As thousands of workers and volunteers courageously mobilize to help victims recover from the catastrophic storm damage in Texas and Louisiana, OSHA advises workers and those helping in recovery efforts to take proper safety and health precautions to avoid injury.
Following a natural disaster, recovery and cleanup workers can be exposed to many dangers, including downed power lines, carbon monoxide and electrical hazards from portable generators, confined spaces, fall and struck-by hazards from weakened and damaged trees, mold, high water levels, toxic chemical exposure, and more.
OSHA has resources to help employers keep their workers safe when hurricanes and floods strike and during cleanup and recovery operations. For more information visit OSHA.gov or the Department of Labor’s Hurricane Recovery Assistance webpage.
