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Key Facts about Hurricane Recovery: English, Spanish, French
Evacuation Center Information
Health Care Professionals Information
Understanding Emergency Management
The Incident Command System
Emergency Preparedness
Evacuation Plans and Procedures
HEALTH HAZARDS
Keeping Food and Water Safe: English, Spanish
Sanitation and Hygiene: English, Spanish
Hand Washing
Mold and Fungi: English, Spanish
Infectious Disease:
Key Facts
Infection Control Guidance for Community Shelters
Specific Diseases
Enteroviruses
West Nile Virus
Leptospirosis
Non-O1 & Non-O139 Vibrio cholerae
Norovirus
Trench Foot or Immersion Foot
Vibrio vulnificus
Waterborne Illnesses (Parasitic Illnesses)
Cryptosporidiosis
Escherichia coli (E. coli)
Q&A about E. coli Measured in Hurricane Katrina Flood
General E. coli information
Giardiasis
Toxoplasmosis
Animal and Insect Hazards
Mental Health SAFETY HAZARDS
Cleanup Hazards: English, Spanish
Flood Cleanup Hazards: English, Spanish
Working Around Downed Electrical Wires
Electrical Safety: English, Spanish
Fall Prevention: English, Spanish
Chainsaw Safety: English, Spanish
The Gulf Coast could have many problems associated with: Heat Stress
Recognizing the signs of: Heat Disorders
Heat Stress Information Card: English, Spanish
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
Exposure to Contaminated Flood Waters: English, Spanish
Disinfecting Drinking Water: English, Spanish
Flood Water Test Results: Chemical Testing
Employer Spill Notification
GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establish regulations that
apply to companies based on what they do. Compliance is a term used to
describe the satisfaction of these regulatory requirements and is generally
performance based. OSHA has developed regulations for four (4) industry
groups; General, Construction, Maritime and Agriculture. Each has their
own set of regulation numbering in order to distinguish the requirements
of one industry from another: OSHA regulations have been assigned the
number 29 in the Code of Federal Regulations. This is their number and
this number signifies that it belongs to OSHA and precedes the specific
industry number. As stated earlier there are four (4) industry groups
that regulations are assigned to. These also have their own number also
called “Part”.
General:
1910
Construction: 1926
Maritime: 1915,
1917,
and 1918
Agriculture: 1928
Each “Part” is further numbered into the specific regulation, for example:
29
CFR 1910.1200 - This is interpreted as 29 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) which is OSHA. The 1910
signify General Industry and the 1200 are the specific
regulation (Hazard Communication).
This same
regulation also applies to the Construction Industry it citation is the
following:
29
CFR 1926.59 - This is interpreted as 29 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) which is OSHA. The 1926
signify Construction Industry and the 59 are the specific
regulation (Hazard Communication).
The first
and most important step in compliance is knowing which regulations apply
to the industry that you belong in based on what you do. It is important
to note however, that because regulations are activity based just because
you are clearly placed within a particular industry does not mean that
regulations in other industries cannot apply to your organization… for example if your are a manufacturer, general industry regulations apply
to your organization (1910) but if you decide to have your employees perform
construction work then construction regulations (1926) would apply during
the period of time those employees were performing this type of work.
State
Plans:
Remember,
that OSHA regulations are activity based and grouped by industry. OSHA
regulations are laws that are created by the Federal government. Individual
State governments in order to receive dispensation from the Federal government
have obligations they must meet. One of these obligations is the enforcement
of the Health and Safety laws. Another is the obligation to enforce Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) laws and so on. States have the choice to either
enforce these laws with their own government employees or to elect to
have the Federal government employees enforce these laws within their
State. If a State chooses to enforce the laws they must create a State
Plan that is “Approved” by OSHA. Currently, there are 26 States
and Territories that have approved State plans.
(See Directory).
State plans must at a minimum, meet the Federal Regulations but can and
do in some State Plans exceed the Federal regulations. Therefore, it is
important to know whether the State your employees work in has it’s
own approved State Plan.
Compliance:
Instead of
citing all the regulations for all the different industries and because
regulations are activity based the following is a general list of the
activities where regulations are in place.
- General
Recording and Reporting of Accidents (injuries and illnesses).
o Covered under Part
1904
o Requires forms to be filled out when a “recordable” accident
occurs:
- Form
301 Incident Report
- Form 300 Log of Injuries and Illness
- Form 300A Summary of Work Related Injuries
and Illnesses
- See
Forms (pdf file)
o Requires notification in the event of a workplace death. (Notify)
-
General Posting Requirements to Inform Employees of Their Rights.
- Using
Products with Chemical Ingredients. In general, every industry
has regulations that require employers to inventory the products their
workers use that have hazardous chemical ingredients, inform their employees
what the hazards are and how to protect themselves, train their employees
how to access and understand the information contained in a Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and in many cases must establish a written
program that explains how they will accomplish this.
