The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are joining forces to promote a Summer Safety Campaign.
OSHA provides resources for workplace preparedness and response to severe weather emergencies that can arise during summer, including: hurricanes, wildfires and floods as well as severe heat. OSHA and NOAA encourage employers to be aware of weather forecasts, train workers on severe weather plans and keep emergency supplies, including a battery-operated weather radio.
Some parts of the country have already experienced deadly and damaging flooding this season. And hurricane season begins today in the Atlantic and began in mid-May in the Pacific. Both high-hazard seasons run through November. Employers and workers need to be prepared with a detailed plan before these events occur to ensure that everyone stays safe.
And with temperatures rising, now is the best time for employers to prepare to protect workers outdoors. Workers in outdoor industries like agriculture, construction and transportation face serious hazards from working in the heat, including illness and death. One handy tool available for free to prevent these hazards is the OSHA Heat App that calculates the heat index (both temperature and humidity) at your worksite and provides recommendations for how best to protect workers based on the risk level. OSHA's heat app, recently updated for iPhone users, has been downloaded more than 193,000 times.
