Principal Emergency Response and Preparedness [OSHA]

Code: OSHA 3122-06R
The importance of 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 the 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.

Background

The U.S. Congress passed the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) in 1986.
This legislation included the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (Title III), which laid the foundation for communities to prepare for and respond to emergency incidents involving hazardous substances. Title III also requires employers to assist in planning and to provide accurate information about the hazardous substances or chemicals they control.

In 1989, OSHA issued a final rule on Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) to work hand-in-hand with SARA Title III. OSHA’s rule, 29 CFR 1910.120, establishes safety and health requirements for employers for the protection of employees and requires the development of an emergency response plan. This plan is to be integrated with local, state, and Federal agency plans for local community emergency preparedness.

A second “significant” emergency planning law was enacted in 1990. The Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA more responsibilities for preventing major chemical emergencies. In response to this legislation, OSHA issued the Process Safety Management (PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals standard (29 CFR 1910.119) in 1992. The standard requires employers to establish a PSM program to prevent major chemical workplace emergencies and to implement an emergency action plan.

The requirements of the HAZWOPER and PSM standards are provided in this publication. In addition, the publication includes emergency action plan and fire prevention plan requirements and emergency planning and response requirements in many other OSHA standards. In order to have an effective safety and health program, it is necessary to develop and implement emergency preparedness and response requirements that are applicable to the workplace.

The 26 states that operate OSHA-approved state plan programs set and enforce standards, such as HAZWOPER and PSM, and the other emergency planning and response requirements, which are identical to or at least as effective as Federal OSHA standards. While this publication can provide useful guidance to all employers and employees, if you are in a state with an OSHA-approved state program, you should contact the state program for specific compliance requirements.

Please note that the EPA has Risk Management Program (RMP) and Community Right-to-Know regulations that address releases of dangerous chemicals. Information is available on the EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hotline/rmp.htm.