The WHITE Database is a web-based system that helps incident tracking and case management. All of BC’s health authorities are now using the system to centralize information that can be used to reduce and/or eliminate workplace injuries, provide prompt clinical and workplace interventions to reduce disability and time loss, and evaluate the effectiveness of health and safety programs. The system links all information entered into the Database. For a healthcare organization, this could mean determining, for example, that a specific education session has a major impact on reducing back injuries, or that introducing safer needles has reduced the total cost of needlestick injuries. Similarly, the Database can be used to identify immunized and non-immunized workers during an infectious disease outbreak such as influenza. The Database has five modules. Their key functionalities are:

Incident Investigation Module

• Recording of incident/injury details.
• Recording of the Investigator's Report (including identification of action items and corrective action timescales/completion)
• An electronic body map for the identification of injured/affected body parts

Case Management Module

• Electronic submission of WorkSafeBC Form 7
• Electronic retrieval of WorkSafeBC Claims Costs
• Recording/tracking of short term and long term disabilities
• Modified Return to Work Planning/Management for time loss claims as well as short and long term disabilities

Employee Health Module

• Recording of immunization and vaccination against infectious diseases
• Recording/tracking of needlestick and BBF exposure information (EPINet)
• Recording of worker allergies and sensitivities
• Recording/tracking of chemical, heat and radiation exposures

Health and Safety Module

• Recording of facemask fit test results
• Training and education records
• Recording of audiometric test results

Prevention and Early Active Return-to-work Safely (PEARS) Module

• Tracking of MSI prevention strategies
• Healthcare worker assessments - clinical charting (i.e. SOAP notes)
• Workplace and equipment assessments
• Ergonomic assessments and workplace accommodation
• Interventions (including work programs and education)
• Reporting and follow up features for enhanced case management

Data Security/Confidentiality

The WHITE Database and its intent, were reviewed rigorously by OHSAH’s bi-partite board of directors. The health employer and union representatives support the Database and have communicated this, and the awareness of WHITE, to their workforces and membership.

The WHITE Database captures information about occupational health and safety concerns and personal information at each health authority using WHITE. The information that is collected is used for health promotion, case management, research and evaluation; for the purposes of improving the health of British Columbia’s healthcare workforce. The WHITE Database has many layers of security to ensure that information is only available to authorized persons. This is achieved through personal non-transferable login and passwords that determine the information to be displayed to each user (Occupational Health Professionals) of the system. This is in addition to health authority network security.

Data is used for research and analysis purposes by each health authority and OHSAH. Information collected and used by OHSAH is based upon the anonymity of individual healthcare workers. This is achieved by removing or encrypting personal information before it is analyzed.