Emergency Preparedness and Response by the Book

A hurricane blasts through South Florida causing more than $25 billion in damage. A fire rips through a food processing plant, killing 25. An explosion at a refinery injures 100 and leaves 15 dead. A blizzard shuts down much of the East Coast for days, taking 150 lives and causing millions of dollars in damage. A 7.1 Richter scale earthquake rocks the Bay area in California, killing 62 and injuring nearly 4,000. A disgruntled former employee returns to the workplace with a gun and kills his supervisor and several former co-workers.

Whether it’s emergencies like these, or whether it’s floods, hazardous material spills, tornadoes, the possibility of terrorism, or some other deadly crisis that could endanger your workplace and employees, you have to be prepared for the worst and be ready to respond effectively.

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OSHA Requirements

OSHA general industry regulations contain a lot of requirements for emergency preparedness and response. A core of them is in Subpart E, but numerous other standards also include emergency response requirements.

Here’s a quick rundown of standard-specific emergency requirements, starting with the key emergency preparedness regulations:

• Exit routes—29 CFR 1910.33-37
• Emergency action plan—29 CFR 1910.38
• Fire prevention plan—29 CFR 1910.39
• Medical services and first aid—29 CFR 1910.151
• Fire protection systems—29 CFR 157-163
• Fire detection systems—29 CFR 1910.164
• Employee alarm systems—29 CFR 1910.165

The following regulations support or supplement the general industry rules for emergency preparedness:

• Bloodborne pathogens—29 CFR 1910.1030 (supplements first-aid requirements)
• Hazard communication—29 CFR 1910.1200 (emergencies with hazardous chemicals)
• Personal protective equipment—29 CFR 1910.132-138

OSHA regulations also contain rules that address workplace emergency preparedness and response for specific types of operations, including:

• 
  Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)—29 CFR 1910.120(q), which requires companies to include emergency procedures in the information and training they provide to employees about working with hazardous substances
• Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals—29 CFR 1910.119
• Powered platforms–29 CFR 1910.66(e)(9) (emergency planning)
• Storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia—29 CFR 1910.111(d) (emergency alarms)
• Permit-required confined spaces—29 CFR 1910.146(k) (rescue and emergency services)
• Fire brigades—29 CFR 1910.156 (industrial, private, or contractual fire departments)

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There are also emergency preparedness and response requirements for several toxic chemicals and hazardous air contaminants:

• 1,2­Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP)—29 CFR 1910.1044(i)
• Acrylonitrile—29 CFR 1910.1045(i)
• Asbestos—29 CFR 1910.1001(j)(7)
• Carcinogens—29 CFR 1910.1003(d)(2)
• Bloodborne pathogens—29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)
• Cadmium—29 CFR 1910.1027(h)
• Coke oven emissions—29 CFR 1910.1029(f)(5)
• Ethylene oxide—29 CFR 1910.1047(h)
• Formaldehyde—29 CFR 1910.1048(k) 
• Methylenedianiline—29 CFR 1910.1050(d)
• Methylene chloride—29 CFR 1910.1052(g)
• Vinyl chloride—29 CFR 1910.1017(i)

Similar rules for emergency preparedness and response for the construction industry can be found under similar designations throughout the construction standards (29 CRF 1926).

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