Book Description

OSHA 3122-06R, Principal Emergency Response and Preparedness Requirements and Guidance, addressed the fact that the importance of an effective workplace safety and health program cannot be overemphasized. There are many benefits from such a program, including increased productivity, improved employee morale, reduced absenteeism and illness, and reduced workers' compensation rates. Unfortunately, workplace accidents and illnesses still occur in spite of efforts to prevent them, and proper planning is necessary to effectively respond to emergencies. Several Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards explicitly require employers to have emergency action plans for their workplaces. Emergency preparedness is a well-known concept in protecting workers' safety and health. To help employers, safety and health professionals, training directors, and others, the OSHA requirements for emergencies are compiled and summarized in this booklet. This publication provides a generic, non-exhaustive overview of OSHA standards for emergencies. It is not intended to alter or determine compliance responsibilities in OSHA standards or the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Please review the current OSHA standards applicable to your work operations to ensure your compliance. NOTE: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) imposes specific obligations on employers relative to employment of individuals with disabilities. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's website provides employer resources for addressing ADA requirements in private workplaces, including "Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodations." The Job Accommodations Network publication Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Employees with Disabilities provides planning information and resources on emergency procedures for employees with disabilities. To use this publication effectively, you should review the standards identified for your industrial sector(s) and determine if they apply to your workplace. Each standard listed in this publication includes a general description of the standard's scope. Once you have determined which standards apply to your workplace, review the requirements and resources identified in this publication for each applicable standard. To assist you in better understanding each standard, this publication summarizes the essential program, procedural, equipment, and training requirements in each of the standards identified. The publication also provides online resources, including active Internet links, which discuss compliance information for implementing critical requirements. While viewing this online you can click on any of the highlighted words and phrases, and be linked to online materials that define or help clarify the word or phrase as it is used in the standard. Please note that, in developing this publication, the standards most applicable to emergency response and preparedness were included. Standards that were deemed not directly or as likely to apply to emergencies were not included. Therefore, while the majority of standards that include emergency-related requirements are addressed in this document, other OSHA standards could be applicable to a particular response action.