OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SAFETY NETWORK (OHSN)
How OHSN Works
Step 1. Enroll in OHSN
OHSN is generally used by whoever is responsible for documenting a healthcare facility’s workplace injuries and illnesses (e.g. occupational health nurse). These individuals can complete the enrollment process. If you have any questions during this process. Please contact us at NIOSHOHSN@cdc.gov.
Step 2. Each month, export your facility's data to OHSN User manual subsection or hyperlink
OHSN collects information on injuries related to:
- Patient handling
- Slips, trips and falls
- Workplace violence
And hazardous exposures to:
- Blood and body fluids
- Sharps injuries
Log on to OHSN to export your facility’s new injury and exposure data. No matter how your facility currently collects injury or hazardous exposure data, there are multiple ways to send data to OHSN. For more details on sending data, please refer to the User Manual, or email us at NIOSHOHSN@cdc.gov.
Step 3. Access your facility's data in OHSN
Your facility’s most recently submitted data will be ready for you to access and analyze within 7-10 days after it is uploaded into OHSN. Your facility’s previously entered data can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which means you can produce a report any time you log on to OHSN.
Step 4. Identify common injuries and exposures occurring at your facility
Using the output reports, ( see examples ) you’ll be able to identify the most common injuries and exposures occurring at your facility. You’ll also be able to compare your facility’s rates of injury or exposures to the overall rate of injury or exposure among OHSN participants.
Step 5. Identify and implement prevention strategies
Identifying a commonly occurring injury or exposure, and the likely cause, are the first steps to prevention. NIOSH has identified proven ways to address these problems.
Step 6. Monitor trends and evaluate prevention strategies through OHSN
OHSN helps you to monitor whether the changes your facility makes result in reduced injuries or exposures. By regularly uploading your new injury and exposure information, you can objectively identify new trends and determine if prevention strategies are working.
- Page last reviewed: January 4, 2017
- Page last updated: January 4, 2017
- Content source:
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies