ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and
The Joint Commission (TJC) and Joint Commission Resources (JCR)
September 28, 2010

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed

   July 27, 2004

   Dates Renewed

   November 8, 2006
   January 14, 2009

   Evaluation Period

   July 27, 2009 – July 26, 2010

   Overview

   The OSHA and The Joint Commission/Joint Commission Resources Alliance focuses on providing health and safety workplaces for health care workers, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to biological and airborne hazards in health care and addressing emergency preparedness, ergonomics, and workplace violence issues.

   Implementation Team Members

   OSHA:

   Sheila Arbury

   Office of Occupational Health Nursing, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM)

   Patricia Bray

   Office of Occupational Medicine, DTSEM

   Sharon Carr

   Office of Biological Hazards, Directorate of Standards and Guidance

   *Sandra Khan

   Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)

   Eric Lahaie

   OOSA, DCSP

   JCR:

   Cathy Hinckley

   Executive Director, Publications, JCR

   Leslie J. LaBelle

   Associate Director, National Conferences, JCR

   Gina LaMantia

   Manager, Audio/Web Conferences, JCR

   Kristine Miller

   Executive Editor, Environment of Care News, JCR

   Ranata Raudys

   Conference Specialist, JCR

   Pam Steinbach

   Director, Education, JCR

   *Sandra Khan served on the OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance Implementation Team until April 30, 2010

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   August 18, 2009

   Implementation Team Meeting

   December 2, 2009

   Implementation Team Meeting

   May 5, 2010

   Implementation Team Meeting

   In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance Implementation Team members 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

      • 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 The Joint Commission/JCR’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.

      Products

      Mass Vaccination Initiative for Healthcare Employees

      Through the OSHA and The Joint Commission/Joint Commission Resources (TJC/JCR) Alliance, TJC/JCR provided expertise and disseminated information on recognition and prevention of workplace hazards for the launch of their 2009 Flu Challenge Program. The program was designed to increase the number of healthcare workers receiving the seasonal flu vaccination and involved over 17,000 participating hospitals.

      OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Web Page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and The Joint Commission/Joint Commission Resources Alliance Web page posted on the Agency Web site. The page includes information on Alliance events, activities, milestones and successes, and links to the Alliance agreement and related documents.

      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or The Joint Commission/JCR conferences, local meetings, or other jointly sponsored events.

        Events

        2010 Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference, April 8-9, 2010, Washington, D.C.

        OSHA supported TJC/JCR’s second Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference through the following activities:

        • Jordan Barab, Deputy Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA, gave opening remarks and an OSHA update to health care professionals attending the conference.
        • Patricia Bray, Medical Officer, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled "H1N1-Swine Flu: A Wake Up Call for Pandemic Preparedness."
        • OSHA representatives staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth on both days of the conference and distributed OSHA Safety and Health publications to conference attendees.

        2009 The Joint Commission’s Annual Conference on Quality and Patient Safety: Explore, Enhance, and Energize-Leadership for the Future, September 14-16, 2009, Rosemont, Illinois

        OSHA supported The Joint Commission’s Annual Conference through the following activities:

        • Rosemary K. Sokas, Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled "The Worker Safety/Patient Safety Nexus."

        2009 Annual Infection Control Conference, "Mastering Powerful and Practical Infection Prevention Strategies," August 21-22, 2009, Arlington, Virginia

        OSHA supported TJC/JCR’s Annual Infection Control Conference through the following activities:

        • Rosemary K. Sokas, Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, participated on a panel discussion about reducing health associated infections and the shared responsibility of government, the healthcare industry, and the consumers.
        • Patricia Bray, Medical Officer, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled "OSHA Inspections: Infectious Diseases in Healthcare and Lab Settings."
      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding The Joint Commission/JCR best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by The Joint Commission/JCR and through OSHA or The Joint Commission/JCR developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

      Products

      TJC Standards Access

      Through the OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance, TJC/JCR provides OSHA with access to the TJC Standards for Hospitals, Laboratory Ambulatory, Behavioral, Long-term and Home Care. These standards allow for comparisons to infection prevention and control standards from the different types of healthcare institutions.

      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects related to health care worker safety that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

        During the reporting period, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Implementation Team have not completed work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal

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

        During the reporting period, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Implementation Team have not completed work on programs or projects to address this goal.

   2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and TJC/JCR are working together to update and develop new resources related to reducing and preventing exposure to biological and airborne hazards in healthcare and addressing emergency preparedness issues. The positive relationship that TJC/JCR has developed over the past six years led to the generation of projects and programs that the team is currently working on or has recently completed.

      TJC/JCR provided expertise and disseminated information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards through the initiative of their 2009 Flu Challenge Program. The program was designed to increase the number of healthcare workers receiving the seasonal flu vaccination and involved over 17,000 participating hospitals.

      In order to provide safety and health information to the industry and healthcare safety and health professionals, TJC/JCR invited OSHA to participate at several events in the course of the reporting period. During the 2010 Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference, Jordan Barab gave an OSHA update and Patricia Bray presented "H1N1-Swine Flu: A wake up Call for Pandemic Preparedness to health care professionals attending the conference. OSHA also had an Alliance exhibit booth and distributed copies of the Agency’s compliance assistance and cooperative program materials. In addition, Rosemary Sokas gave a presentation on "Worker Safety/Patient Safety Nexus to safety and healthcare professionals at the 2099 Joint Commission’s Annual Conference on Quality. Rosemary Sokas also participated on a panel discussion about reducing health associated infections and Patricia Bray gave a presentation entitled OSHA Inspections: Infectious Diseases in Healthcare and Lab Settings" to the 2009 Annual Infection Prevention and Control Conference attendees.

      Finally, TJC/JCR is sharing their expertise with OSHA by providing access to the TJC Standards for Hospitals, Laboratory Ambulatory, Behavioral, Long-term and Home Care. These standards allow OSHA to compare aspects that are key elements of effective infection prevention programs to various governmental and private institutions. They also allow comparisons to infection prevention and control standards from the different types of healthcare institutions.

   3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site	Data Not Available
      August 21-22, 2009 Annual Infection Prevention and Control Conference, "Mastering Powerful and Practical Infection Prevention Strategies," Arlington, Virginia Speakers: Rosemary K. Sokas, Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, and Patricia Bray, Medical Officer, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA	155
      September 14-16, 2009 The Joint Commission’s Annual Conference on Quality and Patient Safety: Explore, Enhance, and Energize-Leadership for the Future, Rosemont, Illinois Speaker: Rosemary K. Sokas, Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA	80
      April 8-9, 2010 Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference Washington, D.C. Speakers: Jordan Barab, Deputy Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA, and Patricia Bray, Medical Officer, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, OSHA Staffed Alliance Exhibit Booth	1,000
      Total	1,235

4. Upcoming Milestones

   During the upcoming year the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Implementation Team is planning a number of activities to provide health care workers and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to biological and airborne hazards in health care and addressing emergency preparedness issues.

   For example, OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR will continue to jointly write three articles for the standing column, "OSHA & Worker Safety, in JCR’s publication, Environment of Care® News. In addition, the Agency is committed to maintaining and updating the OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site and TJC/JCR plans to develop an Alliance Web page. Lastly, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Implementation Team are planning to promote the Alliance through a speaking and exhibiting opportunity at the 2011 Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference in April 2011.

    

   Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, September 28, 2010