News
May 2016
Friend of NIOSH Letters
The Friends of NIOSH, a coalition of industry, labor, professional, education and scientific organizations that are dedicated to research and prevention of occupational injuries and illness and committed to the training of occupational health and safety professionals, sent a letter to the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittees urging them to include at least the Fiscal Year 2016 level of $339.121 million for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in their FY17 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. Read more...
March 2016
Respirator Buyer Beware
NIOSH has become aware of a counterfeit N95 Respirator on the market.While the TC number and private label holder (KOSTO) are valid, this unapproved unit can be identified by the misspelling of NIOSH on the front of the respirator.How can you be sure your respirator is truly NIOSH-approved?
Check the respirator approval markings or Certified Equipment List.
Additional information is available on the NIOSH Trusted Source Page.
As we become aware of counterfeit respirators or those misrepresenting the NIOSH approval on the market, we will post them here http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/usernotices/default.html#Counterfeit Respirators
December 2015
OSHA Seeks Comment On Updated Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines OSHA is seeking public comment on an updated version of its voluntary Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines, first published in 1989. AOHP will respond to the call for public comments that will be accepted until Feb. 15. The updated guidelines can be found at https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf.
New OSHA Webpage Offers Resources for Protecting Healthcare Workers from Workplace Violence
OSHA has developed a new webpage that addresses workplace violence (WPV) prevention in healthcare settings. The webpage, part of OSHA’s Worker Safety in Hospitals Caring for Our Caregivers webpage contains three documents. One of the documents contains tools to help healthcare facilities design a violence prevention program using core elements and provides real-life examples from healthcare facilities that have integrated successful workplace violence prevention programs. These documents can be found at https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hospitals/workplace_violence.html.
October 2015
Friend of NIOSH Letters
The Friends of NIOSH, a coalition of industry, labor, professional, education and scientific organizations that are dedicated to research and prevention of occupational injuries and illness and committed to the training of occupational health and safety professionals, sent a letter to the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittees in support of the House funding level of $341.1 million for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in a final FY16 Labor HHS bill. Read more...
Sept 2015
OSHA Reviewing Credentials for Experience of Individuals Administering SPHM Programs
On June 25, 2015 OSHA issued the subject information that establishes guidance for inspections conducted in inpatient healthcare settings including hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities. All such inspections, programmed and un-programmed, will cover the focus hazards included in the recently-concluded National Emphasis Program – Nursing and Residential Care Facilities, CPL 03-00-016 (NH-NEP)
View ASPHP Memo OSHA Evaluation and Credential
June 2015
National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) Document Endorsement
The AOHP Board has agreed to endorse the NPSF “RCA2: Improving Root Cause Analyses and Actions to Prevent Harm” document. The report is now available to the public at http://www.npsf.org/rca2.
May 2015
Friend of NIOSH Letters
The following letter was sent by the Friends of NIOSH to the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittees in support of funding for NIOSH, including the Education and Research Centers (ERCs) and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AFF) Program in the Fiscal Year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bills. Similar letters were sent to the subcommittees in support of Fiscal Year 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 funding for NIOSH. The Friends of NIOSH is a coalition of industry, labor, professional, education and scientific organizations that are dedicated to research and prevention of occupational injuries and illness and committed to the training of occupational health and safety professionals. This letter is signed by 197 organizations who support the inclusion of at least the Fiscal Year 2015 level of funding for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the FY16 Labor HHS bill.
FY16 FONIOSH sign on letter House.pdf
FY16 FONIOSH sign on letter Senate.pdf
April 2015
Occupational Health Safety Network (OHSN)
AOHP and CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have a long established collaborative partnership to improve workplace safety and health in the healthcare setting. AOHP had an important rolein establishing NIOSH’s surveillance portal, theOccupational Health Safety Network (OHSN), whichfocuses on occupational safety and health among healthcare personnel. NIOSH invites AOHP members to read the recent CDC MMWR publication “Surveillance of Occupational Traumatic Injuries among Workers in 112 Healthcare Facilities —Occupational Health Safety Network (OHSN), United States, 2012-2014”.
You can find the article at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6415a2.htm?s_cid=mm6415a2_w.
The article discusses how OHSN is being used to advance the health and safety of America’s healthcare workers. Your support for OHSN has made this possible.Initial OHSN findings are also discussed, which provide timely and relevant implications for public health practice while maintaining the anonymity of all participating healthcare organizations. NIOSH also invites AOHP members to provide feedback and post comments to the recently posted CDC NIOSH Science Blog:Occupational Health Safety Network at http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2015/04/30/ohsn/.
Information provided by Dr. Ahmed Gomaa, MD, ScD, MSPH
NIOSH Town Hall Meeting at AOHP 2015 National Conference
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) invites you to a special town hall meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 10 during the AOHP 2015 National Conference. Learn the answers to all of your questions regarding data from 32,000 healthcare personnel injuries that have been collected by the NIOSH Occupational Health Safety Network (OHSN) from more than 120 hospitals nationwide and entered into the first modules of its electronic surveillance system to track injuries, empower prevention and monitor impact:
• To whom and where did the injury occur? (Standard job category and department)
• What caused the slips, trips and falls among healthcare personnel?
