AORN Workplace Safety

Perioperative nurses are confronted with numerous occupational hazards that pose a risk of personal injury in the perioperative setting. Occupational hazards may have other negative impacts including:

An unsafe workplace contributes to work-related injuries and diseases that often result in physical, emotional, and financial difficulties for the perioperative nurse.
An unsafe workplace contributes to patient injuries.
Occupational injuries resulting from an unsafe workplace have a financial impact to the health care organization through increased costs and a reduced ability to provide services.
Occupational hazards in the workplace have been identified as one of the major contributors to nurses leaving the profession, contributing to the growing nursing shortage.

AORN's Commitment to Workplace Safety
AORN is committed to the creation and maintenance of a safe perioperative work environment to protect all of those present in the workplace and provide safe patient care. AORN's commitment to workplace safety is represented by:

An alliance with OSHA aimed at providing information, guidance, and access to training resources to protect employees health and safety
A memorandum of understanding with NIOSH with goals including:

Identifying emerging workplace safety issues
Developing programs for professionals to identify and address deficiencies in workplace safety and health
Assessing available workplace safety and health resources
Developing effective guidelines
Disseminating prevention and safety strategies
Providing access to effective resources for perioperative professionals
Development of various documents supporting the perioperative nurse in relationship to workplace safety
Supporting research that is directed toward creating and maintaining safe work environments

Learn more about the AORN/OSHA Alliance and the information and resources available for creating and mainaining a safe workplace.