Arizona and Washington to Go Surgical Smoke-Free

Expo 2022 was filled with conversations and announcements about legislative progress toward statewide surgical smoke evacuation. AORN is proud to announce that, on March 24, two more states joined the ranks of the surgical smoke-free: Arizona and Washington.

 

Governor Jay Inslee and Governor Doug Ducey signed HB 1779 and HB 2434, respectively, into law on March 24. Washington’s new law goes into effect on January 1, 2024, and Arizona’s on July 1, 2024.

Success in Washington this year was the culmination of years of advocacy and education efforts laying the groundwork for a strong team effort to pass this critical workplace safety legislation. Washington AORN members and their surgical team colleagues lent their voices to support HB 1779 and bill sponsor, Rep. Lisa Callan, in her efforts to expand surgical smoke evacuation in the Pacific Northwest.

Similarly, Arizona AORN members have been laying the groundwork for successful legislation for years. They joined the Arizona Nurses Association as affiliate members and became active in political campaigns and advocacy. Rep. Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor, was a strong bill sponsor who brought his colleagues together to support HB 2434 with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Washington and Arizona join Rhode Island, Colorado, Kentucky, Illinois and Oregon as the first seven states to require smoke evacuation. Several more states are considering new legislation and you can read more about these in Expo Daily News.

Congratulations to Arizona and Washington for embracing workplace health and safety in the operating rooms statewide!