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.
two workers wearing a yellow helmet driving a boat on floodwater

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:

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

Chemical hazards

Toxicological information

Resources

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.

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.

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.