Summary Abstracts
Winter 2016 Journal

Organization Leadership
Organization Leadership is a standing Journal column highlighting current hot topics. In this issue, Executive President Mary Bliss, RN, COHN, reflects on the advantages provided by occupational health professionals to healthcare workers in America that Japan's healthcare system does not currently have. She also shares how AOHP contributes to these many benefits and what the association is doing to support the early stages of the occupational health in healthcare movement in Japan.

Staying Current on Government Affairs
In this new Journal column, Stephen Burt, MFA, BS, President and CEO of Healthcare Compliance Resources, provides analysis of  recent government affairs activities. For this issue, he explains the catch-up adjustment afforded by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 that will dramatically increase penalties imposed by OSHA for a variety of violations. He also presents an article reviewing OSHA's launch of the Serious Event Reporting Online Form.

Editor’s Column
This standard feature provides commentary from the current Journal Editor, Kim Stanchfield, RN, COHN-S. In this issue, she explores the value of on-the-job experience, life-long learning and certifications for occupational health professionals, and she advocates for AOHP members to openly share their contributions and accomplishments. She describes the importance of continuing education and networking offered by AOHP, as well as the value of leadership opportunities such as serving on a committee or as a chapter officer.

Association Community Liaison Report
Through this regular Journal article, MaryAnn Gruden, MSN, CRNP, NP-C, COHN-S/CM, details how AOHP is gaining visibility as an expert regarding occupational health issues. In this edition, she reviews: OSHA's new weighting systems for inspections and new webpage addressing healthcare workplace violence prevention; the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; creation of the NIOSH National Center for Productive Aging and Work; and a video project highlighting new, ongoing and recently published NIOSH research efforts.

Reflections from Japan
AOHP members Mary Bliss, RN, COHN, and Dee Tyler, RN, COHN-S, FAAOHN, recently traveled to Japan to present an education conference about the specialty practice of occupational health in healthcare in the United States. This article summarizes the details of their two-day workshop, as well as comments from a number of participants who now feel empowered to begin the ambitious process of establishing occupational health departments in Japanese hospitals.

You're Covering Them, but Who's Covering You?
Cory Worden, MS, CSHM, CSP, CHSP, ARM, REM, CESCO and his wife, Jessalynn, explore questions of priorities and ethics in occupational health and safety in this feature. Cory analyzes the inherent risks and heavy workloads that can lead to accidents, injuries and exposures on the job, combined with the pressure placed on occupational health and safety professionals as the first and last lines of defense to protect workers. Jessalynn provides a first-hand account of how these stressors significantly impacted Cory's health and her family's well-being, demonstrating why it's so important for occupational health and safety professionals to take care of themselves so they can better care for others.

Summary of the AOHP 2015 Membership Survey and Needs Assessment
A comprehensive survey of AOHP members was conducted in the spring of 2015 to assess how well the association is addressing current member needs. Carol Brown, PhD, of the Center for Health, Work and Environment of the Colorado School of Public Health, who provided the analysis, presents the results of the survey in this detailed report.

EXPO-S.T.O.P. Update
Authors Carol Brown, PhD, Miranda Dally, MS, Terry Grimmond, FASM, BAgrSc, GrDpAdEd and Linda Good, PhD, RN, COHN-S, provide an update of EXPO-S.T.O.P., a national survey of sharps injuries and mucocutaneous blood exposures among workers in U.S. hospitals. This analysis of 2013 and 2014 data compares blood exposure incidence rates to other relevant U.S. databases, including EPINet and MDPH. It also provides for the comparison of incidence rates over time, as EXPO-S.T.O.P. data has been collected annually since 2011. The update includes an extensive list of exposure-reducing best practices, along with innovative ideas to promote a culture of safety.