Proper adherence to infection control precautions, including appropriate selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), is of significant importance to the health and well-being of perioperative personnel. Surgical masks are intended for use as a barrier to protect the wearer's face from large droplets and splashes of blood and other body fluids; however, surgical and high-filtration surgical laser masks do not provide enough protection to be considered respiratory PPE. Potential exposure to airborne contaminants and infectious agents, including those present in surgical smoke, necessitates the use of respiratory PPE, such as a surgical N95 particulate filtering facepiece respirator. Filtering facepiece respirators greatly reduce a wide size range of particles from entering the wearer's breathing zone and are designed to protect the user from both droplet and airborne particles. Every health care worker who must use a respirator to control hazardous exposures in the workplace must be trained to properly use the respirator and pass a fit test before using it in the workplace.

Musculoskeletal injuries can occur when the physical work demanded by a job exceeds a worker's ability to respond safely. In perioperative nursing, and nursing in general, patient handling and movement demands commonly lead to injury and are considered high-risk activities. In 2005, the AORN Workplace Safety Task Force was charged with identifying high-risk tasks performed in the perioperative area and developing evidence-based solutions to help establish an ergonomically safe workplace. The work of the task force was incorporated into the "AORN guidance statement: Safe patient handling and movement in the perioperative setting," which includes seven ergonomic tools to help determine best practices for safe movement and handling of patients, supplies, and equipment in the OR. Members of the AORN Perioperative Environment of Care Task Force have collaborated to author seven articles that help explain the rationale behind and use of these ergonomic tools. The articles will appear in the Journal beginning in this issue.

Sepsis and postoperative infection can occur as a result of unsafe practices in the administration of propofol and other injectable medications. Investigations of infection outbreaks have revealed the causes to be related to bacterial growth in or contamination of propofol and unsafe medication practices, including reuse of syringes on multiple patients, use of single-use medication vials for multiple patients, and failure to practice aseptic technique and adhere to infection control practices. Surveys conducted by AORN and other researchers have provided additional information on perioperative practices related to injectable medications. In 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a group of clinicians to gain a better understanding of the issues related to infection outbreaks and injectable medications. The meeting participants proposed collecting data to persuade clinicians to adopt new practices, developing guiding principles for propofol use, and describing propofol-specific, site-specific, and practitioner-specific injection techniques. AORN provides resources to help perioperative nurses reduce the incidence of postoperative infection related to medication administration.

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The nation's health care system produces a large amount of waste, both hazardous and nonhazardous; however, there are simple steps that any health care professional can take to minimize the effects of health care waste on the environment and human health. Not only can health care professionals reduce, reuse, and recycle, but they can also make smarter, "green" purchasing decisions. AORN J 92 (December 2010) XX-XX. © AORN, Inc, 2010.

To provide the learner with knowledge of AORN's guidelines related to the contraindications to lipid emulsion therapy, implementing a music program into the perioperative setting, and the need for an exposure control plan in the OR. Objectives1. Discuss practices that could jeopardize safety in the perioperative area. 2. Discuss common areas of concern that relate to perioperative best practices. 3. Describe implementation of evidence-based practice in relation to perioperative nursing care.

Defining a small amount of surgical smoke Key words: surgical smoke, medical-surgical vacuum system, suction tubing. Assessment of hazardous medications Key words: hazardous medications, safety data sheets, OSHA hazard communication. Documentation of electrosurgical devices Key words: electrosurgical device. Developing an explant policy Key words: explant, guideline, implant, policy.