JCAHO - Alliance Annual Report - September 28, 2015

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
And The Joint Commission (TJC) and Joint Commission Resources (JCR)
September 28, 2015

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  1. Alliance Background

    1. Date Signed

      July 27, 2004

    2. Dates Renewed

      November 8, 2006

      January 14, 2009

      August 21, 2013

    3. Evaluation Period

      July 27, 2014 – July 26, 2015

    4. Overview

      The OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance provide TJC/JCR members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers. In particular, the Alliance will continue to address reducing and preventing exposure to physical, chemical, biological, and airborne hazards in healthcare and addressing emergency preparedness issues.

    5. Implementation Team Members

      OSHA

      *Christina Morgan
      Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)
      *Morgan Seuberling
      Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, OOSA, DCSP
      Sheila Arbury
      Health Scientist, Office of Occupational Health Nursing, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM)
      Sharon Carr
      Health Scientist, Office of Biological Hazards, Directorate of Standards and Guidance
      Michael Pannell
      Senior Industrial Hygienist, Office of Health Enforcement (OHE), Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
      Gary Senatore
      Industrial Hygienist, OHE, DEP
      Richard J. Thomas
      Deputy Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, DTSEM

      TJC/JCR

      Jean Courtney
      Deputy Executive Officer, JCR
      Cathy Hinckley
      Executive Director, Publications and Education, JCR
      *Jim Parker
      Executive Editor, Publications and Education, JCR
      *Kristine Miller
      Executive Editor, Publications and Education, JCR
      Barbara Braun
      Project Director, Department of Health Services Research, TJC
      John Fishbeck
      Associate Project Director, Standards and Survey Methods, TJC
      *Marco A. Villagrana
      Director of Federal Relations, TJC

      NIOSH

      Debra Novak
      Senior Service Fellow, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

      *Christina Morgan joined the Alliance Implementation Team on April 6, 2015.

      *Morgan Seuberling served on the Alliance Implementation Team until April 3, 2015.

      *Marco A. Villagrana served on the Alliance Implementation Team until May 29, 2015.

      *Kristine Miller served on the Alliance Implementation Team until June 26, 2015.

      *Jim Parker joined the Alliance Implementation Team on July 23, 2015.

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • October 20, 2014
    • March 2, 2015
    • June 15, 2015

    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

    The following table summarizes the Alliance’s activities in support of the goals in the Alliance agreement.

    Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives Goal 1: To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers through, for example, the publication of three Environment of Care® News (EC News) articles per year.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Area of Emphasis Supported Number Reached
    Product

    EC News: Laser Beam Safety Scheme: Why your health care organization needs to implement an effective medical laser safety program (PDF*). (February 2015).

    JCR developed an article that discusses laser safety in healthcare facilities, provides information on laser classification and hazards, and emphasizes the need for medical laser programs.

    		 Healthcare 734
    Product

    EC News: Dangerous Disposal: OSHA’s fact sheet on safe handling of Ebola-contaminated waste (PDF*). (April 2015).

    JCR developed an article highlighting the OSHA/NIOSH/EPA fact sheet (PDF*) on protecting healthcare workers who handle, treat, transport, or dispose of Ebola-contaminated waste.

    		 Healthcare 757
    Product

    EC News: Protecting Temporary Workers: Personnel Safety in the Health Care Setting (PDF*) (May 2015).

    JCR developed an article addressing the responsibilities of health care organizations and staffing agencies with regard to temporary workers.

    		 Healthcare, Temporary Workers 752
    Product

    EC News: New Online Publications Focus on Respiratory Protection for Health Care Workers (PDF*). (July 2015).

    JCR developed an article discussing new resources on respiratory protection for healthcare workers, including the new OSHA/NIOSH publication, Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit: Resources for Respirator Program Administrators. (PDF*).

    		 Healthcare 727
    Dissemination

    Supporting OSHA’s Awareness Campaign on New Reporting Requirements Effective January 1, 2015

    TJC/JCR linked to the OSHA web page on Reporting Requirements from their Alliance web page in December 2014.

    		 Healthcare 28,000
    Dissemination

    Supporting OSHA’s Outreach Campaign on Worker Safety in Healthcare

    TJC/JCR published an article about OSHA’s 6/15/15 enforcement memorandum on hospitals and nursing homes in its July 1, 2015 issue of Joint Commission Online (weekly e-newsletter.)

