Get Help With VandySafe

Read This First

1. VandySafe requires either a Windows or Macoperating system and a supported web browser:
   • On a Windows computer, supported browsers include Internet Explorer and Firefox.
   • On a MAC OS computer, the supported browser is Firefox.  Safari is not supported.
2. The current version of the Adobe Flash browser plug in must be installed.
3.  Pop-up blockers must be turned off.

Login

How do I login to VandySafe?

Use your VUNet ID and epassword to log in to VandySafe.  This is the same user name and password that you use to access your Vanderbilt email.

How can I find out what my VUNet ID and password are?

If you do not currently have a VUNet ID, go to the ePassword web page to activate your VUNet ID. When you have completed this process, you will learn your VUNet id. If you need additional assistance with your VUNet ID, contact the University Help Desk or the Medical Center Help Desk.

I keep trying to login and the screen keeps looping back or I am sent to a different login screen that asks for "Company Name."  What can I do to login?

There are several possible causes for this issue:

1. Make sure you are using a supported web browser. On Mac computers, only Firefox is supported. Safari is not supported. Firefox is available free from www.mozilla.com.  On Windows computers, both Internet Explorer and Firefox are supported.
2. This can happen if you are trying to open up a link within an email message using a web mail application in your web browser. Instead of clicking on the link, copy www.vandysafe.com, and paste it into the address of a new browser window.
3. If you were previously logged in to VandySafe or another application with your VUNet ID, you may still be registered as logged in for that browser session, even if you have logged out of the individual applications. To fix this, close all open browser windows, then open a new browser window, go to www.vandysafe.com, and try to log in again.
4. Your browser must be able to accept cookies from both www.vandysafe.com and www.puresafety.com.  If you have a firewall installed on your computer, you might need to set it to accept cookies from these web sites.
5. If you have a pop-up blocker, either disable it while you are on the VandySafe web site, or configure it so that it will allow pop-ups from www.vandysafe.com and www.puresafety.com.

If none of this helps, it may be that your data is not listed in the VandySafe database, or, if you had been able to log in to VandySafe previously, your status may have been changed to inactive.  While the data for employees and students is usually transferred to VandySafe within 24 hours after it is initially entered into the appropriate Vanderbilt database, sometimes this process does not run properly.   If you are still unable to log in after attempting to implement the above recomendations, please send a message to vandysafe@vanderbilt.edu, describe the problem you are experiencing, and be sure to include your Vanderbilt affiliation, such as the name of your department or school.

VUMC Staff Orientation & Training Assigned in VandySafe

Do I need to complete the "Universal Safety Course" and the "Patient Contact or Blood and Body Fluid Contact Course" assignments in VandySafe if I just completed orientation?

Several mandatory training topics are covered during the two days of live orientation training sessions that are required for all VUMC staff.  Much of the training provided in VandySafe is required for personnel when first hired and annually thereafter.  This is why several topics covered in the two days of live orientation training are also assigned to VUMC staff when they complete the VandySafe Annual Training Profile. 

Training provided in staff orientation that has overlap with training provided in VandySafe includes:

• You Make A Difference (first day of orientation, mandatory for all VU and VUMC staff)
  • A Hazard Communication video is shown that covers the general training requirements and there is also information provided in the orientation booklet on this topic.  Important:  All staff who will be working with hazardous chemicals must be provided with specific hazard communication training at the department, lab or unit level.
  • Included in the booklet but not mentioned during a live presentation are information about Accident and Injury Prevention and general Fire Safety information.
• It's Who We Are (second day of orientation, mandatory for all VUMC staff)
  • Separate presentations for VUMC Fire Safety, VUMC Emergency Preparedness and Ergonomics
  • A combined presentation for Infection Control, Bloodborne Pathogens and Hand Hygiene

Training in VandySafe that corresponds to Orientation training includes:

• Universal Safety Course
  All VUMC Staff must complete this course or equivalent training each year.
• Patient  Contact or Blood & Body Fluid Contact Course
  All VUMC Staff who have contact with blood/body fluid and/or direct contact with patients must  also complete this course or equivalent training each year.

(Please see the VUMC Annual Requirements for Staff for a complete list of lessons included in these two courses.) 

VUMC Staff who complete the two days of mandatory orientation are considered to be complete for this material and do not need to complete either of these two courses in VandySafe until their annual re-training for these topics is due. Training that must be completed on an annual basis must be completed again within a year of the last date it was completed.  

Other training provided in VandySafe is not included in orientation and new staff will need to complete that training within VandySafe as soon as practical after they are hired.  Most of the VUMC staff training provided in VandySafe is assigned based on staff member responses to questions asked in the VandySafe Annual Training Profile. 

