ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
And The Joint Commission (TJC) and Joint Commission Resources (JCR)

September 15, 2016

  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, 2015 – July 26, 2016

    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)

      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)

      Richard J. Thomas

      Deputy Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, DTSEM

      TJC/JCR

      Cathy Hinckley

      Executive Director, Publications and Education, JCR

      Jim Parker

      Executive Editor, Publications and Education, JCR

      Barbara Braun

      Project Director, Department of Health Services Research, TJC

      Brette Tschurtz

      Project Director, Grants and Contracts, Department of Health Services Research, TJC

      Kenneth Monroe

      Associate Project Director, Department of Standards and Survey Methods, TJC

      NIOSH

      Debra Novak

      Senior Service Fellow, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

      *Michael Pannell served on the Alliance Implementation Team through January 29, 2016.

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • September 28, 2015
    • February 1, 2016
    • May 9, 2016

    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. This table is best viewed on tablets, notebooks or desktop computer screens.
  3. Results

    The following table summarizes the Alliance’s activities during the reporting period (July 27, 2015- July 26, 2016) 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: Guidelines for Zero Tolerance: New OSHA publication helps prevent violence in the health care setting (August 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.

    		 Healthcare, Workplace Violence 750
    Product

    EC News: Protecting Patients and Staff from Infection Risks: Cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces (October 2015)

    JCR developed an article discussing preventing healthcare-associated infections while safeguarding workers against health hazards associated with cleaning products.

    		 Healthcare 750
    Dissemination

    Supporting OSHA’s Outreach Campaign on Worker Safety in Healthcare

    		 Healthcare, Workplace Violence 31,500
    Dissemination

    Support dissemination of TJC/JCR and OSHA alliance-developed EC News articles

    Ingenta Connect (distributor/online platform for JCR’s EC News):
    JCR worked with Ingenta to ensure all alliance-developed articles are free for the public to download.

    Twitter (https://twitter.com/JC_Resources):
    JCR promoted free access to alliance-developed EC News articles via a tweet published in November 2015.

    		 Healthcare Twitter: 505 followers
    Product

    EC News: Inpatient Workplaces Under the Microscope: OSHA expands hazards policy enforcement at hospitals, nursing homes, care centers, and residential care facilities. (January 2016)

    JCR developed an article highlighting OSHA’s enhanced enforcement policy on inpatient healthcare environments and its implications for healthcare facilities.

    		 Healthcare 750
    Dissemination

    Support OSHA’s Promotion of Safety and Health Management Systems

    		 Healthcare, Safety & Health Programs 32,250
    Product

    EC News: Helping Health Care Workers to Breathe Easy: OSHA updates TB enforcement instruction. (March 2016)

    JCR developed an article describing OSHA’s revised enforcement directive for tuberculosis.

    		 Healthcare 750
    Product

    EC News: OSHA & Worker Safety: Assault Halt OSHA and The Joint Commission offer guidance and resources to curb workplace violence. (April 2016)

    JCR developed an article describing new OSHA resources for preventing workplace violence in healthcare settings.

    		 Healthcare, Workplace Violence 750
     

    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.

    		 N/A
     

    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 1,031 unique views
    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 2,733 unique views
     

    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 2
     

    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
    Exhibit

    JCR provided OSHA with an exhibit booth at the 2016 Emergency Preparedness Conference in New Orleans from May 3-4, 2016. Alexander Novas from OSHA’s Baton Rouge Area Office staffed the booth.

    		 Healthcare 375
    TOTAL:     72,146
  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. OSHA and TJC/JCR will also explore possible avenues for collaborative efforts to promote workplace violence prevention.

    Finally, the OSHA and TJC/JCR Implementation Team will promote the Alliance through an exhibit opportunity during the Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference in May 2017.

    Report prepared by: Christina Morgan, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances; September 14, 2016

    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