I. Alliance Background
Date Signed
July 27, 2004
Overview
The OSHA and JCAHO, JCR Alliance focuses on providing 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, ergonomics, and workplace violence issues.
Implementation Team Members
| OSHA: |
|
Sandi Khan
Darla Royal
Don Wright |
Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine (DSTM)
DSTM |
| |
|
| JCAHO: |
|
| Char Hill |
Special Assistant |
| |
|
| JCR: |
|
Karen Timmons
Cathy Hinckley
Pam Steinbach
*Jennifer Hill |
President and CEO
Executive Director, Publications
Executive Director, Education
Special Assistant to the CEO |
*Jennifer Hill served as the JCAHO/JCR Alliance coordinator until April 2006.
Evaluation Period
July 27, 2005 – July 26, 2006
II. Implementation Team Meetings
January 10, 2006
April 5, 2006
June 23, 2006
July 21, 2006 |
Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.
Conference Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.
Conference Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.
Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C. |
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.
III. Results
- Events and Products
Training and Education
- Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education programs targeted to health
care workers on topics including emergency preparedness, biological and airborne hazards, and
ergonomics.
Products
Environment of Care® News
Through the Alliance OSHA and JCAHO/JCR are jointly writing an "OSHA & Worker Safety" column in the JCR newsletter, Environment of Care® News, about health care worker safety
and health. The December 2005 edition included the article, "Moving from the Research Bench to the
Bedside," the March 2006 edition included the article, "Preventing Occupational Injury Among Diagnostic
Medical Sonographers." This article was co-authored by Joan Baker, Founder, Society of Diagnostic Medical
Sonographers (SDMS); another Alliance Program participant. The June 2006 edition included the
article, "Helping Drug-Impaired Health Care Workers—The Keys are Education, Prevention and
Confidential Diagnosis," and was written with input from another Alliance Program participant; the
Drug Free Workplace (DFWP) Alliance. Dr. Wright continues to serve on the
Environment of Care® News' Editorial Board.
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 to
employers and employees in the industry.
Products
OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Alliance Web page
The OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site continues to be updated on a regular
basis. The page includes links to the Alliance agreement and related documents, activities and
events, and products and resources.
- Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or JCAHO/JCR conferences, local meetings, or other jointly
sponsored events.
Events
1st Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference: Defending your Front Lines, October 6-7, 2005,
Washington, D.C.
Through the OSHA and JCAHO /JCR Alliance, the organizations worked together to develop curriculum
for the 1st Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference: Defending your Front Lines, October 6-7, 2005,
in Washington, D.C. The conference provided attendees with a thorough examination of OSHA and Joint
Commission standards related to emergency management, identified hospital-based best practices,
examined avenues for funding, addressed communication between first receivers and other first
responders and discussed specific areas of concern including respiratory infection, victim
decontamination, bloodborne pathogens, waste-water disposal and mobile hospital capabilities. More
than 450 emergency management and healthcare employees attended the conference.
2nd Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference: Disaster Readiness on the Home
Front, October 19-20, 2006, Washington, D.C.
Through the OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Alliance, the organizations are working with the American Red Cross,
another Alliance Program participant, to co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Emergency Preparedness
Conference: Disaster Readiness on the Home Front, October 19-20, 2006 in Washington, D.C. The
organizations are working together to develop curriculum to meet the conferences' goals that
include:
- Examine the threat of pandemic flu and natural disasters and effective planning strategies, tools
and techniques available to maintain preparedness and readiness status,
- Identify hospital-based best practices for developing a comprehensive plan for emergency response,
and effective training programs that can be applied to a hospital setting when preparing for
pandemic flu and natural disasters.
- Provide attendees with a thorough examination of OSHA and Joint Commission standards related to
emergency management, and how hospitals can use these standards as a foundation for their
hospital-based first receivers safety program.
- Address how to strengthen training and communication between first receivers and other first
responders.
- Promote and encourage participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance
and the Voluntary Protection Programs when JCAHO/JCR representatives work with healthcare
institutions.
During this evaluation period, no products or activities have been developed to meet this Alliance
goal.
- Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding
JCAHO/JCR good practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by JCAHO/JCR
and through OSHA- or JCAHO/JCR-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and
lectures (or any other applicable forum).
Products
Environment of Care Essentials, Sixth Edition
Through the Alliance, OSHA's Office of Occupational Medicine reviewed and provided feedback on the JCR's sixth edition of Environment of Care Essentials. One of the
publication chapters focuses on OSHA's regulations and how the regulations relate to healthcare worker
safety.
- 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.
Events
Joint Commission Resources 25th Audio/Web Conference, January 25, 2006
Representatives from OSHA, JCAHO/JCR and the American Heart Association (AHA), an Alliance Program
participant, worked together to produce an Audio/Web conference that was broadcast from JCR's
Headquarters in Oakwood, Illinois on January 25, 2006. The Audio/Web conference provided attendees
with an overview of the new cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency cardiovascular care
(ECC) guidelines developed through the National First Aid Science Advisory Board that was co-founded
in 2004 by the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross.
Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health
- Identify opportunities to raise awareness of workplace safety and health to groups that JCAHO/JCR
leaders and surveyors address.
During this evaluation period, no products or activities have been developed to meet this Alliance
goal.
- Develop case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and promote such
results.
During this evaluation period, no products or activities have been developed to meet this Alliance
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 this evaluation period, no products or activities have been developed to meet this Alliance
goal.
- Executive Summary
During the 2005-2006 reporting period, the OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Alliance continued to work together to
update and develop new resources related to reducing and preventing exposure to biological and
airborne hazards in health care and address emergency preparedness and ergonomic issues. For
example, the OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Web page on OSHA's Web site provides links to the Alliance
agreement, related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes.
In addition, through the Alliance, OSHA and JCAHO/JCR shared information with safety and health
professionals, emergency preparedness planners and healthcare employees at the 1st Annual Emergency
Preparedness Conference, October 6-7, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The organizations are now planning
and developing curriculum for the 2nd Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference.
OSHA and JCAHO/JCR are also working with other Alliance Program participants to develop and
disseminate compliance assistance information. For example, the Drug Free Workplace Alliance
co-wrote an article for JCR's publication, Environment of Care®, entitled,
"Helping Drug-Impaired
Health Care Workers – The Keys Are Education, Prevention, and Confidential Diagnosis," and the
Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography co-wrote, "Preventing Occupational Injury Among Diagnostic
Medical Sonographers. In addition, OSHA and JCAHO/JCR worked with the AHA to develop and broadcast
the Audio/Web about CPR and AEDs on January 25, 2006 and are co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Emergency
Preparedness Conference with the American Red Cross on October 10-20, 2006 in Washington, D.C.
Finally, OSHA reviewed and provided comments on JCR's sixth edition of Environment of Care
Essentials. The publication includes information on OSHA regulations and how the regulations relate
to healthcare worker safety.
- Alliance Program Reach
| Type of Activity (Conference,
Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) |
Number of Individuals Reached or
Trained |
| OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web
site |
4,189 |
| October 6-7, 2005, 1st Annual Emergency Preparedness
Conference, Washington, D.C. |
450 |
| December 2005, "Moving from the Research Bench to the
Bedside," Environment of Care® News |
1,848 |
| January 25, 2006, Audio/Web cast, American Heart
Association's New Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular
Care (ECC) |
Data not available |
| March 2006, "Preventing Occupational Injury Among
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers," Environment of Care® News |
1,848 |
| June 2006, "Helping Drug-Impared Health Care
Workers—The Keys Are Education, Prevention, and Confidential Diagnosis," Environment of Care® News |
1,817 |
| June 2006, "Environment of Care
Essentials" (Published June 2006 JCR) |
Data not available |
| TOTAL |
10,152 |
IV. Upcoming Milestones
As a result of the Alliance's successes in its first two years, OSHA and JCAHO/JCR will renew their
Alliance agreement in the upcoming year. The renewal agreement will revise the Alliance's goals to
more accurately reflect the organizations' areas of interest and continue to help to protect health
care employees' health and safety, particularly focusing on reducing and preventing exposure to
biological and airborne hazards in health care and addressing emergency preparedness, ergonomics,
and workplace violence issues. Through the Alliance the organizations are committed to maintaining
and updating the OSHA and JCAHO/JCR Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site and developing a JCAHO/JCR's
Alliance-related Web page on the organization's Web site.
In addition, OSHA and JCAHO/JCR will work with other Alliance Program participants, including the
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the Association of Occupational Health
Professions to update modules of OSHA's Hospital eTool.
OSHA and the JCAHO/JCR will also identify additional avenues to publicize the Alliance Program and
share information, including presentations at the 2nd Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference,
October 19-20, 2006 in Washington, D.C.
Finally, OSHA and JCAHO/JCR will continue to jointly write articles for the standing column, "OSHA &
Worker Safety," in JCR's quarterly publication, Environment of Care® News.
In addition, Dr. Wright will continue to serve on the publication's Editorial Board.
Report prepared by: Sandi Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances,
October 22, 2006.
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