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Remarks Prepared for Delivery for U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao Interagency Seminar on Emergency Preparedness for
People With Disabilities U.S. Department of Labor Tuesday, December 2,
2003
Thank you, Roy [Roy Grizzard].
I would like to recognize the staff of the Office of Disability
Employment Policy for planning this intensive two-day seminar. And I would like
to thank Assistant Secretary John Henshaw and Assistant Secretary Pat Pizzella
for their support of this important event.
I would also like to welcome the more than 20 presenters who have agreed
to share their expertise on a number of key preparedness issuesespecially
Dan Sutherland, from the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Civil
Rights, who took time from his busy schedule to be this mornings keynote
speaker.
I would also like to recognize the participation of the National
Organization on Disability and its Director, Elizabeth Davisthank you for
your leadership in this critical area.
Today is truly an important milestone for federal emergency planners. We
have 225 representatives from more than 90 Federal offices and agencies with us
today. This is the first time ever that senior personnel from
emergency preparedness, security, office safety and disability programs have
gathered together to address emergency preparedness for federal employees with
disabilities.
At the Labor Department, we are working hard to bring people with
disabilities into the federal workplace. As President George W. Bush said, when
he announced his New Freedom Initiatives for people with disabilities, We
must speed the day when the last barrier has been removed to full and
independent lives for every American with or without disabilities.
To meet this challenge, the Department is involved in a number of key
initiatives for people with disabilities. Were developing new training
initiatives, offering creative placement services and adapting new
technologies. We are encouraging flextime and easing transportation challenges.
Equally important, were making the federal workplace a model workplace by
ensuring a safe and secure environment for employees with disabilities.
We are committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure that all
federal employees with disabilities are protected during an emergency.
The events of September 11th set up a new challenge in the
workplace for people with disabilitiesthe ability to quickly evacuate
employees with disabilities during terrorist threats, attacks and other
disasters.
At the Department, we have always taken the safety requirements of our
over 1,000 employees with disabilities very seriously. We are constantly
revising and fine tuning our emergency preparedness plans. Even prior to
September 11th, the Labor Department had plans in place for the
speedy and effective emergency evacuation of employees with disabilities. Since
then, we have strengthened these plans. I convened a Secretarial-level Task
Force to improve the workplace safety of all Department of Labor employees, and
people with disabilities were a key focus of our action plan.
Let me illustrate the importance of planning for these emergencies with
a story involving some of our OSHA colleagues in New York.
In August 2001, OSHA staff at the Manhattan Area Office completed an
uneventful evacuation drill from their offices on the top floor of Building 6
of the World Trade Center complex. Managers felt confident that everyone could
escape the building safely in an emergencyincluding an employee who had
recently returned to work in a wheelchair. The evacuation plan had specifically
been revised to accommodate his needs.
Within weeks, the practice proved more valuable than anyone could have
imagined.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, OSHA employees had begun a routine
day when an explosion shook the building. The Assistant Area Director
immediately issued the order to evacuate. As the first plane hit the North
Tower of the WTC, debris began falling on Building 6. OSHA staff rushed into
the hallway. Three employees helped their co-worker in the wheelchair down the
corridor and into a freight elevator they had used during the practice drill.
They descended to the basement, into a garage, down some steps, and into
another garage, where they escaped from the building.
The group moved outside just as the second plane hit the South Tower. As
the group moved away from the site, the North Tower collapsed, destroying
OSHAs Manhattan Area Office as it fell. We are so thankful that no
Department of Labor employee was lost during that tragic day. Thanks, in no
small part to OSHAs careful emergency planning, everyone knew what to
doeven in this unprecedented circumstance.
This is a perfect example of why we must have emergency preparedness
plans in place for people with disabilities and why we must perfect these plans
with constant practice. Practice save lives, prevents injuries and helps create
the conditions for a calm and professional evacuation should it ever be
needed.
Every single day, more than 120,000 employees with disabilities go to
work in the national headquarters buildings, regional offices or field
locations that are owned by or leased by the Federal government. Their
safetyand the safety of all federal workersis our number one
priority.
Thats why were having this conference, to guarantee that no
federal worker is left behind in an emergency. We must ensure that everyone has
a safe and secure workplace environment. As leaders in your field, well
be looking to you to come up with creative solutions to the challenges
ahead.
During the next two days you will hear from a number of speakers on a
wide variety of subjectsfrom developing communication plans to applying
technologies to help in evacuations. It is critical that you
attend these breakout sessions and general panel discussions. We need
everyones participation if we are to create federal emergency
preparedness plans that save lives.
So please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn from
your colleagues and expert consultants.
We hope you will return to your agencies with new insights and practical
tools to help create an ever better emergency management plan for your
agency.
Working together, we can create a safe and secure workplaceready
for any emergency.
Thank you for joining us, and have a great seminar!
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