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Emergency Preparedness and
Response |
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Among other
provisions, 29 CFR 1910.120(q) requires entities engaged in emergency response
to provide appropriate training to their workers; to use an incident
command system; to develop a written response plan that includes personnel
roles, lines of authority and communication, site security and control,
medical and emergency alert procedures; and to provide workers with
appropriate protective equipment.
The 24 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, have OSHA-approved
State Plan programs that have standards, including the Hazardous Waste
Operations and Emergency Responder standard, which are "at least
as effective as" Federal OSHA standards. State plans provide
assistance and extend their authority to most private sector and all
public sector (state
and local government) employers and employees in those States,
including first and second responders.
This page includes information on the following:
First Responders (Fire Fighters,
Police Officers, and Emergency Medical Technicians) See also Equipment
and
Training
and Education.
-
Safety and Health Guides. OSHA, (2005, March 1). Provides an
overview of worker hazards related to various emergencies. They were
designed for use as a general handout during an emergency event, or as a
training supplement for emergency preparation.
-
Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response. US Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication
No. 2004-144 RAND Publication No. MG-170, (2004, May). Also
available as a 874
KB
PDF formats,
154 pages. Addresses the protection of emergency responders
against injury, illness, and death on just such rare occasions, when
emergencies become disasters. Builds on a broad base of National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health programs and RAND Corporation
research on protecting emergency responders. Focuses
on preparedness (especially planning and training) and management
as means of controlling and reducing the hazards emergency responders
face. Provides a set of recommendations on how disaster site safety
and health management might be improved. Much of the information
contained herein is based upon the firsthand experience and suggestions
of emergency responders who were there at the World Trade Center and
at the Pentagon on and after September 11, as well as those who responded
to the Northridge earthquake (in California) and Hurricane Andrew (in
Florida).
-
Report Offers Guidance and Recommendations on Safety of Emergency
Responders in Terrorist Events. National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) Update, (2002, March 21).
- Anthrax.
OSHA eTool. Provides information about Anthrax, including risk, preparation and clean-up.
- Model Health
and Safety Plan (HASP) for Clean-up of Facilities Contaminated with Anthrax Spores.
OSHA, (2003, April 9).
- National Incident Management System.
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), (2004, March 1), 5 MB PDF,
152 pages. Provides a synopsis of each major
component of the NIMS, as well as how these components work together as
a system to provide the national framework for preparing for, preventing
, responding to, and recovering from domestic incidents, regardless of
cause, size, or complexity.
First
Receivers (Healthcare Workers, Hospital Employees)
Skilled Support Personnel (HAZMAT,
Sampling, Crime Scene Personnel, Remediation, Construction, and Clean-up
Personnel)
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OSHA Disaster Site Worker Outreach Training Program
- U.S. Postal Service: Better Guidance Is Needed to Ensure an Appropriate Response to Anthrax Contamination. US Government
Accountability Office (GAO) Report GAO-04-239, (2004, September), 1 MB PDF,
83 pages. Report to congressional requesters.
- Highlights. 75 KB PDF,
1 page.
- Fact
Sheet for Workers in Secondary Response and Other Supporting Roles. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), (2001, September).
- Protecting
Workers at the World Trade Center Site. National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (2002, May).
- Improving
the Training of Skilled Support Personnel for Responding to Terrorist
Actions: A Review of the Problems and Feasible Solutions.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), (2002,
December 14), 491 KB
PDF, 41 pages.
Safety Officers
(SO)
The SO monitors incident operations and advises the
IC on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and
safety of emergency responder personnel. The ultimate responsibility of
the safe conduct of incident management operations rests with the IC or UC
and supervisors at all levels of incident management. The SO is, in turn,
responsible to the IC for the set of systems and procedures necessary to
ensure ongoing assessment of hazardous environments, coordination of
multiagency safety efforts, and implementation of measures to promote
emergency responder safety, as well as the general safety of incident
operations. [More
from National Incident Management System (NIMS), 5 MB
PDF, see page 29]
Equipment
-
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
-
NIOSH Issues first approval for certifying emergency responder
respirators.
