Tag: FEMA

OSHA Responds to Concerns About Emergency Response Proposal

On September 17, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded to concerns about the agency’s rulemaking on emergency response and its potential impact on voluntary emergency responders. On February 5, OSHA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for an emergency response standard to replace its decades-old fire brigades standard. Federal OSHA doesn’t directly […]

OSHA Issues Emergency Response Proposal

On February 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for a new emergency response standard to replace the agency’s nearly 44-year-old fire brigades standard (89 Fed. Reg. 7774), which was established in 1980. Emergency response has been covered by a patchwork of hazard-specific OSHA standards, none of […]

Eye-to-Eye with Hurricanes: Lessons Learned for Business Owners

By James Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, ASP, CSHO Last year, the Atlantic Hurricane season produced fourteen named storms, eight classified as hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater. Due to the culmination of decades of increasing intensity, frequency, and duration of severe storms, this phenomenon results from rising ocean sea surface temperatures caused by […]

Environmental Group Sues FEMA for Fossil Fuel Spending Records

Following up on a 2021 request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for failing to release public records about the agency’s spending on energy-related projects and assistance to help communities rebuild […]

Best of ’21: Back to Basics

As the year winds down, we’re taking a look this week at some highlights from 2021. Today, we’re highlighting excerpts from some of our favorites from our Back to Basics feature, which made its debut in late July. August 9: Common Hazards, Frequent Citations Don’t let all the new, exotic workplace hazards distract you from […]

Back to Basics: Are You Ready for an Extreme Winter Storm?

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to prepare for an extreme winter storm. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time for people in many parts of the country to start thinking about winter. And […]

Back to Basics: Planning is Crucial for Tornado Preparedness

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to prepare for a tornado. Severe weather events are seemingly commonplace these days, but there’s something particularly devastating about tornadoes. Especially the unpredictability and the sheer damage they can dish […]

Back to Basics: Conduct a Business Impact Analysis

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to prepare for a disruption of business operations by doing a business impact analysis. As you prepare your business for any possible emergency, it makes sense to do a business […]

Back to Basics: Are You Ready for a Power Outage?

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to assess your readiness to return to business after a power outage. The last few months have seen plenty of severe weather events: Hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, and extended rainstorms […]

Back to Basics: Get Ready for Hurricane Response With a Tabletop Exercise

Back to Basics is a new weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine using a tabletop exercise to test your hurricane preparedness. When it comes to hurricane preparedness, you can have all your bases covered, but if you don’t test to see how […]