Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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.
News stories continue to reveal the devastating aftermath from Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2021. The storm’s death toll has reached 84 deaths across eight states, including fatalities as far north as Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey due to severe flooding from the storm. Some areas in Louisiana […]
In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at EHS Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber asking about whether companies must have first responders on staff. See what the experts had to say. Q: Are all companies required to have first responders […]
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 assess your readiness to return to business after a power outage. The last few months have seen plenty of severe weather events: Hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, and extended rainstorms […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urged employers, response crews, and residents in areas affected by Hurricane Ida to recognize the hazards created by fallen trees, flooding, power loss, storm debris, and structural damage in the wake of a hurricane. Both emergency response and cleanup and recovery crews face hazards related to removing […]
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 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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]