• What are the activities which lead to patient handling injuries?
• What are the contributing factors which lead to violence against healthcare personnel?
• Are these injuries preventable? What are the available workplace solutions to implement in your facility?
• What is the latest news on developing needlestick and blood and body fluid exposure modules?
With input from AOHP and other stakeholders, NIOSH has developed the first modules of this free, secure, electronic surveillance system, which uses existing data to eliminate the need for double data entry. The current modules focus on: slips, trips and falls; musculoskeletal disorders related to patient handling; and workplace violence. Gain valuable insight on uploading your existing data, viewing the benchmarking capabilities and using the output graphs 24/7 at your desk. Come join us and other stakeholders for this informational meeting at the AOHP 2015 National Conference in San Francisco.
September 2014
N95 Day Webinar Co-hosted by NIOSH Total Worker Health ™
Respirator Preparedness in Healthcare: Where Technology Meets Good Practices
View the video recording of this webinar
This year’s N95 Day webinar focuses specifically on the healthcare industry. A panel of three NIOSH experts will talk about their individual research involving N95 filtering facepiece respirators (commonly called “N95 respirators”) and how that research is important to respiratory protection programs and, ultimately, the N95 respirator users in healthcare. More information on this webinar.
Doris Dicristina Recognized for Driving a Culture of Safetyand Demonstrating Value of Occupational Health
CONGRATULATIONS to AOHP Member Doris Dicristina, Director of Employee Health & Wellness at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Doris’s excellent article in the Spring 2014 AOHP Journal about a case study that detailed how her systematic, data-driven approach helped RWJUH reduce phlebotomy-related needlestick injuries (NSIs) by nearly 70 percent among its patient care technicians and nursing staff. In addition to documenting a significant reduction in NSIs, the case study highlights the cost savings that her institution is realizing from her department’s efforts. Since the article’s publication, several online and print health publications have featured Doris’s work, and she has hosted educational webinars, presented at numerous professional conferences and made herself available to speak one-on-one with her peers to share her experiences and best practices.
Recognizing her commitment and achievements in the field of occupational health, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) presented Doris L. Dicristina, MS, BSN, RN, COHN-S/CM, Director – Employee Health and Wellness Services for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) with a BD Safety Award at the AOHP 2014 National Conference in New Orleans.
Throughout her career, Doris has worked to build a strong culture of safety in her institutions and shared best practices within her professional community. Her efforts over the past few years have not only improved employee health and safety at RWJUH, but also showcased how a data-driven approach can bring value to an institution and demonstrate a true return on investment for employee health and safety initiatives.
We salute Doris on great work that is the heart of what we do –keeping healthcare workers safe!
KimberlyStanchfield,RN, COHN-S
Executive Editor
ISHM Names Healthcare Safety Manager2014 Professional of the Year
Institute for Safety and Health Management (ISHM) in partnership with Westex, a flame resistant fabric manufacturer known for uncompromising commitment to safety, announce the 2014 Safety Management Professional of the Year.
Cory Worden, Manager of System Safety for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas and serving greater Houston with 12 hospitals, was recognized for building relationships and partnerships to promote Employee Safety.
Institute for Safety and Health Management provides accredited certifications for Safety and Health Managers and Practitioners. It is the only HSE certification provider that focuses on the entire safety management process. It recognizes safety professionals for the education and experience they have gained and is widely accepted by Occupational Health and Safety Departments in general industry, construction, oil and gas, utilities, healthcare and emergency management markets.
The Safety Management Professional of the Year was first developed by ISHM in 2011 to recognize safety managers who have had a significant impact on their company’s safety practices, policies and procedures, or who have demonstrated leadership and inspired others to lead.
Cory is a current member of AOHP.
January 2014
OSHA Promotes VPP as a Model for Hospital SafetyJan 2014
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a major campaign focusing on hospital safety that features the importance of safety and health management systems, including it's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP). In a press release citing the support of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Patient Safety Foundation, and the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, OSHA emphasized the scope of the issue: hospital workers face 250,000 injuries and illnesses annually, resulting in $2 billion in compensation costs.
With national attention focused on managing healthcare costs and increasing efficiency in the sector as a whole, effectively managing workplace safety and health offers an opportunity to protect employees, reduce costs, increase productivity, spur innovation and better serve patients. OSHA highlights the success of the 14 hospitals that have been approved for VPP status in one of the outreach materials (PDF) featured in the campaign.
Proposed Bill in the State of Wisconsin
Assembly Bill 247, which would prohibit Wisconsin employers – includes healthcare employers – from demoting, suspending, firing or discriminating against employees who refuse a seasonal influenza vaccination. The bill would also prohibit employers from: Refusing to hire or renew the contract of someone on the basis of their seasonal flu vaccination status; Requiring an employee or contractor to receive a flu shot if the individual refuses to accept it; and requiring unvaccinated employees or contractors to wear masks as punishment for refusing flu shots (although health care employers may require unvaccinated employees to wear certain types of protective masks). - See more at: http://www.littler.com/healthcare-employment-counsel/wisconsin-introduces-legislation-prohibiting-workplace-discrimination-#sthash.c0bSHBI2.dpuf
Information provided by Carla Cisler, BSN, COHN-S/CM