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OSHA News Release: [09/18/2008]
Contact Name: Sharon Worthy or David Sims
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x1898
Release Number: 08-1280-NAT

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA deploys staff and resources to safeguard cleanup and recovery personnel in areas hit by Hurricane Ike

WASHINGTON — To help protect crews performing cleanup and recovery operations in the wake of Hurricane Ike from hazards such as downed power lines and falls from heights, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent safety and health experts into storm damaged areas of Texas.

"OSHA is helping employers protect their employees from the many potential dangers they can encounter in this difficult but important work," said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. "We want to ensure that the men and women working to restore the homes of other people make it safely back to their own homes at the end of the day."

In the Texas Gulf Coast region, regional OSHA personnel are monitoring cleanup and recovery operations involving oil and chemical facility startup, downed electrical lines, utility restoration, tree trimming and debris left behind by floodwaters and high winds. They are advising employers on how to minimize safety and health risks to their employees on the job and make certain that worksite hazards they encountered were promptly corrected.

OSHA deployed staff from the federal Joint Field Office in Austin, Texas, and are working with its partners to coordinate relief efforts. Additionally, approximately 25 OSHA staff from offices throughout the agency's Region 6 were deployed to the Houston area to provide technical assistance throughout affected areas and distribute educational materials to employers on such topics as fall hazards and how to safely operate chain saws and portable generators. Assistance with cleanup and recovery operations is ongoing.

In addition to technical expertise offered in the field, the Labor Department's hurricane recovery assistance Web page at http://www.dol.gov/opa/hurricane-recovery2008.htm provides online resources to help ensure that cleanup and recovery efforts for Ike and future hurricanes are conducted safely. Employers and employees looking for more information or with specific questions should call the department's toll-free helpline at 866-4-USA-DOL (487-2365).

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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