OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SAFETY NETWORK (OHSN)

OHSN User Manual and Other Documents

Getting Started with OHSN – One page outlining steps for starting with OHSN.
Standard Occupational Data Architecture (SODA) 2.0
The SODA is the OHSN dictionary of standard terms for personnel titles, department names, et cetera. It is meant to help make the mapping process easier (matching your hospital’s terms to those terms used in OHSN). It includes lists and descriptions of commonly used terms for healthcare locations/occupations and matches them to the corresponding OHSN term/code. It can be referenced while you are using the OHSN Conversion Tool to map your local terms to the OHSN “Common Language”.

OHSN User Manual – Comprehensive 95-page manual on all aspects of OHSN.
Notes on Severity Coding – Details about how to map your facility severity codes to OHSN codes.

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OHSN Data Conversion and Mapping Tool – Software download required to convert your data to the OHSN format.
OHSN Excel File for Facilities Using Paper Forms [XLSM – 112 KB] – This is the NIOSH provided Excel spreadsheet that contains fields with OHSN codes preloaded as a drop-down menu. This template is for facilities currently tracking their injuries in paper format. It is NOT necessary to use this spreadsheet if you already have your data in an Excel format.
Free EPINet Software – The International Safety Center offers EPINet (Exposure Prevention information Network), a sharps injury and blood exposure surveillance system that meets OSHA requirements for healthcare facilities. EPINet was developed in 1991 to identify devices and procedures that put healthcare workers at risk of injury and blood exposure. EPINet can be downloaded free of charge.

Non-AHA (American Hospital Association) Facilities – Outpatient clinics or Long-Term Care facilities can find information about how to participate in OHSN.
OHSN Rules and Behavior – All participants must agree to these rules when they first log on to the system.
Sample Data Use Agreement – Template for the agreement signed by NIOSH and participating facilities.

OHSN Software Compatibility Kit – Designed for software developers, vendors, and internal IT staff who wish to make behind-the-scenes adaptations to facilitate participation in OHSN. The kit provides the following tools to make existing commercial or custom developed software OHSN-compatible: an overview document; the SODA file, outlining the data formats used by the NIOSH Standard Occupational Data Architecture (SODA) for collecting data for OHSN; and sample source code for converting Excel files to SODA xml format.

Page last reviewed: June 1, 2017, 11:45 AM
Page last updated: June 1, 2017, 11:45 AM
Content source:
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies