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Page last reviewed: 09/28/2007
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Emergency Preparedness and Response

OSHA and its State Plan partners help set and implement national safety and health standards for emergency responders. Foremost among these standards is the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard of 29 CFR 1910.120(q).

Specialty topics include: Chemical, Biological, Bioterrorism, Radiation, Personal Protective Equipment, Training and Education, Equipment.

Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards, preambles to final rules (background to final rules), directives (instructions for compliance officers), standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards), other documents, and other federal standards related to emergency preparedness and response.

OSHA

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Preambles to Final Rules

Directives

Standard Interpretations

Other Documents

Other Federal

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • 40 CFR 300, National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan

  • 40 CFR 311, Worker Protection

Responders

Among other provisions, 29 CFR 1910.120(q) requires entities engaged in emergency response to provide appropriate training to their workers; to use an incident command system; to develop a written response plan that includes personnel roles, lines of authority and communication, site security and control, medical and emergency alert procedures; and to provide workers with appropriate protective equipment.

The 25 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, have OSHA-approved State Plan programs that have standards, including the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Responder standard, which are "at least as effective as" Federal OSHA standards. State plans provide assistance and extend their authority to most private sector and all public sector (state and local government) employers and employees in those States, including first and second responders.

This section includes information on the following:

First Responders (Fire Fighters, Police Officers, and Emergency Medical Technicians) See also Equipment and Training and Education.

  • Hurricane eMatrixHurricane eMatrix: Hazard Exposure and Risk Assessment Matrix for Hurricane Response and Recovery Work. OSHA eTool, (2006, December). Provides information on many of the most common and significant additional hazards that response and recovery workers might encounter when working in an area recently devastated by a hurricane. This Matrix highlights a number of tasks and operations associated with disaster response and recovery.

  • Safety and Health Guides. OSHA, (2005, March 1). Provides an overview of worker hazards related to various emergencies. They were designed for use as a general handout during an emergency event, or as a training supplement for emergency preparation.

  • Anthrax. OSHA eTool. Provides information about Anthrax, including risk, preparation and clean-up.

  • Model Health and Safety Plan (HASP) for Clean-up of Facilities Contaminated with Anthrax Spores. OSHA, (2003, April 9).

  • Hurricane Preparedness and Response. OSHA. Includes information such as news releases, public service announcements, fact sheets, frequently asked questions, and more. 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.

  • Resilience Resources for Emergency Response. OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety Health (NIOSH), (2007). Provides resources for addressing emotional and physical health issues that may arise before, during, and after emergency response efforts and includes some educational materials that can assist employees, their families and supervisors before, during and after deployment.

  • WildfiresWildfires. OSHA. Includes links to OSHA fact sheets & QuickCards, related Safety and Health Topics Pages, training programs, and other resources.

  • Emergency Response Resources: Emergency Responders. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

  • Protecting Emergency Responders, Volume 3 - Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-144, RAND Publication No. MG-170, (2004, May). Also available as a 2 MB PDF, 154 pages. Addresses the protection of emergency responders against injury, illness, and death on just such rare occasions, when emergencies become disasters. Builds on a broad base of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health programs and RAND Corporation research on protecting emergency responders. Focuses on preparedness (especially planning and training) and management as means of controlling and reducing the hazards emergency responders face. Provides a set of recommendations on how disaster site safety and health management might be improved. Much of the information contained herein is based upon the firsthand experience and suggestions of emergency responders who were there at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon on and after September 11, as well as those who responded to the Northridge earthquake (in California) and Hurricane Andrew (in Florida).

  • Report Offers Guidance and Recommendations on Safety of Emergency Responders in Terrorist Events. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Update, (2002, March 21).

  • National Incident Management System [3 MB PDF, 170 pages]. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), (2008, December). Provides a synopsis of each major component of the NIMS, as well as how these components work together as a system to provide the national framework for preparing for, preventing, responding to, and recovering from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.

First Receivers (Healthcare Workers, Hospital Employees)

Skilled Support Personnel (HAZMAT, Sampling, Crime Scene Personnel, Remediation, Construction, and Clean-up Personnel)

Safety Officers (SO)

The SO monitors incident operations and advises the IC on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and safety of emergency responder personnel. The ultimate responsibility of the safe conduct of incident management operations rests with the IC or UC and supervisors at all levels of incident management. The SO is, in turn, responsible to the IC for the set of systems and procedures necessary to ensure ongoing assessment of hazardous environments, coordination of multiagency safety efforts, and implementation of measures to promote emergency responder safety, as well as the general safety of incident operations. (More from National Incident Management System (NIMS) [3 MB PDF, 170 pages].)

  • OSHA/NIOSH Interim Guidance - Chemical - Biological - Radiological - Nuclear (CBRN) Personal Protective Equipment Selection Matrix for Emergency Responders. OSHA, (2005, April).

  • eHASP2Electronic Health and Safety Program (eHASP2). OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2006, March). Assists the user in determining the appropriate controls of health and safety hazards for their sites. Created in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the updated eHASP Guide uses modern (Windows-based) software, site-specific text, and expanded decision logic to assist the user in determining the appropriate controls of health and safety hazards for their sites.

  • Protecting Emergency Responders: Volume 3 - Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-144, RAND Publication No. MG-170, (2004, May). Also available as a 874 KB PDF, 154 pages. Addresses the protection of emergency responders against injury, illness, and death on just such rare occasions, when emergencies become disasters. Builds on a broad base of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health programs and RAND Corporation research on protecting emergency responders. Focuses on preparedness (especially planning and training) and management as means of controlling and reducing the hazards emergency responders face. Provides a set of recommendations on how disaster site safety and health management might be improved. Much of the information contained herein is based upon the firsthand experience and suggestions of emergency responders who were there at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon on and after September 11, as well as those who responded to the Northridge earthquake (in California) and Hurricane Andrew (in Florida).

  • e-PRCSPermit Required Confined Spaces Software (e-PRCS). OSHA, (2000, September). Assists users in developing written programs by prompting them for information about particular their work-sites, confined spaces, and company policies and procedures.

Equipment

Training and Education

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Publications

  • NFPA 30: Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code: Item No. PY-30-96

  • NFPA 49: Hazardous Chemicals Data: Item No. PY-49-94

  • NFPA 325: Fire Hazard Properties of Flammable Liquids, Gases, and Volatile Solids: Item No. PY-325-94

  • NFPA 422: Aircraft Accident Response: Item No. PY-422-94

  • NFPA 471: Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents: Item No. PY-471-97

  • NFPA 472: Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents: Item No. PY-472-97

  • NFPA 473: Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents: Item No. PY-473-97

  • NFPA 491M: Hazardous Chemical Reactions: Item No. PY-491M-91

Additional Links

  • Workplace Preparedness Against Terrorism is Strengthened by New Tools, Methods from NIOSH. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Update, (2003, September 4). In the two years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has worked closely with diverse outside partners to create new tools and resources that ensure the safety of the nation’s emergency responders when they respond to terrorist attacks and other events.

  • The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG). Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), (2008). Aids first responders in quickly identifying the specific or generic hazards of the material(s) involved in the incident, and protecting themselves and the general public during the initial response phase of the incident. Developed jointly by the US Department of Transportation (DOT), Transport Canada (TC), and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico (SCT) for use by fire fighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving dangerous goods. It is primarily a guide to aid first responders in quickly identifying the specific or generic hazards of the material(s) involved in the incident, and protecting themselves and the general public during the initial response phase of the incident.

General Worksites

Additional Resources

Other

National Response System

OSHA's experience and expertise enable the agency to offer important technical assistance involving worker safety and health to other federal agencies under the National Response Framework and the National Response Team (40 CFR 300).

