CDC and NIOSH Offer Key Messages for Cleanup Workers
"Hurricane Key Messages for Employers, Workers and Volunteers" covers the potential dangers involved in cleanup work after storms and flooding and the proper safety precautions, with links at the end of each section to additional resources.
Cleaning up after Hurricane Michael will be a long process in the Florida Panhandle and other areas where the storm caused extensive damage. Fortunately, a guidance document from CDC and NIOSH offers a wealth of information about the hazards to which workers and residents cleaning up after a major storm and flooding may be exposed.
The document is titled, "Hurricane Key Messages for Employers, Workers and Volunteers." It covers the potential dangers involved in cleanup work and proper safety precautions, with links at the end of each section to additional resources.
The topics addressed in it include carbon monoxide, chain saw use and tree removal, chemicals, electrical hazards, falls, fire ants, heat stress, mold, portable generators, motor vehicles, fatigue, and even working with livestock and poultry wastewater and sludge.
The information on NIOSH's Emergency Response Resources page, including the Key Messages document, is intended to help employers and workers prepare in advance for anticipated response activities and to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses in the field once rescue, recovery, and cleanup begin.