July 25, 2007—As the seasons for storms and hurricanes arrive, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reminding businesses of its products offering tips on safe and healthful work practices following a storm. Information on safety standards for dealing with hazards such as electrocution, falling tree branches, and contaminated water is available on the OSHA Web site at www.osha.gov.
OSHA’s Hurricane Recovery Web page showcases resources OSHA developed on workplace safety and health for hurricane response and recovery to assist employers and employees. Below are some of the items featured.
- QuickCards are concise, easy-to-read, laminated cards offering information on dozens of different employee hazards or hazardous situations, such as Decontamination, Tree Trimming and Removal, and Electrical Safety. Many are available in Spanish, with some offered in Vietnamese.
- Fact Sheets offer a comprehensive overview of safety precautions for various hazards and help explain OSHA’s regulations applicable to them. OSHA has several fact sheets dealing with hazards faced by employees involved in hurricane response and recovery, including Cleanup Hazards, Flood Cleanup, and Fungi.
- Safety and Health Information Bulletins (SHIBs) inform employers and employees of occupational safety and health issues concerning hazard recognition, evaluation, and control in the workplace and at emergency response sites. SHIBs available from OSHA include Respiratory Protection and Workplace Precautions Against West Nile Virus.
- OSHA’s new Hurricane eMatrix is a tool that incorporates occupational hazards, information, observations, recommendations, and data that OSHA gathered and distributed during its response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. The eMatrix offers users access to general recommendations, provides sampling and monitoring data, and outlines employer and employee responsibilities for conducting response and recovery operations after a disaster. It also features 29 operation-specific activity sheets that help employers reduce the risk of hazard exposure during various cleanup tasks.