    		 Healthcare 28,000
     

    Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives Goal 2: To convene or participate in forums, roundtable 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.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Area of Emphasis Supported Number Reached
     

    The OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Implementation Team did not complete work on programs or projects to address this goal during this reporting period.
     

    Outreach and Communication Goal 1: To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to develop ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the TJC’s/JCR's Web sites) to employers and workers in the healthcare industry.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Area of Emphasis Supported Number Reached
    Dissemination

    TJC/JCR and OSHA Alliance 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 EC News articles that were produced through the Alliance during this reporting period.

    		 Healthcare 678
    Dissemination

    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 EC News articles.

    		 Healthcare 3,677
     

    Outreach and Communication Goal 2: To share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding TJC/JCR best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by TJC/JCR through OSHA or TJC/JCR developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Area of Emphasis Supported Number Reached
    Other

    TJC Standards Access

    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.

    		 Healthcare 1
     

    Outreach and Communication Goal 3: To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or TJC/JCR Conferences, local meetings, or other events such as the JCR Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Area of Emphasis Supported Number Reached
    Speaker

    TJC’s 2015 Emergency Preparedness Conference and Exhibition
    April 30-May 1, 2015, Orlando, Florida

    OSHA publications were distributed at an exhibit booth.

    		 Healthcare 375
    Exhibit

    TJC’s 2015 Emergency Preparedness Conference and Exhibition
    April 30-May 1, 2015, Orlando, Florida

    The OSHA/NIOSH/CDC Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit was discussed in a 30-minute presentation entitled "New Respiratory Protection Program Resources: Coordination with Emergency Preparedness" which was given by Brette Tschurtz (TJC) and co-authored by implementation team member Deb Novak.

    		 Healthcare 85
    TOTAL:     63,786
  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Alliance Implementation Team will continue to provide health care workers and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources to promote employees’ health and safety.

    For example, OSHA and TJC/JCR will develop at least three articles for the standing column, "OSHA & Worker Safety", in JCR’s Environment of Care® News and will collaborate in disseminating these and other resources related to occupational hazards in the healthcare industry such as musculoskeletal disorders, bloodborne pathogens; workplace violence; tuberculosis; and slips, trips, and falls. OSHA and TJC/JCR will also explore possible collaborative efforts to promote safe patient handling in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

    Finally, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Implementation Team will promote the Alliance through an exhibit opportunity during the Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference in May 2016.

Report prepared by: Christina Morgan, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances; September 28, 2015

Activity Types:

  • Alliance Product: Products (e.g., fact sheets, videos, toolbox talks) developed by Alliance participants as part of the Alliance. These are not OSHA products.
  • Dissemination: An Alliance participant sends OSHA information, Alliance products, or other safety and health information to its stakeholders. This includes information sent by email or social media (Facebook, Twitter), and information included in newsletters and other publications. It also includes hits on the Alliance participant’s or OSHA’s Web page.
  • Evaluation: Any efforts by the Alliance participant to evaluate the effectiveness of an Alliance activity or the Alliance as a whole.
  • Event: Participation in events such as the Construction Roundtable and NAOSH Week.
  • Exhibit: OSHA exhibits at events sponsored by the Alliance participant.
  • OSHA Product Review: Review of an OSHA product by an Alliance participant. For example, an Alliance participant may provide technical comments on an OSHA eTool or publication. The review itself is considered the Alliance activity.
  • Speech/Presentation: Speeches or presentation by OSHA staff at events sponsored by the Alliance participant.
  • Training: This includes best practice seminars or other training that Alliance participants provide for OSHA staff. It also includes training for workers/employers/others by Alliance participants.
  • Other: Use this if an activity does not fit into one of the other categories.

OSHA Areas of Emphasis:

  • Agriculture
  • Asian American/Pacific Islander Workers
  • Construction
  • Ergonomics
  • Fall Prevention
  • Hazard Communication/Chemicals
  • Health Care
  • Heat Illness Prevention
  • Hispanic/Latino Workers
  • Maritime
  • Oil and Gas
  • Small Business
  • Temporary Workers
  • Transportation
  • Young Workers