UPDATE: 6/17/2010 Dr. Michaels discussed cleanup workers on C-Span this morning. Learn more at the ProPublica Blog.
Continuing its series of public service blogs related to the Gulf oil spill, MSDSonline looks at PPE’s and worker training.
Workers involved in the oil spill cleanup face a multitude of hazards; consequently, they are entitled to personal protective equipment and special training. How much training they receive and exactly what protective equipment they are given is based upon their specific tasks and locations.
According to OSHA, cleanup workers are covered by OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard (1910.120 and 1926.65). To explain the hazards cleanup workers face and the protections available to them, OSHA has a dedicated page on their website to the safety of oil spill workers.
On the website, OSHA states that workers involved in the actual cleanup must receive at least “four hours of training on both the hazards at the site as well as any hazards involved with the manner in which the cleanup is carried out.” It also states that workers must receive training from “specially trained personnel who have received extensive training.”
Of concern to many workers are what PPEs they are entitled to based upon their tasks or locations. On this point, the OSHA website lists some general items workers may need depending upon the nature of their tasks:
- Gloves (Oil resistant)
- Boots
- Coveralls
- Safety glasses
- Respirator
What workers need to understand; however, is that according OSHA’s PPE information booklet, when appropriate “employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to their employees and ensure its use.” Furthermore, employees must be trained to know the following:
- When PPE is necessary
- What PPE is necessary
- How to properly put on, take off, adjust and wear the PPE
- The limitations of the PPE
- Proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of PPE
Not having the proper PPE can cause serious problems. According to an article by In These Times, some cleanup workers have complained of illness from lack of PPE, and the associated press reports of workers complaining of flulike symptoms.
If you are involved in the oil spill cleanup and have questions regarding training or proper PPE use, or are unsure or think the work is unsafe, OSHA implores you to “STOP and ASK your supervisor.” You can also call OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742)… TTY 1-877-889-5627.
Hazards cleanup workers may face include:
- Heat Stress
- Crude Oil
- Snakes, Insects, and Rodents
- Poisonous Plants
- Drowning
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Dispersants
- Slips, Trips, and Falls
- Emergency Response and Shoreline Cleanup
- Boat and Vessel Safety
- Ergonomic Stresses
- Fatigue
- Respiratory Protection
If you are among the thousands of workers already engaged in cleanup effort or will be joining the effort soon, MSDSonline thanks you for your important work and encourages you to take every precaution to stay safe.
OSHA requires that employers must pay for personal protective equipment (PPE) that is required in the workplace. Our online safety mall gives you direct access to a wide range of PPE products from these trusted affiliates.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
How about, Bottom Line…supply respirators for workers!! Please learn from my experience and do not end this spill cleanup with BP Collateral Damaged.
The crude oil is toxic, and anyone who cleans the oily Gulf beaches needs to know the danger. Don’t allow the workers to become BP’s Collateral Damaged, like Exxon.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/exxon-valdez-oil-risks-spur-warning-for-gulf-cleanup-crews-93258964.html
My name is Merle Savage, a female general foreman during the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) beach cleanup in 1989. I am one of the 11,000+ cleanup workers from the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS), who is suffering from health issues from that toxic cleanup, without compensation from Exxon.
Dr. Riki Ott visited me in 2007 to explain about the toxic spraying on the beaches, and informed me that Exxon’s medical records that surfaced in litigation by sick workers in 1994, had been sealed from the public, making it impossible to hold Exxon responsible for their actions. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5632208859935499100
Beach crews breathed in crude oil that splashed off the rocks and into the air — the toxic exposure turned into chronic breathing conditions, central nervous system problems, neurological impairment, chronic respiratory disease, leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors, liver damage, and blood disease. http://www.silenceinthesound.com/stories.shtml
My web site is devoted to searching for EVOS cleanup workers who were exposed to the toxic spraying, and are suffering from the same illnesses that I have. There is an on going Longshoreman’s claim for workers with medical problems from the oil cleanup. Our summer employment turned into a death sentence for many — and a life of unending medical conditions for the rest of Exxon’s Collateral Damaged.