- Using
Machinery, Equipment and Hand Tools. Many companies use machinery,
equipment and hand tools everyday. Regulations have been established
to protect workers from the points of operation (Machine Guarding),
energy that could be released during servicing and maintenance and the
operation of the equipment (Lockout/Tagout). Once again many of these
requirements involve a written program and employee training.
-
Emergency Fire Protection and Evacuation. Emergencies involving
fires and the need to evacuate employees from a building are two essential
elements to managing a site. OSHA has established a number of regulatory
requirements that are centered on ensuring that plans are in place,
fire equipment is present and employees are trained on what they should
do in the event of a fire or the facility is evacuated. Fire safety
is particularly important for those facilities that use and store flammable
and combustible materials.
-
Exposure to Harmful Substances. OSHA has promulgated many regulations
that address employee exposure to various harmful substances. These
substances vary from biological materials to chemical substances. The
burden is clearly on the employer to identify, evaluate and control
employee exposure. The following is a list of some of the regulations
that apply to exposure to harmful substances.
- Bloodborne
Pathogens
- NIOSH/OSHA/DOE
Health Guidelines
- Carcinogens
- Substances
with OSHA standards, which are classified as carcinogens or
potential carcinogens by the National Toxicity Program. The
compound name provides a link to the Safety and Health Topics
page, if available.
- 1910.1001,
1915.1001,
1926.1101,
Asbestos,
tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite
- 1910.1003,
13 Carcinogens (4-Nitrobiphenyl, etc.)
- 1910.1004,
alpha-Naphthylamine
- 1910.1006,
Methyl chloromethyl ether
- 1910.1007,
3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine
- 1910.1008,
bis-Chloromethyl ether
- 1910.1009,
beta-Naphthylamine
- 1910.1010,
Benzidine
- 1910.1011,
4-Aminodiphenyl
- 1910.1012,
Ethyleneimine
- 1910.1013,
beta-Propiolactone
- 1910.1014,
2-Acetylaminofluorene
- 1910.1015,
4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene
- 1910.1016,
N-Nitrosodimethylamine
- 1910.1017,
Vinyl Chloride
- 1910.1018,
Inorganic Arsenic
- 1910.1027,
1926.1127,
Cadmium
- 1910.1028,
Benzene
- 1910.1029,
Coke oven emissions
- 1910.1044,
1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane
- 1910.1045,
Acrylonitrile
- 1910.1047,
Ethylene
Oxide
- 1910.1048,
Formaldehyde
- 1910.1050,
Methylenedianiline
- 1910.1051,
1,3-Butadiene
- 1910.1052,
Methylene
chloride
o
Diesel
Exhaust, Silica (Crystalline),
Lead
o Isocyanates,
Metalworking
Fluids, Synthetic
Mineral Fibers
Evaluation: Exposure also involves the process
of quantifying the amount of a substance that a worker is exposed
to and applying appropriate control measures. OSHA and NIOSH have
developed certain methodologies that should be used in order to
assess the amount and degree of exposure.
o Analytical
Methods
o Chemical
Sampling Information
o Direct
Reading Instrumentation
o Indoor
Air Quality
Control: Controlling employee exposure to harmful
substances involves applying solely or in combination, engineering
controls, work practice controls, administrative controls and/or
personal protective equipment to the route of exposure(s) that
has been deemed harmful. Exposure to chemical substances in many
cases cannot be avoided, understanding the levels that have been
adopted as “permissible” by OSHA is fundamental with
respect to OSHA compliance.
o Dermal
Exposure
o Eye
and Face Exposure
o Permissible
Exposure Limits
o Respiratory
Protection
o NIOSH Recommendations
to Chemical Protective Clothing
o Ventilation
- Working
in Confined Spaces: Many workplaces contain spaces that are
considered "confined" because their configurations hinder
the activities of employees who must enter, work in, and exit them.
There are many instances where employees who work in confined spaces
face increased risk of exposure to serious hazards. In some cases, confinement
itself poses entrapment hazards. In other cases, confined space work
keeps employees closer to hazards, such as asphyxiating atmospheres
or the moving parts of machinery.
o Confined
Spaces
-
Medical and First Aid: It is a requirement of OSHA that employees
be given a safe and healthy workplace that is reasonably free of occupational
hazards. However, it is unrealistic to expect accidents not to happen.
Therefore, employers are required to provide medical and first aid personnel
and supplies commensurate with the hazards of the workplace. The details
of a workplace medical and first aid program are dependent on the circumstances
of each workplace and employer.
-
Hazards Management: Compliance is all about recognizing hazards,
finding solutions and implementing measures that control or eliminate
these hazards in a manner that is consistent with OSHA regulatory requirements.
There are many hazards, some regulated by OSHA and others that are recognized
but not covered by any specific regulatory standard. Every employer
has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace, determining
which hazards apply to a particular workplace is an ongoing process.
The following are a list of common hazards that may apply to your organization:
- Worker Training: Knowledge Center
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