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Emergency Preparedness and Response
Safety and Health Topics
Emergency Preparedness and Response

In Focus
OSHA and its State Plan partners help set and implement national safety and health standards for emergency responders. Foremost among these standards is the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard of 29 CFR 1910.120(q).

Specialty topics include: Chemical, Biological, Bioterrorism, Radiation, Personal Protective Equipment, Training and Education, Equipment.

The following questions link to information relevant to emergency preparedness and response.

Standards What standards apply?
OSHA | Other Federal
Responders What tools are available for responders?
First Responders | First Receivers | Skilled Support Personnel | More
General Worksites What tools are available for general worksites?
Emergency Action Plans | Evacuation Matrix | Fire/Explosion Matrix | More
National Response System How does OSHA support the National Response System?
Worker S&H Annex | NRP | NEMP | Inside the Green Line | More
Additional Information What additional information is available?
DHS | DOL/OSHA | White House | CDC/NIOSH | NIEHS | USPS | More

In Focus
California Wildfires Hot Topics

Hurricane Recovery
  • Hurricane RecoveryKeeping Workers Safe During Clean Up and Recovery Operations Following Hurricanes. OSHA. Includes information such as news releases, public service announcements, fact sheets, frequently asked questions, and more. It also features 29 individual task- and operation-specific activity sheets that help employers evaluate hazards and provides guidance on reducing employee exposures during disaster operations like debris collection, tree trimming, utility restoration, building demolition and others.
  • HurricaneHurricane eMatrix: Hazard Exposure and Risk Assessment Matrix for Hurricane Response & Recovery Work. OSHA eMatrix, (2006, December). Provides information on many of the most common and significant additional hazards that response and recovery workers might encounter when working in an area recently devastated by a hurricane. This Matrix highlights a number of tasks and operations associated with disaster response and recovery.
General
  • Work Zone Traffic Safety During Disaster Recovery Efforts. OSHA, (2007, October), 338 KB PDF, 2 pages. Includes general information on sign use and placement, traffic control, flaggers, lighting, and training. It also includes diagrams illustrating hand signaling and the set up of temporary traffic control zones.
  • Inspection Procedures for 29 CFR 1910.120 and 1926.65, Paragraph (q): Emergency Response to Hazardous Substance Releases. OSHA Directive CPL 02-02-073, (2007, August 27). Also available as a 444 KB PDF, 119 pages. Updates enforcement procedures for compliance officers who need to conduct inspections of emergency response operations. It defines additional terms and expands on training requirements for emergency responders and other groups such as skilled support personnel. This OSHA instruction revises CPL 02-02-059, issued April 24, 1998.
  • Resilience Resources for Emergency Response. OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety Health (NIOSH), (2007). Provides resources for addressing emotional and physical health issues that may arise before, during, and after emergency response efforts and includes some educational materials that can assist employees, their families and supervisors before, during and after deployment.
  • OSHA/EPA Occupational Chemical Database. OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2007). Compiles information from several government agencies and organizations. Available database reports include: "Physical Properties," "Exposure Guidelines," "NIOSH Pocket Guide," and "Emergency Response Information," including the DOT Emergency Response Guide. In addition, an all-in-one report, "Full Report," is available.
  • Secretary's Order 01-2006 - Establishment of the Emergency Management Center (EMC) and the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP). OSHA Federal Register Notice 70:4027-4030, (2006, January 24).
  • OSHA Best Practices for Hospital-Based First Receivers of Victims. OSHA, (2004, December 20). Provides hospitals with practical information to assist them in developing and implementing emergency management plans that address the protection of hospital-based emergency department personnel during the receipt of contaminated victims from mass casualty incidents occurring at locations other than the hospital. Among other topics, it covers victim decontamination, personal protective equipment, and employee training, and also includes several informational appendices.
  • Safety and Health Guides. OSHA, (2005, March 1). Provides an overview of worker hazards related to various emergencies. The Guides were designed for use as a general handout during an emergency event, or as a training supplement for emergency preparation.
  • Innovative Workplace Safety Accommodations for Hearing-Impaired Workers. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), (2005, July 22).
eTools
  • AnthraxAnthrax. OSHA. Provides information about Anthrax, including risk, preparation and clean-up.
  • Evacuation Plans and Procedures. OSHA. Assists businesses to implement an emergency action plan, and comply with OSHA's emergency standards.
  • Eye and Face Protection. OSHA. Provides compliance assistance to employers and employees, helps implement requirements for a
    hazard assessment, and aids in the selection of
    eye and face protective equipment.
  • Evacuation Plans and Procedures Incident Command System/Unified Command (ICS/UC). OSHA. Provides basic information about the Incident Command System and the Unified Command, specifically as it relates to the National Contingency Plan 40 CFR 300.
  • Respiratory Protection. OSHA. Helps users comply with the new OSHA respirator standard. Instructs users on the proper selection of respiratory protection and the development of change schedules for gas/vapor cartridges.
Expert Systems
  • eHASP2Electronic Health and Safety Program (eHASP)2. OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2006, March). Assists the user in determining the appropriate controls of health and safety hazards for their sites. Created in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the updated eHASP Guide uses modern (Windows-based) software, site-specific text, and expanded decision logic.
  • e-PRCSPermit Required Confined Spaces software (e-PRCS). OSHA, (2000, September). Assists users in developing written programs by prompting them for information about particular their work-sites, confined spaces, and company policies and procedures.
 Safety and
 Health Topics
 
  Emergency Preparedness and Response
  Standards
  Responders
  General Worksites
  National Response System
  Additional
Information
  Credits
 
Content Reviewed 09/28/2007
 
 


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