Ohio is Lucky Number 13

On Monday, July 3, 2023, Ohio became the thirteenth state to enact surgical smoke evacuation legislation when Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 33 into law. The bill, authorizing the state budget, was amended to include surgical smoke evacuation language from stand-alone legislation introduced earlier this year.

Ohio’s smoke evacuation law will require hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to adopt and implement a policy designed to prevent human exposure to surgical smoke during any planned surgical procedure that is likely to generate surgical smoke. The policy shall include the use of a surgical smoke evacuation system. Facilities have until October 1, 2024, to be compliant with the new law.

“Surgical smoke and the evacuation of surgical smoke have been a research interest and passion of mine for quite some time. I am thrilled that Ohio operating room staff and patients will be protected from this workplace safety hazard. Finally!” said Kay Ball, PhD, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, FAAN, past president of AORN.

If you are interested in surgical smoke evacuation legislation in your own state, please contact Jennifer Pennock, associate director of AORN government affairs.