

      AORN Journal

      37,000

      March 19-24, 2011, 58th AORN Annual
      Congress, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

      OSHA Staffed Alliance Exhibit

      400
      Total

      913,614

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In 2012, OSHA and AORN will continue to focus on health and safety issues that address preventing exposure to bloodborne diseases, exposure to smoke plume generated from the use of electrosurgery units (ESU) and lasers, and laser safety. The OSHA and AORN Alliance Implementation Team members have discussed a number of activities that will be undertaken in the upcoming year.

    Through the Alliance, AORN will develop a sharps safety guidance document for perioperative personnel to ensure a safe environment for health care professionals working in the Operating Room (OR). AORN will add the guidance document to the AORN and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the AORN Web site. OSHA will then link to the document from the OSHA and AORN Alliance Web page, the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page, and other appropriate locations on the Agency Web site. AORN will also continue to provide their expertise to OSHA by providing feedback on draft safety and health documents and/or Web pages developed by OSHA, as requested.

    In addition, AORN representatives will continue to provide OSHA their expertise in serving on the editorial boards for the OSHA Hospital eTool and for 14 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, including but not limited to, Bloodborne Pathogens, Laser Hazards, and Personal Protective Equipment.

    In continuing the exhibiting and speaking goal, OSHA representatives will participate at the 59th AORN Annual Congress. OSHA personnel from Region VI will staff an Alliance exhibit booth, March 26-28, 2012, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    Finally, AORN representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, May 6-12, 2012, "Safety, What Every Business Needs."

Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, January 10, 2012.