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.