ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
And
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
And
Joint Commission Resources (JCR)
October 2, 2006

1. 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

   Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)

   Darla Royal

   Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine (DSTM)

   Don Wright

   DSTM

   JCAHO:

   Char Hill

   Special Assistant

   JCR:

   Karen Timmons

   President and CEO

   Cathy Hinckley

   Executive Director, Publications

   Pam Steinbach

   Executive Director, Education

   *Jennifer Hill

   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

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   January 10, 2006

   Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.

   April 5, 2006

   Conference Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.

   June 23, 2006

   Conference Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.

   July 21, 2006

   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.

3. Results
   1. 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.

   2. 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.

   3. 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

4. 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.