Organizations must prepare themselves for natural disasters and emergencies. Should a tornado or an earthquake hit, how will employers keep their workers safe? Those in safety, security and emergency management play key roles when it comes to preparing a workplace for hurricanes, fires, floods and other natural disasters.
Organizations can take several actions to protect their employees in emergencies and natural disasters. They include the following:
OSHA regulates that companies must document their emergency action plans according to specific standards. Additionally, employees should go through practice drills that familiarize them with emergency procedures and be provided with copies of emergency action plans.
Survival kits include basics such as water (a gallon per day for each employee), nonperishable foods, first-aid kits, flashlights and battery-operated radios. Other items to store in stormproof rooms might include blankets, maps and cellphones.
Employees should know the location of the nearest exit, as well as alternatives. Additionally, evacuation plans should indicate the best routes to exit a building and where to meet after exiting a building. Organizations should have evacuation plans posted in visible areas throughout work areas.
Recovering from disasters and emergencies requires thoughtful management. Security and emergency managers help a workplace recover in the aftermath of a disaster in several ways.
First, they perform a damage assessment, examining property to determine what requires repairs or replacement and to identify areas of a building that pose safety threats. After damage assessment, emergency managers work to help an organization return to normal operations. They also reflect on what aspects of their emergency action plans need revision.
Air quality affects employees’ comfort and health. Several factors can impact air quality, such as humidity level, lack of outside air, poorly controlled temperatures and remodeling projects. Additionally, air contaminants, including fumes from cleaning supplies, pesticides or dust from construction, affect air quality.
Poor indoor air quality has been linked to:
Air circulation plays a key role in air quality. Without proper circulation irritants remain in the air. However, proper air circulation can help eliminate the contaminants that lead to health problems.
Another potential danger of poor air circulation in a workplace includes easier disease transmission. Ventilation helps remove exhaled airborne bacteria and viruses from the air and reduce the risk of transmitting airborne diseases from long range. This has become of vital importance with the emergence of epidemics like SARS and MERS, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some work generates potentially dangerous substances in the air including noxious fumes, unhealthy vapors, smoke and other irritants that can cause serious health risks. For example, nail technicians may breathe in chemicals from the products they use, construction workers often come into contact with dust and fumes, and health care workers can be exposed to biological hazards.
By inhaling or coming into contact with dangerous substances in uncirculated air, workers can develop:
OSHA requires ventilation in buildings that ensure that workers have clean air to breathe. OSHA standards put limits on the amount of pollutants allowed in the air and mandate sufficient ventilation to ensure toxins remain at safe levels.
To meet and exceed OSHA standards, employers and work facilities can do the following:
Work areas can’t have carbon monoxide levels that average higher than 50 parts per million within an eight-hour period. Employers must regularly test carbon monoxide levels and provide ample ventilation to meet this standard.
Uncovered ventilation systems pose health risks. Make sure that the intakes and belt drives of these systems, particularly portable blowers, remain covered to prevent accidents. Additionally, make sure that the ventilation systems operate correctly: Regularly inspect their hoods, ducts and pressure gauge. Also check fan housing, pulley belts and air cleaner components.
Some solvents have flammable vapors that can become explosive at high concentrations. To reduce these risks, employers must keep these vapors at levels well below their explosive concentration limits. Safety management experts must know the explosive levels of the solvents they use and ensure that their vapor levels meet OSHA standards. Using exhaust systems that improve ventilation can help achieve that.