Category: Emergency Preparedness and Response

No one wants it to happen, but an emergency, natural or manmade, can strike at anytime, 24/7. What’s more, it need not be a major, nationally-televised incident, such as a hurricane, earthquake, or act of political terror. An event as common as a local building fire can present just as large a challenge to you. These resources will help you create a plan for handling such crises, whatever their scope, and to carry it out in a way that best protects your employees and your company.

Free Special Report: 50 Tips for More Effective Safety Training

Back to Basics: Do You Have a Crisis Communications Plan?

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 create a crisis communications plan. When disaster strikes your business, you need to respond, but you also need to communicate. This includes letting customers know if your business operations […]

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 […]

Back to Basics: Conducting a Vulnerability Analysis

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 emergency planning, and specifically, how to conduct a vulnerability analysis of your business. If there’s one thing we’re seeing as the summer of 2021 wears on, it’s that disasters and […]

The Way to the Egress: A Guide to Workplace Evacuations, Part 2

In Part 1 of this two-part series on workplace evacuations, we share the importance of building an effective Emergency Action Plan and establishing a safety strategy to address various emergency scenarios. Continuing coverage into Part 2 of this evacuation primer, we now provide a closer look at the safety requirements for establishing exit routes and […]

The Way to The Egress: A Guide to Workplace Evacuations, Part 1

Sometimes your employees just need to leave. Workplace emergencies can range from isolated chemical spills, fires, toxic gas releases, and active shooter incidents to local flooding; hurricanes; tornados; and, more rarely, terrorist attacks. Workplace lockdowns or sheltering in place may be the appropriate response, but sometimes you need to evacuate your facility. But first, you […]

Respirator facemask FFR

OSHA Issues COVID-19 Enforcement Directive

On June 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an enforcement directive for its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS), which only applies to healthcare and healthcare support services employers. The directive includes exemptions from inspection and enforcement under the ETS for a number of tasks and facilities, such as: Provision of first aid […]

COVID-19 PPE, OSHA ETS

Healthcare Emergency COVID-19 Rule Effective Immediately

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) emergency temporary standard (ETS), which applies only to employers of healthcare and healthcare support services employees who potentially are exposed to COVID-19, became effective June 21 (86 FR 32376). Covered employers must comply with most provisions of the ETS by July 6 and with the physical barriers, ventilation, […]

OSHA regs and enforcement concept

8 Best Practices Inspired by New OSHA Safety Guidance

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published its long-awaited emergency temporary standard (ETS) and accompanying guidance, “Protecting Workers,” on June 10, 2021. The ETS applies to covered healthcare employers, while the guidance articulates best practices for all employers in providing a “safe and healthful workplace.” Like the emergency rules issued by the Michigan Occupational Safety and […]

COVID-19, Wildfire Smoke, and Ventilation

Are you prepared to fully reopen your facilities during an ongoing, if waning, pandemic and the threat of wildfires this summer? States and localities are rolling back pandemic precautions as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations roll out across the United States–President Biden pledged May 4 that 70 percent of American adults would receive at least […]

Skip the Headache: If Employee Needs Ambulance, Call One

Imagine suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, reporting it, and then being fired for seeking medical attention. Toxic work environment? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says yes. Poisoned, Then Fired A Texas hotel is in hot water with OSHA. In January 2019, an employee of All Seasons Hospitality and Investments notified her employer she […]