Do I need a new Data User Agreement (DUA) for tracking sharps injury and blood and body fluids (BBF) exposure?
No. Current users already have a DUA in place.
Do I need a new Log on ID or new password?
No. Your current ID and password will remain the same.
What do I need to do to begin tracking sharps injuries or BBF exposures?
Log on to the OHSN system.
- Click on “profiles”.
- Click on “edit denominator data”.
- Check the boxes for the injuries/exposures you would like to track. (Those you’ve been tracking should already be selected.)
- Click “update denominator data”.
Once you’ve added these, upload your sharps/BBP data into OHSN. This can be done using EPINet (see User Manual page 9-60) or Microsoft Excel (please email NIOSHOHSN@cdc.gov to review how to do this). Please note: Excel requires mapping, whereas EPINet does not.
Can I use conversion tool 1.0 instead 2.0? If yes, what is the difference?
Conversion tool 2.0 is required to track sharps injuries and BBF exposures, and it is recommended to be used for the traumatic injury events you may have already been tracking in OHSN. If you do not plan to add sharps injuries or BBF exposures, you can continue to use conversion tool 1.0 to track traumatic injuries (slips, trips and falls; patient handling injuries; and workplace violence injuries). However, the new version (2.0) provides updated information for traumatic injuries that you may find beneficial.
I use the NIOSH excel sheet to track traumatic injuries, which offers drop down menus to allow for easy recording and eliminates the need to do additional mapping. Will NIOSH offer this for tracking sharps injuries and BBF exposures?
To begin tracking sharps injuries and/or BBF exposures, we recommend you use EPINet, which you can download for free on our web page. EPINet is a user friendly software for data entry and can be loaded directly into OHSN without having to map the data separately.
How many injuries and exposures must I track to participate in OHSN?
You are not required to track sharps injuries or BBF exposures to continue to participate in OHSN. You can choose to track one or more.
If you have questions not addressed here, please email NIOSHOHSN@cdc.gov, or call 513-841-4337.