skip navigational linksDOL Seal - Link to DOL Home Page
Photos representing the workforce - Digital Imagery© copyright 2001 PhotoDisc, Inc.
www.dol.gov
November 3, 2008    DOL Home > Newsroom > News Releases   

News Release

Printer-Friendly Version

OSHA News Release: [09/02/2008]
Contact Name: Sharon Worthy or David Sims
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x1898
Release Number: 08-1249-NAT

U.S. Labor Department’s OSHA offers assistance for Hurricane Gustav cleanup and recovery

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be offering the full resources of the agency to assist in protecting the safety and health of working men and women responding in the wake of Hurricane Gustav along the Gulf Coast.

"After the hurricane has moved on, the danger has not — especially for those involved in cleanup and recovery from this storm," said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. "Cleanup after a storm of this magnitude can be particularly dangerous, and employers and employees need to take the proper precautions to avoid serious injury."

OSHA's hurricane recovery Web site at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html offers QuickCards and fact sheets on dozens of different employee hazards or hazardous situations, including information on flood cleanup, chain saws, heat stress, and dangers from molds and fungi.

Public service announcements are being provided to area television and radio stations informing listeners on topics such as flooding, electrical hazards, chain saws and fall hazards.

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).

OSHA has improved workplace safety and health over the past 37 years. This success is reflected in the latest data showing the lowest national injury and illness incidence rate that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ever recorded. OSHA will continue to work diligently to focus its resources where they will have the most impact in assuring that every working man and woman returns home safely every day.

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.

# # #




Phone Numbers