OSHA offers disaster recovery tool

WASHINGTON—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration unveiled on Thursday a Web-based resource for employers and employees involved in hurricane clean-up and recovery efforts.

The resource—Hurricane eMatrix: Hazard Exposure and Risk Assessment Matrix for Hurricane Response and Recovery Work—gives 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 provide guidance on reducing employee exposures during disaster operations such as debris collection, tree trimming, utility restoration, and building demolition.

The Hurricane eMatrix incorporates occupational hazards information, observations, recommendations and data that OSHA gathered and distributed during its response effort to hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005.

The tool can be accessed at www.osha.gov.