(2002, May 31). National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Issues its first
approval of respirators for occupational use by emergency responders
against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents.
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Eye Safety - Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery.
National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Provides guidelines,
images of increasingly effective eye protection, first aid advice and
information resources.
-
Guide
for the Selection of Personal Protection Equipment for Emergency First
Responders. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Guide 102-00, (2002,
November). Provides four PDF volumes of information on personal protection equipment
(PPE) for consideration by emergency first responders when purchasing
and using PPE, including duration of protection, dexterity/mobility,
launder ability, and use/reuse.
-
Guide
for the Selection of Chemical Agent and Toxic Industrial Material Detection
Equipment for Emergency First Responders. National Institute of Justice
(NIJ), (2000, June). Provides two PDF
volumes of information
about detecting chemical agents and toxic industrial materials and selecting
equipment for different applications.
-
An
Introduction to Biological Agent Detection Equipment for Emergency First
Responders. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Guide 101–00, (2001,
December). Provides emergency first responders with four
sections of PDF of information
to aid them in their understanding of biological agent detection equipment.
- Guide
for the Selection of Chemical and Biological Decontamination Equipment
for Emergency First Responders. National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
Guide 103-00, (2001, October),
Provides information about the selection and use of
chemical and/or biological decontamination equipment for various applications.
Because of the large number of items identified in this guide, it is
printed in two volumes: Volume 1 presents the guide, and Volume 2 contains
the decontamination equipment data sheets.
- Guide
for the Selection of Communication Equipment for Emergency First Responders.
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Guide 104-00, (2002, February), Provides emergency first responders with information
they can assess when selecting communication equipment for use with
chemical and biological protective clothing and respiratory equipment.
Volume I presents an overview of communications systems and discusses
equipment characteristics and performance parameters. Volume II lists
manufacturer-supplied details for the 181 items referenced in the first
volume.
Training and Education
-
Incident Command System/Unified
Command (ICS/UC). OSHA eTool. Provides basic
information about the Incident Command System and the
Unified Command, specifically as it relates to the National Contingency
Plan
40
CFR 300. eTools are
illustrated, interactive web-based training tools on
occupational safety and health topics. eTools do not
create new OSHA requirements.
- Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. OSHA
Fact Sheet 93-31,
(1993, January), 345 KB
PDF, 2 pages.
- National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Publications
-
Consequences of Terrorism. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
Emergency
Management Institute (EMI). Collection of training terrorism preparedness
courses divided by intended audience. Also, general
information on FEMA training programs.
- Training
videos for first responders. US Department of Justice (USDOJ), Office
of Justice Programs. Videos for state and local first responders that
cover response to incidents of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.
- Emergency
Response to Terrorism self-study manual. Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), US Fire Administration, 4 MB
PDF.
Provides a general introduction to the basic
concepts for first-responder awareness at the scene of a potential terrorist
incident. Available for order from the USFA Publications
Center.
- Learning
from Disasters: Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Through
Worker Training. National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS), (2002, April 26), 1 MB
PDF,
45 pages.
- Worker
Training In A New Era: Responding To New Threats. National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the John Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, (2002, October 26-27), 556 KB
PDF,
61 pages.
Additional Links
-
Workplace Preparedness Against Terrorism is Strengthened by New Tools,
Methods. National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Update, (2003, September
4). In the two years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has worked closely
with diverse outside partners to create new tools and resources that
ensure the safety of the nation’s emergency responders when they
respond to terrorist attacks and other events.
- The
2004 Emergency Response Guidebook. Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Aids first responders in
quickly identifying the specific or generic hazards of the material(s) involved in the incident, and protecting themselves
and the general public during the initial response phase of the incident.
Developed jointly by Transport Canada (TC), the US Department of Transportation
(DOT) and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico
(SCT) for use by fire fighters, police, and other emergency services
personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a
transportation incident involving dangerous goods. It is primarily a
guide to aid first responders in quickly identifying the specific or
generic hazards of the material(s) involved in the incident, and
protecting themselves and the general public during the initial response
phase of the incident.
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