When It Rains, It Pours: Flood Cleanup Safety Training

Instruct them on how to observe the flooded area before entering. For example, they should:

• Conduct a preliminary worksite inspection to verify stability before entering a flooded building or before operating vehicles over roadways.
• Report hazards to appropriate authorities..
• Not work in or around any flood-damaged building until it has been examined and certified as safe for work by a registered professional engineer or architect.
• Make sure washouts, trenches, excavations, and gullies are supported or their stability verified before entry.

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Drowning

Employees working on, over, or near water that presents a drowning hazard (e.g., because of the flow rate, the depth, or the presence of rocks) must wear appropriate personal floatation devices (PFDs) approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Exposure to Contaminated Floodwaters

Workers can face the very serious hazard of exposure to bacterial, viral, and protozoal diseases. Instruct them to:

Other tips for keeping employees on their feet and avoiding accidents include:

• Avoid potentially contaminated water, if possible.
• Always wear watertight boots with a steel toe and insole, gloves, long pants, and safety glasses during cleanup operations.
• Wear a hard hat if there is a danger of falling debris.
• Clean contaminated clothing, tools, and equipment regularly, using clean soap and water.
• Ensure that cuts and bruises are protected from contact with contaminated water.
• Clean areas of the body that come in contact with contaminated water with soap and water.

Airborne Hazardous Substances

The air may contain hazardous substances, such as silica, mold, dust, dried mud, or silt. Workers should:

• Try to stay upwind of or away from dust-generating activities.
• Wear a NIOSH-approved dust respirator if working with moldy building materials or vegetable matter.
• Use water spray or mist to suppress dust generation, especially during operations that may create a lot of dust, such as cutting or sawing, jack hammering, impact drilling, using heavy equipment, and demolishing structures.

Asbestos and Lead

Cleanup workers should always be aware of the potential of illness or injury from asbestos containing materials (ACM). Structures built before 1980 are more likely to contain ACM.

Workers should identify building materials, such as painted surfaces and pipes that may contain lead, and test materials, as necessary.

Contact with Live Electrical Equipment and Other Utilities

Workers should treat all power lines as energized until you are certain that the lines have been deenergized. They should NOT touch downed power lines or any object or water that is in contact with such lines. If they bring electrical equipment into flooded areas, they should follow all electrical safety procedures.

Cleanup workers should not approach any gas leaks. If a gas leak is detected, they should secure spark-producing devices (e.g., engines, tools, electronic, and communications equipment) and evacuate the area until the leak is secured. Workers should contact the utility company to assist in locating, marking, and shutting off/purging utility lines that may pose a hazard or may be impacted.

Generator Use

Generators can be useful in emergency situations, but they can be hazardous if not operated carefully. Train workers in their proper use.

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Manual Handling of Materials

Wet items can be unexpectedly heavy so workers should take frequent rest breaks when lifting heavy or water-laden objects. They should use safe lifting practices; keep the weight as close to the body as possible. They should use extra people or mechanical devices as needed so that don’t injure themselves by trying to move something that’s just too heavy for one person to handle alone.

Animal Bites, Stings, and Aggressive Behavior

To avoid hazards from animals and insects cleanup workers should:

• Discuss possible hazardous wildlife concerns with personnel familiar with the flooded area (e.g., game wardens, animal control officers).
• Be on guard for stray or wild animals.
• Assume that all snakes are venomous and that all animals are rabid. Be cautious about where you place your hands and feet.
• Wear proper foot gear, such as high-top leather boots and leather gloves, when handling materials where snakes, insects, and other animals may have nested (e.g., firewood, lumber, rocks, construction debris).
• Unless properly trained, not attempt to take custody of animals—watch them from a safe distance while contacting animal control personnel.
• If animal or human remains are found, contact public health/mortuary personnel for removal.
• Use insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin on exposed skin, and wear long-sleeved pants and shirts.
• Inspect and shake out clothing and shoes before getting dressed.
• When working in high grass, cover exposed skin with long sleeves and pants to avoid deer ticks, the carriers of Lyme disease. Report all tick bites to medical personnel.

Contact with Poisonous Plants

To deal with poisonous plant hazards workers should learn how to recognize hazardous plants. They should also:

• Keep rubbing alcohol accessible, because it may remove the oily resin from plants such as poison ivy up to 30 minutes after exposure.
• Use gloves and wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when working where you may encounter poisonous plants.
• Use a barrier cream formulated to protect against poison ivy/oak.

Why It Matters

• Floods are one of the most common natural disasters in the United States.
• Today’s Advisor gives an overview of several possible hazards in flood cleanup. There are more.
• OSHA takes flood cleanup safety so seriously that the organization has a page dedicated to these operations: Get the details.

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