Monday, September 18, 2017

OSHA Actively Engaged in Hurricane Harvey Recovery Efforts

OSHA hurricane interventionsOSHA is working closely with local, state, and federal response partners to protect all workers involved in Harvey cleanup and recovery operations.
At FEMA’s request, OSHA staff joined the Joint Field Office in Austin, Texas, and is developing an incident-specific health and safety plan to protect workers during the cleanup and recovery operations. OSHA has been planning and conducting outreach with interagency partners and stakeholders by providing worker safety and health resources, such as the agency’s preparedness, response, and recovery webpages on hurricanes and floods.
To date, OSHA staff have conducted dozens of interventions in the Coastal Bend area to assist employers and workers in identifying unsafe or potentially unsafe working conditions. OSHA response teams have removed approximately 350 workers from hazards, and provided outreach at shelters and work camps where workers assembled and began preparing for recovery activities.