Preparing for Disaster Can Ensure Worker Safety

OSHA is reminding employers that preparing your workplace for a disaster—be it natural, manmade, or a health crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic—can ensure worker safety.

“Emergencies can create a variety of hazards for workers in the impacted area,” OSHA said in its Emergency Preparedness and Response guidance.

“Preparing before an emergency incident plays a vital role in ensuring that employers and workers have the necessary equipment, know where to go, and know how to keep themselves safe when an emergency occurs.”

September is National Preparedness Month.

The guidance, assembled on a webpage, advises employers on how to prepare and train for emergencies, and the hazards to be aware of when an emergency occurs.

It also has information for employers and workers across several industries, and for workers who will be responding to the emergency.

Among the information in the the General Preparedness and Response section are:

• Emergency response rulemaking
• PPE for emergency response and recovery workers
• Evacuations and shelter-in-place

Included in the Natural Disaster section is information on:

• Hurricane preparedness and response
• Lightning safety when working outdoors
• Occupational heat exposure

There is also information on oil, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents, disease agents and toxins, and resources and guides.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Phillip Montgomery (860.244.1982).