Category: Emergency Preparedness and Response

OSHA has a lot to say about emergency preparedness and response. Do you know where to find all the rules? 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 […]

Although overall rates of workplace violence have declined in the past decade, homicides associated with customers and clients have increased. Employees who deal with the public are especially at risk. Johnny Lee, founder of Peace at Work, a nonprofit organization that focuses on violence prevention "in and through the workplace," notes a growing risk for […]

Healthcare and social-service workers face the threat of violence on the job every day. Read about a NIOSH study that’s assessing risks, and review OSHA guidelines for protecting employees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the rate of violence against home healthcare and social-service workers is far higher than the rate for the working […]

Seconds count in a medical emergency. When a worker has been injured, what happens while waiting for the ambulance to arrive could make the difference between life and death. Joe’s experiencing shortness of breath; his skin is ashen; he’s perspiring; and he feels severe pain down his left arm. What should his co-workers do? Call […]

There are over 4 million workplace accidents every year resulting in injuries and illness. Quick response at the scene of an accident keeps a bad situation from getting worse and may even save a life. You work hard to prevent workplace accidents. But despite your best efforts, there is always at least a possibility that […]

Emergency workers responding to disasters like the recent earthquake in Haiti are exposed to numerous safety and health hazards; among them, eye injuries. We all watched in horror as the news footage of the devastation in Haiti played out across our TV and computer screens. Disasters like this underscore the dangers faced by emergency responders, […]

OSHA strongly recommends that all businesses have an emergency action plan in place that covers procedures for evacuations and sheltering. You and your employees need to know exactly what to do in any emergency situation, from fires to natural disasters to chemical spills. When developing your emergency action plan, it’s important to determine the following: […]

Yesterday, we identified a number of common workplace fire hazards and some key fire prevention rules for employees. Today, we’ll talk about 10 simple but highly effective fire prevention strategies that can help make your workplace truly fireproof. We’ve boiled basic workplace fire prevention down to 10 essential elements. They are: 1. Inspect all areas […]

On an average day, there are more than 200 workplace fires in this country. Annually, those fires kill hundreds of workers, injure many thousands more, and cost American businesses billions of dollars in damage and lost productivity. Unfortunately, there are dozens of ways workplace fires can start. You have to be on top of potential […]