ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and
The Joint Commission (TJC) and Joint Commission Resources (JCR)
August 14, 2012

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed

   July 27, 2004

   Dates Renewed

   November 8, 2006
   January 14, 2009

   Evaluation Period

   July 27, 2011 - July 26, 2012

   Overview

   The OSHA and The Joint Commission/Joint Commission Resources Alliance focuses on providing healthy and safe 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

   Eric Lahaie*

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

   Morgan Seuberling

   OOSA, DCSP

   TJC/JCR:

   Jean Courtney

   Deputy Executive Officer, JCR

   Cathy Hinckley

   Executive Director, Publications, JCR

   Leslie J. LaBelle**

   Associate Director, National Conferences, JCR

   Kristine Miller

   Executive Editor, Environment of Care News, JCR

   Barbara Braun

   Project Director, Department of Health Services Research, TJC

   John Fishbeck

   Associate Project Director, Standards and Survey Methods, TJC

   Patricia Kurtz

   Director of Federal Relations, TJC

   *Eric Lahaie served on the OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance Implementation Team until May 31, 2012.

   **Leslie J. LaBelle served on the OSHA and The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance Implementation Team until December 31, 2011.

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   October 26, 2011

   February 22, 2012

   June 20, 2012

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

      Products

      Environment of Care® News (EOCN)

      Through the Alliance, OSHA and TJC/JCR are continuing to write an "OSHA & Worker Safety" column relating to health care worker safety and health in JCR's newsletter, Environment of Care® News (EOCN). In addition, Patricia Bray serves on the EOCN editorial board. JCR published the following news articles as Alliance products:

      • Sharp Focus: How health care workers can prevent exposure to bloodborne pathogen
        
        Through the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance, JCR developed an article that reviews the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and presents guidelines for preventing sharps injuries. The article also includes proper disposal procedures and summarizes the benefits of a good exposure plan. The article was published in the June 2012 edition, volume 15, issue 6, pages 8-11 of the EOCN.
      
      
      • North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week May 6 - 12, 2012: Job safety stressed; kick-off event May 7
        
        Through the OSHA and TJC/ JCR Alliance, JCR developed an article to emphasize the importance of preventing harm, eliminating hazards, and safeguarding health while on the job in support for 2012 NAOSH Week. The article also highlights the 2012 NAOSH Week Kick-off event held at the Department of Labor. The article was published in the May 2012 edition, volume 15, issue 5, pages 10-11 of the EOCN.
      
      
      • Top 10 OSHA Citations in Health Care - OSHA releases information for October 1, 2010 - September 30, 2011
        
        Through the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance, JCR developed a side bar article highlighting the top ten OSHA citations issued to healthcare facilities in Fiscal Year 2011. The information is based on the percentage of federal OSHA inspections within the health care industry (Standard Industrial Classification Code 80, Health Services) that resulted in specific standard citations. The article was published in the February 2012 edition, volume 15, issue 2, page 10 of the EOCN.
      
      
      • OSHA Issues Directive on Workplace Violence: Health Care Organizations May Be Inspected After Incidents or Complaints Occur
        
        Through the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance, JCR developed an article to help health care facilities identify and abate incidents of workplace violence. The article was published in the January 2012 edition, volume 15, issue 1, pages 8-11 of the EOCN.
      
      
      • Worker Exposure to Hazardous Drugs Subject of NIOSH Alert and Guidelines: The Joint Commission and OSHA Lend Support to National Effort to Curb Hazards
        
        Through the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance, JCR developed an article on protecting workers through evaluation, recognition, and control of occupational exposure to hazardous drugs found in health care facilities. The article was published in the November 2011 edition, volume 14, issue 11, pages 6-8 of the EOCN.

      TJC/JCR Alliance-Related Web Page

      TJC/JCR maintains and updates the TJC/JCR and OSHA Alliance Web page on its Web site. The TJC/JCR Web page provides information on the Alliance agreement and related documents posted on the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. The page also contains links to the EOCN articles that were produced through the Alliance during this reporting period.

      OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Web Page

      OSHA maintains and updates the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. The page includes the Alliance agreement, annual reports, news releases, information on activities and events of the Alliance, and links to the Alliance developed products and resources, such as the EOCN articles.

      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or The Joint Commission/JCR conferences, local meetings, or other events such as the JCR Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference.

      Event

      Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference, April 11-12, 2012 Arlington, VA

      On April 11-12, 2012, Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialists, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State, staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth and disseminated OSHA publications to 350 attendees.

      • 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).

      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. The 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.

      North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 12, 2012, Washington, DC

      TJC/JCR and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), 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 2012 was "Safety, What Every Business Needs."

      To help support the event, TJC/JCR disseminated information about 2012 NAOSH Week to their membership in an EOC article.

   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 with OSHA over the past eight years led to the generation of projects and programs that the team is currently working on or has recently completed.

      OSHA continues to serve on the editorial board of the JCR publication, Environment of Care® News, and works jointly with TJC/JCR on developing an "OSHA & Worker Safety" standing column for the newsletter. The articles developed during this reporting period are linked to both the TJC/JCR Alliance Web page and the OSHA Web pages.

      In addition, TJC/JCR maintains an Alliance-related Web page. The page provides information on the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance, the Alliance agreement, and related documents linked from the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site.

      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	NA
      The Joint Commission/JCR Alliance Web page on JCR's Web site	NA
      June 2012, "Sharp Focus: How health care workers can prevent exposure to bloodborne pathogens" Environment of Care® News	1,380
      May 2012, "North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week May 6 - 12, 2012: Job safety stressed; kick-off event May 7" Environment of Care® News	1,380
      February 2012, "Top 10 OSHA Citations in Health Care - OSHA releases information for October 1, 2010 - September 30, 2011" Environment of Care® News	1,380
      January 2012, "OSHA Issues Directive on Workplace Violence: Health Care Organizations May Be Inspected After Incidents or Complaints Occur" Environment of Care® News	1,380
      November 2011, "Worker Exposure to Hazardous Drugs Subject of NIOSH Alert and Guidelines: The Joint Commission and OSHA Lend Support to National Effort to Curb Hazards" Environment of Care® News	1,380
      April 11-12, 2012: Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference, Arlington, Virginia Exhibit: OSHA staffed Alliance Exhibit Booth	350
      Total	7,250

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 compose three articles for the standing column, "OSHA & Worker Safety, in JCR's publication, Environment of Care® News. In addition, the Agency and TJC/JCR are committed to maintaining and updating their Web pages with information and resources developed through the Alliance Program. Lastly, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Implementation Team are developing plans to promote the Alliance through a speaking and exhibiting opportunity during the Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference in the spring of 2013.

Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, August 14, 2012.