OSHA Unveils New Hurricane Recovery And Response Work eMatrix

Washington — Employers and employees involved in hurricane cleanup and recovery efforts will benefit from a new Web-based resource, Hurricane eMatrix: Hazard Exposure and Risk Assessment Matrix for Hurricane Response and Recovery Work (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hurricane/index.html), unveiled recently by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"This is an important new tool to help educate employees and employers on how to address the most common and significant hazards that they may encounter during hurricane response and recovery work," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "It provides practical information to employers so they can better assess risks and choose the appropriate control measures, work practices, personal protective equipment and training to protect their employees working in hurricane-impacted areas."

Response and recovery work encompasses a wide range of specific tasks and operations that can present serious occupational safety and health hazards to employees. The Hurricane eMatrix is a tool that incorporates occupational hazards information, observations, recommendations and data that OSHA gathered and distributed during its response effort to hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

The eMatrix offers users access to general recommendations, sampling and monitoring data, and employer/employee responsibilities applicable for any employers conducting response and recovery operations after a disaster. It also features 29 individual task- and operation-specific activity sheets that help employers evaluate hazards and provides guidance on reducing employee exposures during disaster operations like debris collection, tree trimming, utility restoration, building demolition and others.

SOURCE: OSHA