September is National Preparedness Month: Keep Workers Safe from Natural Disasters

Emergencies can create a variety of hazards for workers in the impacted area. Preparing before an emergency incident plays a vital role in ensuring that employers and workers have the necessary equipment, know where to go, and know how to keep themselves safe when an emergency occurs. Hurricane season peaks in September, and wildfires are still burning throughout the Pacific Northwest and from California to Colorado. OSHA urges employers to be prepared to keep their workers safe during extreme weather events. The agency’s Emergency Preparedness and Response web-page provides information on protecting workers before and after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters strike.

The DOB launched an interactive Active Major Construction map that allows curious residents to view all active major construction sites, with buildings on the map categorized by square footage, estimated cost and the proposed number of units with larger points denoting higher values. Each project is represented by three circles on the map: blue for square footage, red for number of proposed housing units and orange for cost. The larger the circle, the bigger the number.

Through its alliance with OSHA, the American Staffing Association will host a free webinar on Sep. 12 at 3 p.m. ET on protecting temporary workers from workplace noise exposure. This webinar will review OSHA’s new temporary worker bulletin onNoise Exposure and Hearing Conservation , summarize the elements of a hearing conservation program, and outline staffing firm and host employer responsibilities. For more information and to register, visit the webinar website .