Safety Guidelines: Emergency Response and Recovery Workers

What to know

• Emergency response and recovery workers may encounter many potential hazards when responding to an emergency event.
• The specific hazards present vary based on the type of emergency, but general precautions can help you stay safe.
• Protect yourself by knowing how to identify potential hazards and use personal protective equipment.

Avoiding workplace hazards

You may encounter physical, chemical, electrical, musculoskeletal, structural, or other hazards during emergency response and recovery. Specific hazards present vary widely based on the type of emergency, but some examples include:

• Asbestos
• Bloodborne infectious diseases
• Carbon monoxide
• Confined spaces
• Falls
• Heat stress
• Silica

These resources can help you recognize hazardous environments and protect yourself from unintended exposures:

Chemical hazards

• Chemical agents list
• Emergency medical management
• Emergency response safety and health database
• Emergency response guidebook
• International chemical safety cards
• NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards

Toxicological information

• Toxicological profiles
• ToxFAQs
• Toxicology interaction profiles
• Acute exposure guideline levels

Prevent bloodborne infectious disease

Follow safety practices to prevent and control exposure to blood and body fluids. Exposure can happen from contact with sharp objects and contamination of open wounds. Complete training on how to safely handle needles and sharps and know the guidelines for managing and treating incidents.

• Bloodborne pathogens and needlestick prevention
• First responders: Protect your employees with an exposure control plan
• Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009

Prevent traumatic incident stress

Responding to emergency situations may lead to traumatic incident stress. You may experience physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral symptoms of stress. Some people experience these reactions immediately at the scene while, for others, symptoms may occur weeks or months later. These resources can help you recognize, monitor, and maintain health on-site and following response experiences.

• Coping with a disaster or traumatic event
• Traumatic incident stress: Information for emergency response workers (En Español)

Use personal protective equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary to protect yourself from hazards during an emergency response. Exposure to physical, chemical, and biological hazards can happen through breathing, touching, eating, or drinking. Recommended PPE depends on the hazards, but main equipment includes respirators, eye and hearing protection, and protective clothing. Other examples include gloves, boots, and goggles.

Natural disasters and extreme weather

Prepare for potential hazards you may encounter when responding to natural disasters.Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather

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