Hurricane Cleanup Poses Risks for Workers

It’s hurricane season, which means emergency crews are facing hazards from flooding, power loss, structural damage, fallen trees, and storm debris. OSHA recently released a press release following Hurricane Florence. It reminded workers to be aware of these significant dangers.

“Workers involved in storm recovery can face a range of safety and health hazards,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer. “Risks can be minimized with knowledge, safe work practices, and personal protective equipment.”

When an area is affected by a massive storm, emergency crews are relied on for their proper training, equipment and experience with recovery and cleanup. Common storm-cleanup tasks include restoring electricity, removing debris, repairing water damage, repairing roofs, and trimming or removing fallen trees.

It’s important to remember the following protective measures for storm clean up:

• Evaluate the work area for any hazards
• Assess the stability of structures and walkways
• Use proper fall protection when working on elevated surfaces
• Assume all power lines are live
• Be precautious when using chainsaws, portable generators, ladders, and other equipment
• Use proper personal protective equipment including gloves, hard hats, hearing, eye, and foot protectors

OSHA has an extensive website including a Hurricane eMatrix where employers can reference the best practices for clean up and recovery.

National Preparedness Month

Hurricane season also fittingly falls into National Preparedness Month. It’s important for workplaces to be ready for hurricanes and other disasters. Here are a few ways to make sure your workplace is prepared:

• Develop emergency plans: Employers should have an emergency plan in place and make sure that workers know how to execute them. These plans should include places to take shelter, methods for accounting for personnel, and procedures for addressing any hazardous materials that may be on-site.
• Stay aware & maintain supplies: It’s always important to have emergency supplies, but keep an eye on weather forecasts to know when it’s time to stock up. Always keep a battery-operated weather radio on hand if severe weather strikes.

Being Proactive with Health and Safety

Being prepared is always important, even outside natural disasters. Employers need to make sure their workers stay safe and healthy. They also need remain prepared for impromptu OSHA inspections. Medical surveillance testing is not only required in many cases, but it’s also a great way to stay offer workers peace of mind.

Worksite Medical offers convenient testing with our mobile medical units. We’ll bring all the resources of a lab to your job site. Some of our services include respirator fit testing, audiometric exams, crystalline silica testing, and more.

Call us at 1-844-OCCUMED to schedule an appointment today, or visit us online.

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