Please note that the Profile assigns the Universal Safety and Patient Contact or Blood & Body Fluid Contact courses, in addition to other courses and lessons. This is why new VUMC staff who have just completed initial orientation training see the Universal Safety and Patient Contact or Blood & Body Fluid Contact courses listed once they take the Profile, even though they do not need to complete the online training until it is close to the anniversary of the date they completed orientation.

Please consult the VUMC Annual Requirements for Staff for a list of the most commonly required training and a complete list of lessons included in the Universal Safety Course and the Patient Contact or Blood & Body Fluid Contact Course.

Take Tests

Why can't I open a test?

You must have Adobe Flash installed.  Flash is available free from from www.adobe.com/downloads.  

This problem can also occur when some browser plug-ins and toolbars, such as the Google and Yahoo Toolbars, are enabled in Internet Explorer and Firefox.   If the culprit is the Google or Yahoo toolbar, you can disable it by clicking on "Views, Toolbars" and deselecting the Google or Yahoo Toolbar in Internet Explorer.  There may be other programs that have not yet been identified that also interfere.

Take Training

How do I take a training assignment in VandySafe?

On the Home tab, look in the Assignments section.  Make sure that "Active" assignments are listed in the drop down menu.  Then click on an assignment to open the lesson or course, then click on the first linked item listed in the lesson.

I've watched the presentation but it still says "In Progress" instead of "Complete" for this task. Why won't it change to "Complete?"

Some of the training presentations require that you click on the "Done" button in the VandySafe window after you close the training presentation before VandySafe will register that you have completed a training task.

I’ve tried to open one of the training presentations but it never loads or just shows the ‘hourglass’ symbol. Why won’t the training module load?

If you are using a pop-up window blocker, you will need to either disable it completely while logged on to VandySafe, or enable pop-ups for the www.vandysafe.com and www.puresafety.com web sites.

Or

You may need to install the Adobe Flash and Shockwave browser plug-ins on your workstation. These programs are available free from www.adobe.com/downloads. To make sure this is what is causing your problem, go to the main log in page at www.vandysafe.com, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on "Check Your Minimum Requirements." It will tell you what programs are missing that are needed for VandySafe. Note that you do not need to install REAL player, even if the pop-up window tells you it is not installed, unless there are instructions within the training itself that tell you a training presentation uses streaming video.

What happens if I have to quit a module before I get finished?

Many of the interactive Flash presentations have an option where you can click on “Pause” and if you select “Save & Exit” then you will have the option of starting where you left off the next time you log in.  Flash presentations that do not have this feature will list the slide number you are on, so make a note of the slide number you stop on before logging off, then when you log on the next time you can click on the "next" button until you get to the correct slide. 

I had to leave my computer for a few minutes while I was in the middle of taking one of the training modules and when I came back to the computer, I had been logged out of VandySafe.  Why?

You are automatically logged out of VandySafe after 20 minutes if the computer has not registered any keyboard or mouse interaction with the VandySafe program.  Before you are logged off, a message box will pop up telling you that unless you click on the box within 20 seconds you will be logged out of VandySafe. If you are logged out of the program due to this 20 minute time limit, you will have to log in to VandySafe again before continuing.  The VandySafe server will not recognize any interaction from your machine if you are clicking through training content that has opened in a new window.

How will I know I’ve completed the training successfully?

As you complete an assignment successfully, VandySafe tracks it for you. You’ll see the ‘incomplete’ status change to ‘complete’ for each task listed on your VandySafe Home page.  Once you have completed all of the tasks in an assignment, the training will move to the "Completed" training list and will no longer show up on the "Active" list of assignments.  If you need to prove you have completed a specific training assignment, you can print out a diploma to show you have completed your training assignment.

Document Training

How can I prove that I took the online training I was assigned?

When all of the items within a course are completed, you will be able to print a DIPLOMA for any assignment which has the diploma option enabled. 

How do I print my diploma?

While on the Home tab, look under Assignments and select Completed in the dropdown menu. Next, click on the title of the completed assignment for which you would like to print a diploma.  This will enable the Reprint Diploma button so that it is no longer grayed out.  Finally, click on the Reprint Diploma button.

The diploma will be in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, so if you cannot get your diploma to open, you may need to download Acrobat Reader free from Adobe's web site.  If you continue to have problems getting your diploma to print, send a request for assistance to vandysafe@vanderbilt.edu.

Important: 

• To print a diploma for a course or lesson assigned through a profile, your will first need to click on the title of the profile, which will allow you to see everything assigned through that profile.  Then you can select the title of the course or lesson for which you need to print a diploma.
• Diplomas are not available for self-assigned training.

Additional Help

If you still need assistance, send a description of your problem to vandysafe@vanderbilt.edu.