Fall 2015 Journal Summary Abstracts
Organization Leadership
Organization Leadership is a standing Journal column highlighting current hot topics. In this issue, Executive President Mary Bliss, RN, COHN, shares her passion for the field of occupational health and how her active membership in AOHP has impacted her career. She encourages members to take advantage of all AOHP has to offer as the leading authority in occupational health in healthcare.
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 how the recent signing of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 into law will cause dramatic increases in monetary penalties imposed by OSHA for occupational safety and health violations.
Editor’s Column
This standard feature provides commentary from the current Journal Editor, Kim Stanchfield, RN, COHN-S. In this issue, she introduces two new regular columns: a government affairs analysis penned by Stephen Burt; and a healthcare safety report authored by Cory Worden. She also recognizes the contributions of retiring columnist Cindy Brumley.
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: AOHP's recognition as the COCA Partner Spotlight for July; and OSHA updates of recent enforcement activities, TB exposures, agency training requirements, guidance on the revised Hazard Communication Standard, the new Infosheet on eyewash stations and its new weighted inspection system. She also provides news on the NIOSH/VA collaborative project on safe patient handling, as well as NIOSH's report on compounding antineoplastic drugs, its re-named Respiratory Health Division and its new Ladder Safety app.
Advances in Technology
The final installment of this Journal column, which has provided readers with helpful information about current technological advances that have the potential to improve the work of occupational health professionals, highlights three new cost-effective innovations. Column editor Cindy Brumley, RN, presents a discussion of mChip, Bioneedle and TB Biosciences, ideas which have global potential to save lives and reduce waste at a fraction of the typical cost.
Perspectives in Healthcare Safety
Cory Worden, MS, CSHM, CSP, CHSP, ARM, REM, CESCO, is the Manager of System Safety for the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, TX. In this new standing Journal column, Cory will share his insights on safety in healthcare. His inaugural article - The Art and Science of Safety - details the many challenges existing in healthcare that may not be present in other industries, and how maintaining situational awareness, making critical decisions and avoiding hazards are vital to promoting a culture of safety that protects employees and patients alike.
Occupational Exposures to Blood and Body Fluid Splashes and Splatters: A 10-Year Surveillance Collaborative
Paper authors Amber Hogan Mitchell, DrPH, MPH, CPH, Janine C. Jagger, PMH, PhD and Ginger Parker, MBA, provide a long-awaited update to the 1995 EPINet report on blood and body fluid exposures by analyzing data across a 10-year period from seven participating hospitals that utilize the EPINet tracking system. Their study illustrates the frequency of exposures that have occurred since the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2001 and documents that the occupational risk for blood and body fluid exposures continues to be a serious concern for healthcare workers. They recommend improvements in: engineering controls; administrative and work practice controls; personal protective equipment; and the expansion of standardized surveillance.
No Enigma: The Process of Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control in Healthcare
Because healthcare will always be a volatile environment - and hazards will always be plentiful in the healthcare workplace - effective hazard control is vital to safety. Cory Worden, MS, CSHM, CSP, CHSP, ARM, REM, CESCO, explores the components of hazard control: proactively identifying hazards; implementing mandatory regulatory compliance measures; implementing best practice hazard controls as performance expectations; and training and conditioning employees to follow safe practices using hazard controls. Compliance in the development of safe working conditions is only the foundation of a true safety culture. Safe behaviors, as the result of situational awareness and critical thinking to identify hazards and use hazard controls, are key.
Mites, Oh No! What You are Itching to Know about Mites
Karen Ninassi, MSN, BSN, RN, offers a detailed background of scabies mites and how an exposure can affect many in the hospital environment if not quickly diagnosed and treated. She provides readers with a list of questions to consider when implementing a facility-specific process and the components that should be incorporated into a successful program: surveillance; diagnostic services; control and treatment; environmental disinfection and communication. Following these tips and organizing available resources will help occupational health professionals to effectively manage a scabies mites outbreak.
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