  • Protecting Worker Safety and Health Under the National Response Framework. OSHA Quick Card 3356-09N-08, (2008). Also available as a 44 KB PDF, 2 pages.

  • Secretary's Order 01-2006 - Establishment of the Emergency Management Center (EMC) and the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP). OSHA Federal Register Notice 70:4027-4030, (2006, January 24). Addresses the continuity of Departmental missions under all operating conditions and the Department of Labor's (DOL's) roles and responsibilities in the National, homeland, and economic security arenas.

  • National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) Resource Center. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Provides "strategic direction for and oversight of the National Incident Management System… supporting both routine maintenance and the continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term."

  • National Response Framework. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Identifies the key response principles, as well as the roles and structures that organize national response. It describes how communities, States, the Federal Government and private-sector and nongovernmental partners apply these principles for a coordinated, effective national response. In addition, it describes special circumstances where the Federal Government exercises a larger role, including incidents where Federal interests are involved and catastrophic incidents where a State would require significant support. It lays the groundwork for first responders, decision-makers and supporting entities to provide a unified national response.
    • Worker Safety and Health Support Annex [85 KB PDF, 8 pages]. (2008, January). Provides Federal support to Federal, State, tribal, and local response and recovery organizations in assuring response and recovery worker safety and health during incidents requiring a coordinated Federal response.

  • National Emergency Management Plan (NEMP). OSHA Directive HSO 01-00-001, (2003, December 18). Clarifies procedures and policy for OSHA's National Office and Regional offices during responses to nationally significant incidents.

  • Oil Spills. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

  • NRT-RRT Fact Sheet [365 KB PDF, 11 pages]. National Response Team Preparedness Committee, (1998, August). Provides a framework for coordination among federal, state, and local responders and responsible parties to respond effectively to major discharges and releases, and includes four levels of contingency planning (federal, regional, area and local, and site-specific industry) that guide response efforts.

Additional Information

The following websites offer additional help with emergency preparedness and response:

White House

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

  • First Responders. Brings together information and resources to prepare for and respond to a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency.

  • Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Contains a collection of illustrated stories, ideas, activities, and projects that show how others have worked to reduce or prevent damage from disasters in its best practices portfolio and in-depth, analytical information about innovative projects throughout the United States that deal with all types of hazards in its case studies.

  • NIMS Resource Center. Provides "strategic direction for and oversight of the National Incident Management System… supporting both routine maintenance and the continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term."

  • Disaster Information. Focuses on providing information and services relating to the four pillars of all-hazards disaster management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

  • Ready.gov. Assists Americans to learn about and to prepare for potential terrorist attacks (Biological, Chemical, Explosions, Nuclear Blast, Radiation).

US Department of Labor (DOL)

OSHA

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

  • Certified Equipment List. Provides information on how to determine if a respirator has been tested and certified by NIOSH. Only a limited number of models have been certified to date.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

  • National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training. Serves as centralized distribution point through which members of the worker education and training community can access technical documents and workshop reports, safety and health update information, and curricula produced by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) awardees.

US Postal Service (USPS)

  • Mail Center Security. Provides a set of links to information on identifying and responding to security threats in mail centers.

Other

  • Security/Emergency Preparedness & Response. American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Develops Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs) for responding to potential releases of airborne substances for use in community emergency planning.

  • InterAgency Board. Establishes and coordinates local, state, and federal standardization, interoperability, compatibility, and responder health and safety to prepare for, train and respond to, mitigate, and recover from any incident by identifying requirements for an all-hazards incident response with a special emphasis on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive (CBRNE) issues.
    • Responder Knowledge Base. The Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) is a web-based information service for the emergency responder community funded by the Department of Homeland Security and hosted by the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT). Provides Emergency Responders, purchasers, and planners with a trusted, integrated, on-line source of information on products, standards, certifications, grants, and other equipment-related information.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

*These files are provided for downloading.