Workplace safety equals patient safety.

or many years, AORN has been a leader in creating a safe environment for the patient in the OR and other procedural areas. Perioperative nurses provide care that adheres to the AORN standards and recommended practices. AORN provides orientation tools like Periop 101: A Core CurriculumTM. Collaborations among AORN staff members, member volunteers, and representatives of other organizations have resulted in tool kits to address safety factors such as surgical briefings, time out, and debriefings. I believe that workplace safety is an integral part of patient safety. There are many pieces to creating a safe work environment, and much work has been done by AORN in cooperation with experts in various fields and health care organizations.

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[2]  Lisa Spruce,et al.  Recommended practices for selection and use of packaging systems for sterilization. , 2007, AORN journal.

[3]  Edward Hernandez,et al.  AORN Ergonomic Tool 3: lifting and holding the patient's legs, arms, and head while prepping. , 2011, AORN journal.

[4]  Kay Ball,et al.  Surgical smoke evacuation guidelines: compliance among perioperative nurses. , 2010, AORN journal.

[5]  A. Wall,et al.  Book ReviewTo Err is Human: building a safer health system Kohn L T Corrigan J M Donaldson M S Washington DC USA: Institute of Medicine/National Academy Press ISBN 0 309 06837 1 $34.95 , 2000 .

[6]  R. Berguer,et al.  Increase in sharps injuries in surgical settings versus nonsurgical settings after passage of national needlestick legislation. , 2011, AORN journal.

[7]  B. Ulmer.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration acts on guidelines for electrosurgical smoke. , 1998, AORN journal.

[8]  Lisa Spruce,et al.  AORN Guidance Statement: Safe Patient Handling and Movement in the Perioperative Setting , 2013 .

[9]  Edward Hernandez,et al.  AORN ergonomic tool 7: pushing, pulling, and moving equipment on wheels. , 2011, AORN journal.

[10]  Audrey Nelson,et al.  AORN Ergonomic Tool 6: lifting and carrying supplies and equipment in the perioperative setting. , 2011, AORN journal.

[11]  Mary J. Ogg,et al.  Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices , 2013 .

[12]  L. Kohn,et al.  To Err Is Human : Building a Safer Health System , 2007 .

[13]  A. Nelson,et al.  AORN Ergonomic Tool 5: Tissue Retraction in the Perioperative Setting. , 2011, AORN journal.

[14]  New clinical guide to surgical fire prevention. Patients can catch fire--here's how to keep them safer. , 2009, Health devices.

[15]  T. Waters,et al.  AORN ergonomic tool 1: Lateral transfer of a patient from a stretcher to an OR bed. , 2011, AORN journal.

[16]  M. Lypson,et al.  Preventing surgical fires: who needs to be educated? , 2005, Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety.