Workers' Compensation and Occupational Health Claims

Instructions obtained via the University of Minnesota Biosafety & Occupational Health Department

Wash the exposed area immediately.

• Wash needlesticks and cuts with soap and water
• Flush splashes to the nose, mouth, or skin with water
• Irrigate eyes with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigants

Workers' Compensation, Needle Sticks, and Blood Borne Pathogen Exposure (BBPE) Management

If you are on rotation at one of our major affiliated sites, their Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) offices are available to help you during their regular business hours. You must identify yourself as a UMN Medical Resident or Medical Fellow to ensure the claim is handled properly.

If you are not on rotation at one of our major affiliated sites that can treat you, University trainees may choose to go to the nearest Emergency Department or a medical provider of their own choice, but we do recommend the nearest HealthPartners Occupational and Environmental Medicine (HPOEM) location. 

• If planning to visit HPOEM, it is recommended that you call ahead at (952) 883-6999 to reduce wait times. If you cannot get through to HPOEM by phone, proceed directly to the clinic. 
• If you are located outside of the Twin Cities, find clinic information by clicking on your location on the biosafety and occupational website.

Tuberculosis (TB) Exposure Management

If you have not had a TB test within the last three months, get a baseline test as soon as possible. Testing may be done at HealthPartners or the medical facility at which you are working.  If you are on rotation at one of our major affiliated sites, their Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) offices are available to help you during their regular business hours. You must identify yourself as a UMN Medical Resident or Medical Fellow to ensure the claim is handled properly.

HealthPartners Occupational and Environmental Medicine Locations (HPOEM)

• Park Nicollet Minneapolis Clinic - 2001 Blaisdell Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
• HealthPartners St. Paul Clinic - 205 Wabasha Street South, Saint Paul, MN 55107 
  
• HealthPartners West Occupational Medicine Clinic - 1665 Utica Avenue S., St. Louis Park, MN 55416  
• Stillwater Medical Group (Fit Testing Currently NOT Available) - 1500 Curve Crest Blvd, Stillwater, MN, 55082  

Note: Riverside clinic has permanantly closed

Identify the source patient with the help of your supervisor, preceptor, and/or the designated representative of the facility. The source patient’s blood should be tested after consent is obtained according to your treatment site practices. If the source patient has a known history of HBV, HCV, or HIV, it is unnecessary to test for the specific disease. Results of the source patient’s testing will be made available to you to the extent possible under the laws and regulations concerning disclosure of the identity and infection status of the source patient.

If it is not possible to identify the source patient or obtain a blood sample, the institution’s standard procedures should be used to assess the level of risk to you and then provide treatment accordingly.

You are REQUIRED by the Department of Labor and Industry to submit an Electronic First Report of Injury (eFROI) within 8 business hours (1 workday). It is also necessary for a workers' compensation (WC) claim to be filed so that the bills incurred as a result of the injury are paid.

1. Access the eFROI via the UMN Risk Management Office. 
2. Campus Selection: Choose "Twin Cities All Other" in the drop-down for the campus in the eFROI.
3. Supervisor: Enter in your supervisor who witnessed the injury's email, then click “Update Supervisor.” Listing the supervisor on duty will ensure the worker's compensation company, Sedgwick, has the contact information for your supervisor, and can reach out with any follow up questions.
4. You will hear from an adjuster at Sedgwick Claims Management (SCM) within 3 business days of submission of the completed e-FROI. If you do not hear from SCM within 3 business days, contact the Office of Risk Management at orm@umn.edu to make sure that your eFROI was received at Sedgwick.
5. If you receive a bill as a result of the injury, please retain the bill and fax it to Sedgwick Claims Management at 952-826-3785.

HealthPartners Occupational and Environmental Medicine Locations (HPOEM)

• The St. Paul Clinic, just outside of downtown St. Paul at 205 S. Wabasha Street, offers Occupational Health services and Urgent Care/After Hours.
• The Como Avenue Clinic, located at 2500 Como Avenue in St. Paul, will offer Urgent Care/After Hours services near the St. Paul Campus.
• West Clinic, located at 5100 Gamble Drive in St. Louis Park, offers Occupational Health services as well as Urgent Care/After Hours.

The Hospital and the University have two different processes when it comes to worker’s compensation.

• Hospital sites must document occurrences such as needle stick and BBPE as part of their policy.
• As a University employee you must first fill out an eFROI (electronic first report of injury) with the Office of Risk Management (ORM)
• z.umn.edu/eFROI
• After you fill out the eFROI and have an incident number, you can fax the bill you received to Sedgwick Claims Management at 952-826-3785.
• Questions? Contact the Office of Risk Management at orm@umn.edu

What happens if I was exposed to someone with active TB?

If you think you were exposed to someone with active tuberculosis, you should be tested for TB. Testing may be done using a tuberculin skin test (mantoux test) or a blood test, such as Quantiferon Gold.

• One of these tests should be done within a few days of your exposure if you have not been tested within the prior three months.
• You will be tested again several weeks later to see if the test has changed. A change indicates you most likely have the TB bacteria within your body.  
• If the test changes from negative to positive, different treatment options may be considered.

What increases exposure risk?

TB may be spread if you are unprotected and spend time near someone who has the disease. TB bacteria are put into the air through coughing, sneezing, speaking, or similar activities.

How long until I become ill?

Some people develop TB disease soon (within weeks) after becoming infected, before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick years later, when their immune system becomes weak for another reason. TB bacteria can live in the body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection.

In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. Fewer than 5% of people with the TB organism become ill. Most people who become ill do so within 5 years.

Do some factors increase my risk of illness post-exposure?

Several conditions increase the risk of illness after exposure. These include HIV/AIDS, diabetes, alcohol abuse, use of illegal drugs, and immune diseases.

Can I transmit the disease post-exposure?

Only persons with active TB disease can spread the TB bacteria to others. Before you would be able to spread TB to others, you would have to breathe in TB bacteria and become infected. Then the active bacteria would have to multiply in your body and cause active TB disease. At this point, you could possibly spread TB bacteria to others.

What are the symptoms of tuberculosis?

The symptoms of TB are nonspecific and may consist of a persistent cough, coughing up blood or sputum, weakness, weight loss, chills, fever, and night sweats. If you develop these symptoms and know you had latent TB, you should see you healthcare provider.

What activities do NOT spread tuberculosis?

TB is not spread by eating utensils, handshakes, using the same toilet as an infected person, or other activities that do not cause the TB germ to contaminate the air.

Many people with TB infection never develop TB disease. For further information, please visit the CDC website.

Is tuberculosis work-related?

This is complex question. If your TB screening test has been negative and you were exposed to a patient with active tuberculosis, it will be considered work-related. All other individuals will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Information for this site was created in consultation with the University of Minnesota Biosafety & Occupational Health Department